DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 245 996 SO 015 770

AUTHOR Link, Kathryn GerlachTITLE The Arts--A Missing Link in the Basic Curriculum. .A

Process Manual to Integrate the Arts into theElementary School Curriculum for Administrators,Teachers and Community Members. -

INSTITUTION Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union, Bennington,VT.

SPONS AGENCY Department of Education, Washington, DC.; VermontState Dept._ of Education, Montpelier. Div. of Federal

Assistance.PUB DATE Aug 81NOTE 72p.; Photographs may not reproduce clearly.

PUB TYPE Reports - Descriptive (141)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Art Activities; *Art Education; Childrens Art;

Creative Activities; Curriculum Development; DisplayAids; Elementary Education; Evaluation Methods;*Interdisciplinary Approach; Models; ProgramDescriptions; Publicity; Teacher Qualifications;.Visual Arts

IDENTIFIERS Vermont

ABSTRACTCited as a model project f,:r the state of 'Vermont,

this process model helps administrators, 1.:eachers, and communitymembers integrate the arts into the elementary school curriculum.Arranged into 10 sections, the introduction in part 1 outlines thedevelopment of the program. Three major project goals are stated insection 2 and section 3 is an administrator section which includesexamples of school projects, tips for good, personnel relations,duties and responsibilities, and budget information. Section 4, theartist'coordinator's section, outlines job qualifications andresponsibilities. .Dissemination methods are discussed in section 5,including the use of exhibits and display; newsletters; areanewspapers, radio, and television; parent-teacher presentations;parent involvement; and a student newspaper. Section 6lists variousevaluation procedures and section 7 provides 10 points of advice forteachers. Section 8 provides examples of interdisciplinary artactivities for each grade level (K-6). Discovering colors, creativemovement, painting and sculpture, drama and music, folklore, weaving

and baSketmaking, film-making, and photography are all tied to basiccore subjects and to two all-school events. Section 9 drawsconclusions about the success of the program and section 10 consists

of 6 appendices; a planning and evaluation form; student, teacher,parent, and art instructor questionnaires; and a newsletter about art

and the basics. (LH)

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aU.S. OEPARTNIENT OF EDUCATION

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATIONEDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION

CENTER IERICIThis document has been reproduced asreceived from the person or organization

Xonymatiny .

Minor changes have been made to improvereproduction quality.

Points of view or opinions stated in this docu-ment do not necessarily represent off icol MEposition or policy.

Aliss

i-41, tilt (Basic Clark

"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THISMAT IAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

47.."4/.1

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."

A Process Manual to Integrate theArts into the Elementary School Curriculum forAdministrators, Teachers and Community Members

Process Manual Author:Kathryn Gerlach Link,Project Director forthe Arts and the Basics Program

Based on The Arts and the Basics ProgramShaftsbury Elementary SchoolShaftsbury, Vermont 05262(802-442-4373)

of The Southwest VermontSupervisory UnionBennington, Vermont

August, 1981

(Initiated by an ESEA, Title IV-C grant)

Editor - Tordis Ilg IsselhandtLayout & Calligraphy - Lon Wasco

Typist - Barbara BacchiPrinted by Dave's PressPhotos by: Linda Tilgner - cover

Stan BrostcskiTyler Resch.Kathryn Link

Copyright © 1981 by Kathryn Gerlach Link

The Arts and The Basics ProgramShaftsbury Elementary SchoolShaftsbury, Vermont

The activity which is the subject of this report wassupported in whole or in part by the U.S. Department

of Education (ESEA Title'IV-C) However, the opinionsexpressed herein do not necessarily reflect the

position of the U.S. Department of Education and noofficial endorsement by the U.S. Department of

Education should be inferred.

The Arts and the Basics Program insures equal employment,

educational opportunities and affirmative action regardless

of race, color, creed, handicap, national origin or sex,

in compliance with federal law.

SHAFTSBURYELEMENTARYS HOOL

k_

GEORGE A SLEEMANSUPERINTENDENT

SOUTHWEST VERMONT SUPERVISORY UNION604 MAIN STREET

BENNINGTON, VERMONT 05201

TELEPHONE 802.447.7501

ARTS AND THE BASICS

NEIL E CUNNINGHAMASST SUPERINTENDENT

In 1977 the Shaftsbury School District receiveda three-year continuing grant to fund the Arts and theBasics program. This past year, due to the program'soverwhelming success, the local school district pickedup the funding for the entire project.

