Worldly Adventures in Art

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

My Students

My students only participate in art for about 45 minutes a week for 20 weeks a year. That is barely enough time to do two in-depth projects by the time they are explained and the clean-up is incorporated. I want my kids to have the benefit of more art.

I teach fifth graders in an urban school in upstate New York.

My students are all eligible for a free or reduced lunch. They definitely don't have the resources at home to make art projects. They barely have pencils and paper for homework let alone to make something to display on their refrigerators. I would love to incorporate art into my curriculum

My Project

We are working on a unit on the rain forests around the globe. I want to have my students create globes with features such as the continents with glaciers, the rain forests, the equator, and major land features. First, my kids will learn the continents and hemispheres, second they will see that most of the world's rain forests are located along the equator, third, they will see how the ocean is connected and the glaciers affect our weather. From that lesson, I can move into how the ocean currents are affected by global warming. Another art project that goes with the rainforest unit, is a corner of our classroom that will be transformed into a huge rainforest. We will make 3-D animals that will go into the four layers either hanging from the ceiling, sitting on plants, or on the forest floor. We will use the media of molding clay, crepe paper, or origami creatures to fill the layers and make this project come to life. Lastly, we will draw and write in our personalized science journals.

Some of my students have trouble with math and reading but can really express their knowledge in their art pieces.

I want my kids to have a better self-image. This project will build their confidence as they will feel successful about their abilities in the area of their strength. Please consider choosing my project which brings art into the classroom. Thank you!