Learning Through The Arts (Part 1)

***I meant to post this last week. My apologies for the technical glitch. This post will give you an introduction to our work with Mr. Romaine and L.T.T.A.***

We are lucky to once again be taking part in Learning Through The Arts.  This is a program that pairs professional artists with classroom teachers.  We are working with Mr. Romaine who is a professional puppeteer.

Together, we are learning more about our community and community helpers, while learning to make puppets.  The students are enjoying each step of the process.  Yesterday, we began work on our community helper puppets.

It is a unique opportunity for the students, and myself to learn directly from an artist and gain deeper understanding from their expertise.

We will continue adding more detail to our puppets next week, and begin adding tools they might use on the job.  Stay tuned...

LTTA - Becoming Puppeteers...

Mr. Romain was back today for our latest session of Learning Through The Arts.  Our puppets are almost complete (a few details to be added this week), so the students wrote a small introduction for their community helper.  We played some games and sang some songs that helped us to get to know all the community helpers better.  Mr. Romaine even played the ukulele for us!

Next, it was time  to learn how to use the puppets to preform, and to share the information the students have learned about community helpers.  Mr. Romaine gave us some great tips.  The students learned to sit "shoulder to shoulder", so the puppets always face the audience.  They learned that the puppet who is "talking" is the puppet who is also "moving" - to help the audience better understand the presentation.  The students worked with a partner, and practiced the script they had written earlier.

When Mr. Romaine visits next week, the students will be putting on puppet shows with their partner.  Today, each team had a chance to try out the puppet stage Mr. Romaine brought for us to use.  The students enjoyed learning about puppet placement, movement and using their voices to share with an audience.

Mr. Romaine will be back next week for our last session together.  Before he arrives, the students will have a chance to finish their puppets, and practice the play they will perform for the class.  They are very excited!  Ask your child what community helper they chose for their puppet, and how that community helper helps those in the community.

Structural Masterpieces

Working with Miss Suzanne (in L.T.T.A.) for the past four weeks was an amazing experience for the students.  As a Visual Artist, Suzanne was able to share her talent and enthusiasm with the children, while teaching them about the scientific principal of structures.  Learning Through the Arts is an amazing program that we are lucky to be a part of.  Thank you so much Miss Suzanne!

The students worked hard to create, sculpt and complete their animal structures.  Take a lot at their fantastic creations...

L.T.T.A. - Meeting Miss Suzanne

We were very excited to welcome our second Learning Through The Arts (L.T.T.A.) artist into our classroom today.  Earlier in the year, we learned about mapping, while dancing with Miss Louise.

This round of 4 L.T.T.A. visits will be led by visual artist Miss Suzanne.  We will be focusing on part of our Science curriculum - Objects, Materials and Everyday Structures, and exploring this topic through drawing, and creating sculptures

Miss Suzanne led the students in a discussion about structures, and focused on animal bodies as structures.

She taught the students some fundamentals of drawing - using different shapes - and demonstrated a few animal structures.

Next, she challenged the students to choose an animal, and sketch it themselves.

Check out these fantastic animals...

Miss Suzanne presented the students with a large assortment of materials.  They used these to begin making a sculpture of their chosen animal.  What a fantastic process to watch the students engaged in!

Sculptors at work...

The students need a little more time to complete this part of their project.  Check back at the end of the week to see what they've come up with so far.  We have 3 more visits with Miss Suzanne - we are excited to see how the projects develop each week.