A great deal of credit needs to be given to KathyLink, Arts and the Basics Coordinator, and Sam Carrara,Principal of the Shaftsbury Elementary School, for theiruntiring efforts in developing the basic concepts,implementing teacher ideas, and coordinating school/community activities.

It is my hope that those of you reading this manualwill find it useful in your own classroom or within yourown school district. If we may be of any further assistance,please contact us.

AP-N,. Sleeman

Superintendent of Schools

CPrefac&

The Arts A Missing Link in the BasicCurriculum Chain is a process manual aimed towardadministrators, teachers, parents and artists whowant to adopt, and adapt an arts program for theirelementary school in which the arts serve as theconnective tissue between the curriculum and thechild's learning processes. It is designed to beread and to be referred to by the administrativeand teaching staff who are directly involved inimplementing the program. The sections for theAdministrator, Artist Coordinator and Teacher focuson their particular roles and have been written withtheir special concerns in mind. The manual willhelp parents and artists understand the program'sconcept and how it works for the child. The contents'are based on the success of The Arts and the BasicsProgram, which is now entering its fifth year asan essential part of the curriculum at the ShaftsburyElementary School, Shaftsbury, Vermont.

A process manual is more apprOpriate for thisproject than a curriculum guide because of.the uniquenature of the prnsram. Unlike the arts activitiesat most other elementary schools, Arts and Basicsconnective activities evolve from the various unitswithin a school curriculum and are hand- tailoredto meet instructional needs of the core subjectareas. The Shaftsbury program has been comparedto a well-managed open classroom situation'wherethere is an atmosphere of creative spontaneity.In this setting, the arts become a necessary learningtool in the elementary curriculum rather than anisolated frill. There are many personal benefitsfor all those involved: greater self confidencedevelops; communication skills expand; differentideas are accepted and appreciated; self-imagesimprove; decision making is accomplished and respectfor e,Ich other is shown.

The manual addresses methods for the processrather than laying down specific guidelines. Themanner in which this process is interpreted byanother individual school depends on the amountof cooperation that exists within the school commun-ity and how committed it is to incorporating the

arts with the academics. The arts may traditionallystand alone, but at Shaftsbury we found that whenthey are interwoven with the basics, they provide

a complete educational experience for the elementary

student. The Arts and the Basics Program at the

Shaftsbury Elementary School has been identifiedby the DiVision of Federal Assistance, Vermont

State Department of Education as an exemplary working

model for the State. This manual spotlights essentialingredients in Shaftsbury's program that could be

used for beginning and continuing a program at other

schools.

The Arts and the Basics Program hasbeen cited as a model project for theState of Vermont. The success of theproject must be given to the SouthwestVermont Supervisory Union; to theShaftsbury School Board of Directors;to Samuel Carrara, Principal; to allof the staff and every student at TheShaftsbury Elementary School; toartist-instructors from the communityand from the Vermont Council on theArts; to all of the supportive parents;and to the Division of FederalAssistance, Vermont Department ofEducation, which provided funds andassistance through ESEA, Title. IV-Cfor three years to start up andmaintain the project and to preparethe project for validation. Thecooperative nature of the schoolcommunity proved to be the mostimportant ingredient to implement theinnovative concepts of the program.

,Kathy G. Link.

11-te. C.3 it I Is 90;n9 Aifs ICk 56rrit app

ra6k ff-antontsPage

Endorsement 2E'

Preface Jar

Acknowledgements _Jr

1 Introduction

Project Goals

3 Adminis'trator's Section 8(including Budget Information)

Artist Coordinator's Section

"Dissemination Methods 20

Evaluation Procedures 23

Teacher's Section 25

8 A Sampler of Connective Artsand Basics Activitiesand Events 30

0

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JO Appendix 459 Conclusion

1 gntrochiaionThe Shaftsbury Elementary School serves 260

students, grades K-6, ages 4-13 from a small ruralcommunity in Southwestern Vermont. Many of thestudents are from moderate to low income familieswhich have been unable to provide their childrenwith.the cultural and arts experiences that aretaken for granted in other larger urban communities.

