creativearts

This year we are trying something a bit different. We are using Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to strengthen our experiences with the arts as well as to gain independence and collaboration skills. We are learning so much about ourselves as we widen our understanding of Visual Art, Music, Literature and Movement.

Check out some of our learning in these photos....

Be Proactive...

We heard the story of Mean Jean the Recess Queen to learn about how to be Proactive.

Begin with the End in Mind….

Phillip talked a blind-folded, scooter driving, Scout all the way to the "end" in spite of the many obstacles in his way.

Nihaal tried to "hit his goal" of a bean-bag in a bucket....One problem- He couldn't see the goal very well!

Students chose a "support partner" to help them clearly state their goal and then drew pictures so that they could visualize success more clearly.

Put First Things First ...

Mrs. Lewis tries to give Kailee some last minute singing advice while the rest of the group double checks the order of their nursery rhyme.

hmm....Not so sure that they have it....

The clock struck one,

The mouse ran up the clock.

Hickory dickory dock.

Hickory dickory dock,
And down he run,

Think Win/Win...

We played "Balance the Bean-Bag" and found out that some games can be Win/Win for all players! Each person, independently, balanced their own bean bag on their head as they moved around the gym. If the bag dropped to the floor, the player was frozen, dependently waiting for another player to return the bean bag to their head. The interdependence was obvious as players helped each other to continue the fun game!

Dylan helped Daniel save his bean bag from falling all the way to the ground.

Now he is helping Carley!

Uh oh! Lindsey lost her own bean bag as she was trying to help Massilia.

Kailee shows that win/win games are fun for everyone!

Click here to see the saga of the bean bag game...

More Think Win/Win

Flipping the Blanket!

In our quest to reach Interdependence, we challenged ourselves with a team goal. With all members remaining on the blanket, the blanket must be totally flipped over and smoothed out.

The team is brainstorming strategies.

Eager to begin, they may have found themselves in a confused twist.

The blanket definitely seems smaller than when they began!

A new strategy! Working as a team, they spiraled around the perimeter of the blanket and gradually untwisted the fabric.

Yay! All that's left is to smooth it out!

click for more "blanket-flipping" pics!

Team Juggling

Our second team challenge was a group juggling activity. The goal was to use the Win/Win strategies to toss the ball to the correct team member while also preparing to catch another ball from a different team member.

The groups worked so effectively that Mrs. Ayers and Mr. Stock continued to change the rules... For example, sometimes the team would have to be silent and rely only on eye contact for communication.

Seek First to Understand...Then Be Understood...

	In a challenge to work interdependently, students partnered up...back to back. One student had a pre-made composition of shapes and lines, the other had a blank paper and pencil. Without looking at the other's paper, the team was to create a copy of the pre-made design based only on verbal description. The partners realized quickly that clear, concise directions and careful listening were vital to the success of this activity.
	Te'a
Samantha and Sierra	Jared and Cameron

In our second "Seek first to Understand..." activity we remained in partners, but this time we relied on our other senses to understand and be understood. One partner drew a variety of shapes, numbers, letters or even words on the back of the guessing partner.	Mrs. Lewis and Ms. Danielson
Chrissy and Krystal	Brittany and Angelia

Synergize ...

	As a culminating unit, the 4th and 5th graders spent the last few sessions of Creative Arts Class putting our newly acquired skills of Interdependence to good use. In the spirit of fusing the arts together, we read the picture book...Pictures at an Exhibition, listened to the symphony of the same name, looked at the artwork that inspired it all and then added movement with our own interpretations. Pictures at an Exhibition is a true story. The characters—Modest Mussorgsky, Victor Hartmann, and Vladimir Stasov—really did exist, and the events in this book were inspired by the true story.. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) was a Russian composer of the late 19th century. In 1870 Mussorgsky befriended the artist and architect Victor Hartmann (1834-1873). Mussorgsky was drawn to Hartmann’s use of Russian designs and motifs, but his enthusiasm was not shared by later generations. Upon learning of Hartmann’s death, Mussorgsky was devastated. He later expressed his despair through a symphony inspired by the final exhibition of Hartmann's art. If it were not for Modest’s music, Hartmann’s work would be completely forgotten. In fact, many of Hartmann’s artworks, including four of the pictures represented in Pictures at an Exhibition, no longer exist.
Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks


The Paris Catacombs


The Hut of Baba Yaga on Chicken's Legs