The school had never had an art program pr se;the faculty and administration provided some artsactivities incidental to their regular assignmentson their own initiative. The Shaftsbury School Board.of Directors, administration and faculty recognizedtheir inability to supply the students with needededucational experiences in the arts due to their lackof arts training and limited knowledge of availablecommunity resources. They also recognized the valueof supplementing and supporting the basic curriculumwith arts activities that would provide ways toexplore and apply what the children were being taught.This awareness of a missing element spurred on a searchfor a program that would best fulfill the needs ofthe school.

In 1976, Samuel Carrara, the Principal, tooka grant writing course and soon thereafter attendeda workshop.on grants for arts programs both of which.were sponsored by the Division of Federal Assistance,Vermont Department of Education. He became awareof the possibility of applying for an ESEA Title IV-Cmajor grant to incorporate an innovative art programinto the school and at the same time he learned aboutthe specific guidelines which were required as a frame-work for designing and implementing such a program_Mr. Carrara seized upon the opportunity and broughtthe idea back to the faculty, who wholeheartedlysupported his effort. A committee of administratorsand teachers collaborated to identify present educationaldeficiencies and to research existing arts programsin other school communities. Members of the committeespoke with persons from the local community, faculty -

members from nearby colleges and directors of artsprograms in other elementary schools.

When this preliminary research was completed,Paul Rene, one of Shaftsbury's third-grade teachers,

11

was given two days of released time to begin the actual

grant writing process. The grant application wasprofessionally thought out to respond to Shaftsbury'sneeds, but also to provide a realistic.approach toincorporating the arts into the curriculum at other

elementary schools. The application was preparedin the following way:

1. Goals and objectives were set which:

involved students, teachers and the community.

2. Support statements were gathered from

community membLs, teachers, students, professionalsand the school board.

3. A-job description which included qualifi-

cations, duties and responsibilities was drawn up

for a Project Director who was to be given the title

of Artist Coordinator.

4. Long and short range activities were proposedlisting a wide variety of arts to be integrated withthe basic curriculum.

5. A schedule of dissemination efforts such asnewsletters, local news coverage, displays and a student

newspaper was projected.

6. Evaluation procedures to keep track of theprogram's progress included questionnaires, reports

and meetings.

7. To complete the grant application, a budget

was drafted which included the following items: the

salary of a full -time Artist Coordinator and benefits;substitutes' pay for teacher release time; artistinstructors' payment; travel; materials and printing

costs. A total of $14,600.00 was projected in orderto begin the Arts and the Basics Program.

8. Tklans were also proposed for successive yearswith the local district assuming 25% the second yearand 50% the third year.

In June of 1977 the grant was awarded to theShaftsbury Elementary School and shortly thereafterthe Artist Coordinator was hired to initiate the program's

concepts. During the first year of the Arts and theBasics Program, coordinated activities were created and

tried. In the second year some activities were repeatedand embellished upon while new projects surfaced. By

212

the third and final/year of Federal funding, theprogram and-the connective activities had proven tobe an integral part of the school curriculum. A'fund-raising driyein the fourth year of the programhelped the local school district pick up thecomplete funding. An appeal letter was sent to aselect group of 100 local and surrounding communitymembers asking fOr donations to help ease the prograMinto the budget. Not only did the community's responseraise 25% of the total budgeted amount thereby assuringthe prOgram's continuation, it also was an indicationto the school board of individual support for theprogram. By the fifth year, the program is beingcompletely funded by the local district.

7 3

2. irTnycitgoa6

I. To provide a variety of arts activities tosupport the core subject areas for kindergarten -sixth grade students.

II. To provide arts educational training and methodsof integrating the arts with the basics for admini-strators and teachers.

III; To involve the community by their. participationas artist instructors and/or concerned parents.

The success of the program at Shaftsbury is duein part to a redefinition of the role the arts play'in

an elementary school. The major purpose of the programis to interweave a wide variety of arts activities intothe core subject areas of reading, math, language arts,social studies and science for grades K-6; Choosingthe particular art forms depends on the kind of activitywhich would best bring a unit "alive". This might becreative dance, theatre, painting, drawing, filmmaking,photography, music, creative poetry and prose, sculpture

or handcrafts. The .innovative twist consists of definingthe arts as a learning tool rather than an isolatedfrill. The arts become a necessary, integral part ofthe curriculum, supporting the basics. Art is nottaught in a vacuum for one period a week'without teacherinvolvement and, without follow-up. Arts activities areapart of the units being studied as determined by theArtist Coordinator and teacher. In this way, the artsmotivate the child to better understand basic conceptsand apply these concepts_to.actual situations. Experi-encing connective arts activities-in-this-'way_2provides:a greater creative response to learning.from thetextbook-and allows for more self-development.

-Students become involved in the Arts and theBasics concept once the arts activity begins for a

class- The variety of arts bring in a variety ofartists exposing the students to new ideas and different

personalities.. This, in itself, is a broadening experi-ence. Children become better listeners,-think moreopenly, learn with enthusiasm and simply like school .

better.

One Shaftsbury School child commented after beinginvolved in an Arts and Basics activity,'

4

14

"I learned to watch, be interested. I felt happyabout things .I do. I love to have people comefrom all over."

Another child said,

"Arts activities help me learn and putssomething in my head to remember..."

When the students were.asked how they feltabout their school, one. 'child brightly stated,

"Our school is great because The Arts and theBasics makes a big difference!"

110 t

4,

ty

Teachers become directly involved in the projectby learning how-to correlate the arts with their unitobjectives through working closely with the ArtistCoordinator._ At Shaftsbury SchOol, planning sessionsare arranged twice a year in September_ and January.For these sessions; teachers are.each given one-half-daysof released time to meet' with the Projdct Director toplan for Artsandl3asics activity connections in-their.

individual clasbes. The Artist Coordinator, in turn,

suggests arts activities that would work well in a

particular unit. Tentative schedules are then planned.

Many ,times the Artist Coordinator acts as theresourceperson if the activity fit's within her expertise

or another artist instructor is suggested and necessary .

contacts are made. In the sessions, the teachers learn

of newly available artist instructors or resources and

of upcoming all-school events being initiated by the

program. In addition, teachers are given schedulesfor Arts and Basics Workshops that are being arranged

for their own arts'education. /.

We.found these formally scheduled meetings twice

a year helped teachers to accomplish long-range Planning.

Most importantly, they provided communication betweenteacher and teacher and Artist Coordinator and teacher,

and created a ,linkagelpetween the program and thecurriculum that had not existed before. The ArtistCoordinator works on a full-time basis, thereforecontinuous activity planning also'occurs-daily.

Parents and the community become. involved in

various ways. One way community members participatein the Shaftsbury, project is by sharing their specialtalents as artist instructors with the school. The

State of Vermont and the Shaftsbury area encompass awealth of artists and cultural resources that', once

recognized, proyide the expertise necessary to motivate

the students and instruct teachers. Having local resourceartists participate in the program develops an increasedinterest in the program and in the school in general.

As the program unfolds, parents became aware of

daily Arts and Basics actiVities'by continually changing

hallway displays, BeSt of all, the children speak about

the school activities often and bring projects home toshare with their parents. During the first three years

of the Shaftsbury program, abi-monthly. newsletter. was

:sent- home describing how the program worked and cited

:examples of some of the activities that had occurred

in individual classes. The local newspaper and local

radio station served.as important vehicles to infotm the

area ofthe program's progress. Some parents, who didnot work during the day, were helping hands for a few

of-the. activities or volunteered their time to go on

field trips with-the classes. Parents also developedinterest in the program through the Parent-Teacher Groupand by attending school exhibits and event. At one

-point, an advisory committee made up of parents was

6

formed to support the program at the Annual SchoolDistrict Meeting.

Ultimately, the Arts and the Basics Program isdesigned to help children learn and remember coresubjects through creative methods - the arts servingto be the creative tool. Students, teachers, admini-stration and the community become partners in learningand together learn how to use the arts to accomplishthe goals. Once the program has gained momentum, thequality of learning deepens, and the arts becomeanother necessary part of the elementary curriculum.

A teacher summed up the feeling so well whenshe wrote,

"The personal ramifications for the child areimmeasurable (building confidence, learning toshare, learning, to accept...) 'all in all anincredibly super experience. A super experiencefor the children, for the teacher and for thecommunity."

3 atiiministrators Sectioiv

The first step in beginning an Arts and theBasics Program is recognizing the need.

1. A need to include the arts in an elementaryschool curriculum that does not have anarts program.

OR

2. A need to.redefine'an already existingart program in-an elementary school.

At. the Shaftsbury Elementary School there hadnever been an art program,',yet.the school communitywas aware of the importance arts play in.a child's

edUcation. The teachers had been responsible for anyarts activities.that'occurred with the help of a fewoutside resource people, but experiences were'limitedand lacked consistency. Therefore, at Shaftsbury'theoriginal idea was tried when the grant award made,itpossible to begin the program.

The beauty of The Arts.and the Basics Program at .

Shaftsbury rests in the cooperative nature of the project.The administration and faculty had hatched the conceptand were willing to support it. For any school begin-ning a program.it would be essential to'involve ' -:hers

in all the planning stages. The program, likeactivities that evolve, be'hand-tailored to -

the needs of the individual school. For instance, theArtist Coordinator's role may be defined 'differentlythan at'Shaftsbury according to the size of the-school,a departmental head might assume the responsibilitiesof project administrator, or the total budget might beadjusted up or down.

We found a low-keyed approach to work best inthe beginning. We needed a time to get acquainted andintroduce the program to the school community. Someteachers are more rdiuctant to try new methods,"so an"open door" policy by the Artist Coordinator provedto be desirable.

"I was very available to teachers and spentquite a bit of time, visiting classrooms andtalking with teachers."

8

It was made known to all the teachers that theprogram was there for when they needed it, when theyfelt comfortable with it.

One Shaftsbury teacher expressed hisappreciation when he wrote,

"Our school has this fantastic program wherewe are able to bring into the school, artistsand other resources from many art endeavors.It's better than a regular art programbecause it's more of what we want, when wecan use it."

As activities were tried by some teachers, otherteachers became encouraged and began reauesting projectsfor their classrooms.

The teachers' interest in becOming involved in theprogram was.increased by events for the whole school,many of which were partially funded by the Vermont Councilon the Arts., By using the Council 'listing or throughindividual contacts with artists from the local community,the project staff arranged to. -have performances orworkshops for all school participation: .Many times'theevents were coordinated with an Emphasis Week or Monthwhich had been initiated by the Principal and ArtistCoordinator to relate to the gr-lr,r- urriculum.

cc_presstTery

m a classic

1

r,

For example, one. month revolved around "Bringing

Classic Books Alive." The Learning Center Specialist

exhibited an array of classic books from Mother Goose

to Tom Sawyer. Coordinating exhibits with the programturned the Learning Center into a colorful space whichspotlighted the theme. A puppet group performed, "The

Little hief of Bagdad" from the 1001 Arabian Nights

in an assembly program. A prbfessional storytellerexpressively read from tho classics to each class

over a few days time. The classic movie, "TreasureIsland" was shown to the whole school. As a grandfinale, each class picked one book to perform incostume at an all-school assembly. This type of anevent involved the whole school connecting a varietyof art forms to the language arts curriculum. Eventsfor the' whole school take long-range preparation andrequire meaningful follow-up, however, they have veryconstructive and long lasting effects that make them

worth the effort.

AMR

',Aybrate:fromCfiraswregs

More time is required to carry out Arts andBas±csactivities, yet the time is quality time. Although

"Art" may not occur regularly once "a week as it happens

in a more traditional program, it may sometimes occur

even more often than that, ,depending on the units beingstudied, and be a richer experience. There are always

arts objeotiveS.connected to unit objectives or vice versa.

One supports the other.

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When asked what teachers liked best about theprogram one teacher commented,

"Its flexibility and adadtability to any and allcore subject areas; its motivating qualitiesand its emphasis on art as an integral partof life, not as a separate once-a-week entry.in a plan book."

It is essential for the administrative staffand Artist Coordinator to be in close contact. Inorder to check the program's progress, informal meetingsbetween the supervisor and. Artist Coordinator shouldoccur regularly. The Artist Coordinator should attendfaculty meetings and be included on the agenda.

At Shaftsbury, Mr. Carrara, the Principal, isreadily available Lo sit down and review Arts andBasics activities. There is always a good exchangeof thoughts and ideas which helps the program runmore smoothly.. When meeting individually with teachers,Mr. CarraraiS helpful in'reminding teachers to clearlystate their'objectives for doing an Arts and Basicsactivity. I't\is important to be able to State objec-tives because it makes teachers and the Artist. Coordinatorbecome more articulate in explaining the rationale behindthe activities to school board members, parents, etc.

In general, reasons for arts education are hot.easily. understood, that is why it was doubly importantto be specific. Parents indicated their understandingof the program in various ways.

One Shaftsbury parent wrote in response to aqUestionnaire,

am very pleased with Arts and Basics Program.When I was in school our art was valentines,chains at Christmas, shamrocks etc. only onholidays. The program has sure extended farbeyond what I ever did."

Community support grows as the rationale gainsclarity.

Another parent wrote, in response to the questionas to what was the chief merit of the program,

"That together with the regular curriculum,the result is intensified learning - total'immersion - enduring memories. That is's not

21

11 .

art for art's sake at all, but art as a partof everyone's life and education, as an example

and as a tool."

Another parent wrote,

"Our children have the advantages of a

superior program which integrates andcorrelates all art forms with basic

edu-:ation. We can boast the advantige of

making education more meaningful to each

child and enrichment activities that spark

the imagination and keep the flame of thenew, unusual and interesting experiencesalive in education."

Another responsibility for the Supervisor and

Artist Coordinator is arranging teacher workshops.

During each year.at Shaftsbury one or two workshops

are offered to educate teachers in using the arts

in the classroom. The workshops are scheduled directly

after school hours and. attendance is usually mandatory..

Resource people through The Vermont Council on the

Arts, The Resource Agent Program (RAP), or through the

local community give workshops in the areas of the arts

where teachers' lack experience or request more training.

This would vary according to teacher'interest and back-

grounds. The workshops provide a time to work directly

with an artist, openly ask questions, solve problems

and share new ideas. On a few occasions an artist who

.was doing an extended residency-in the school also

gave a teachers' workshop. in conjunction with the

residency to the faculty to provide a more in depthunderstanding for the work done with the children.

A final responsibility for the program staff-isoverseeing the budget. There are five main categories:

,salaries for professional and non-professional staff,

contracted services for artist instructors, art materials

and supplies,, travel and printing Costs.

The program supplies substitutes to allow for

teachers to meet formally with the Artist Coordinatorto plan for Arts and Basics activities during the

school year. A part-time secretary and/or teacher's

aide is necessary to do typing for the Artist Coordinatorand help with some of the arts activities. Most visiting

artists are paid on an hourly basis, others volunteertheir time and resident artists who come through theArtist Resident Program or the Touring Aid Program of

the Vermont Council on the Arts are hired under contract

IL

22.

with partial funding coming from the school and partfrom the Council. An awount is allotted for artmaterials and supplies. This amount is used to purchasespecial art materials in addition to the generalschool supply order. Travel expenses arenecessary for the program staff to attendworkshops and/or give presentations. A categoryfor printing of newslette.cz, student newspapers andany other publicity is included during the firstthree years of the program.

The following ch-ait explains approximatestart-up costs and costs to continue the programfor the following years.

COSTS

Approximate costs for beginning an Arts and theBasics Program are based on the Shaftsbury School'sinitial grant, 1977, which were designed specificallyfor the school. The budgeted amount was distributedas follows:

Start-up Costs Continuing Costs

1. Salaries $ 8,400a. Professional

(Artist Coordinator)

Benefits (Social 1,072Security, Blue Cross/Blue Shield,Unemployment)

b. Substitutes forteacher releasetime twice a year

325

c. Non-Professional 1,000 -(Secretary or 1,200Teachers' Aide -not figured in

original grant)

adjustment for increase

It

11

2. Contracted Services 2,800 $2,500 with adjustment(Artist Instructors)

3. Art Materials and 1,500 1,000Supplies

4. Travel for project 200, samestaff (for firstthree years)

5. Printing (for each of 400 samethe first three yearsfor publicity & news-letters)

Note: A category for equipment might also be added ifigEhool does not have basic arts activity needs.

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4 rffiecitiristGorcgrurtors Section_

The program director's title is Artist Coordinator.

The job qualifications, duties and responsibilities arelisted below as outlined in Shaftsbury's originalTitle IV-C grant. We found at Shaftsbury that this

was an accurate expectation of the Artist Coordinator's.role._

Job Qualifications

1. Ability to coordinate a cultural education program.

2. 'Ability to work with teachers and school children.

3. Be artistically talented in one or more areasand be able to communicate these interests to the

prqqram participants.

4. Possess the capacity to communicate with talented,people in the area and in the state who could con-tribute to and participate in the program.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. To make all instructional personnel at theShaftsbury School fully aware of the enrichmentpossibilities that the arts possess for thebetterment of the basics.

2. To identify, with the individual teachers, theobjectives of an instructional unit and to ascertainhow the arts can become a vehicle for achievingthese goals.

3. To develop ongoing training and orientationsessions for teachers.

4. TO identify, interview and make selection of

visiting artists and/or groups. To coordinatethe resources of the Vermont Council on the Arts`.'

Each artist must be made cognizant of his/her rolein the development of the instructional objectivesbefore initiating a lesson in the classroom.

5. To provide a follow-up assessment vehicleso that the artist and the teacher can determinethe success of the lesson.

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6. To identify, orient and schedule communityvolunteers with a cultural skill to assistwhenever possible with the prog-ram.

7. To develop a publication that would list allof the community and state people andresources that could be utilized by theclassroom teacher after the termination ofthe Arts and Basics grant.

8. To provide specialized help to teachers inthe area of the coordinator's expertise.

9. To develop reporting procedures so that&1l members of the school and the community at

large can be aware of the program.

10. To provide leadership for after-schoolactivities, clubs, etc. that are culturallydirected.

11. To establish an ever changing gallery ofchildren's work or other suitable materialto be on display at the school.

A redefinition of the role of the arts in theelementary- school means a redefiniticin of the responsi -.

bilities of the arts educator.

The Aitist Coordinator's position calls for aperSon who .is, an artist and who can 'coordinate activitiep.As an artist, the person must possess ingenuity to presentand carry out art concepts clearly while responding toteacher and student needs with sensitivity. The ArtistCoordinator must have expertise ink one or more artfields and be aware for many reagen's of the potentialsthat other art forms may offer to the program. Asa coordinator, the person must match the appropriateart form with-a specific unit in the basic curriculum,guift.teachers' ideas and select and work with otherartists from many art fields. The Artist Coordinator.must possess both arts expertise and organizationalabilities in order to carry out his/her responsibilitieswith professional sensibility.

Since a daily part of the Artist Coordinator'srole is dealing with Administrators, teachers. andstudents, it is essential to have previous educationalexperience. The person must basically understand howthe routine works to be efficient and effective withina school environment. Diplomacy by the Artist Coordinator

15

is the single most important characteristic,. To impose

the program on the daily functioning of the classroomwould be detrimental to the progress of the program.That danger is remedied once the program is wellunderway and proves to be a problem solver ratherthan an impbsition.

It is imperative to have worked with childrenbefore assuming the Artist Coordinator's role. Many.times, he/',he acts as a resource person leading classes

in connective activities. One must be able to. communicateand relate to the student while_ fulfilling the objectivesof the activity. The Artist Coordinator must be attunedto children's needs. 'Awareness of children's needs willalso help the Artist Coordinator to prepare other artiestinstructors for working with the classes.

An Artist Coordinator acts as a liaison betweenteacher and teacher; adMinistrator and teacher; artistinstructor and classroom; school and community. Therole calls-for a person who can communicate necessaryinformation verbally and through the writing of news-

letters, reports, etc. An Artist Coordinator who is,

familiar with the community and school already wouldhave a valuable headstart. Being acquainted with-theart community would help when interviewing artistsfor working in the school.

The Artist Coordinator's open schedule allowshim/her time for a variety of essential activities:to be a resource person, to coordinate Arts and Basicsactivities with teachers and other artist instructors,to hang exhibits, to record the program's progress.andto give presentations. Unlike a traditional art teacher,the Artist Coordinator is not locked into a fixed-schedule of classes in which he/she comes in, to presentan art activity for one period once a week. Instead,

an arts activity may be completed within one hour ora few days or it may extend over a longer period of,time sometimes led by the. Artist Coordinator, other

times by a contracted artist instructor. There isalways beforehand preparation and follow-up to completethe specific objectives for the activity.

Close contact with teachers ia necessary inorder to'become aware of the units being studied..

The half-day released times at- Shaftsbury twice ayear gives a general overview of the curriculum.Being a daily part of the school and having an openschedule allows the Artist Coordinator time and spaceto meet with, teachers informally during their free

16

tine, visit classrooms and brainstorm new ideas forconnective arts and basics activities.

One teacher elaborated on the advantages ofhaving the program and the availability of theArtist Coordinator when she wrote,

"Because of the program: I teach less ina vacuum. Because of the program, I have -

® a sounding board for ideas and thoughts;

CD a formal opportunity to discuss the programwith my colleagues which leads to other informalcontacts;

40 a consultant-advisor for projects I want todo independently;

41 a source of books and materials nototherwise available;

40 a 'central clearing house' for the schoolcurriculum which has led to coordination,cooperation and sharing among 'grade levels;

4! a reason to lay out the skeleton of myyear's program.

The Arts and the Basics Program has enrichedmy life as a teacher and that of my students."

It is the responsibility of the Artist Coordinatorto search out and interview resource, persons as possibleartist instructors. .An artist instructor must be ableto understand teachers' objectives and relate the artsactivity to the unit being studied. An importantqualification for an artist instructor is the abilityto work and communicate with children. During anactivity, new vocabulary is'often introduced, whichthe artist instructor should clarify. At Shaftsbury,teachers often keep a list of "new" words which waslater referred to in class discussions and used for.doing written work after the activity. Artist instructorsneed -not "talk down" to the children, but do need togear their presentation to the age,group. Usually,artists who have had experience working with childrencan sense if the ideas' presented are being graspedor not while the activity is in"progress, The ArtistCoordinator can help the resource-persdn-byfamiliar-izing him/her with the children's needs before theclass session.

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Field trips to arts resources outside theschool are arranged by the Artist Coordinator toconnect with the basic curriculum. It is importantto keep in contact with area museums, galleries, histor-ical organizations and other educational resourcesreceive announcements of upcoming events. AtShaftsbury, an "Arts News" bulletin board was placedoutside the teachers room to post flyers and newspaperarticles for teachers and visitors. Before a fieldtrip is scheduled, the Artist Coordinator and/or theteacher make contacts with the resource person. toexplain the unit and the purpose of the trip.

Many times field trips at Shaftsbury becomewhole school experiences. Students go equipped withsketch pads and pencils to take notes and draw while

on their visit. As a follow-up, their notes and pictures

are further'worked on in class and are used to form a"tapestry." Their work is cut apart and glued-on large

mural paper thus interweaving words and drawings togetherto recall and share their trip with their school mates.(The."tapestry" idea has also been used effectivelyto remember in-school events.) The Artist-Coordinatoroften participates on field trips and acts as a con-sultant when arranging the tapestry or any other follow-up

with the class. (The "tapestry" idea was introduces toShaftsbury by .a writer and visual artist who workedas artist instructors during an extended residency.)

r,

I Am=

A

-44* poust 4

Students take notes acv c6awiire on trips

18

The Artist Coordinator has a busy schedule. Itis essential to be organized to manage this challengingprogram. A well maintained and accessible file systemand an up-to-date resource listing are needed to referto when administrating the program. Also, a day-to-dayand month-to-month calendar is useful to make long-rangeplans when coordinating activities. A workable organizedsystem is important for the Artist Coordinator to maintainwhen providing teachers with advance notice of all schoolevents, residencies and emphasis weeks if the curriculumand program are to work well together.

It is the responsibility of the Artist Coordinatorto disseminate information about the program and itsactivities throughout the year. Evaluation of theprogram's progress must also be administered by theCoordinator. The following two sections describe theseessential responsibilities in more detail.

(Dissemv:rnativn .*trwc6There is a need to inform the school community

regularly about an Arts and Basics Program in order

to build support and understanding for its goals.Once parents and other community members become inter-ested and involved, the program has a better chanceto survive and thrive. Much of the initial responsi-bility rests on the Artist Coordinator who must be

able to communicate the program's concepts and progressthrough a variety of .media.

(1) Exhibits and displays of children's art work

or other appropriate materials are an effective way ofshowing and sharing Arts and Basics activities. The

use of a large display board in the main entrance wayof the school, space outside classrooms and an additionalexhibit area in a multi-purpose room is an efficientway to reach the school community and visitors.Exhibits must change often, be attractive, relate a

message and carry explanatory labels.

The Artist Coordinator atShaftsbury commented,

"I remember observing in the first few monthsof the program that teachers and childrenenjoyed seeing classroom work hang in thehalls, but it wasn't until I had hung a varietyof exhibits in the main hallway that I noticedthe children, teachers and' visitors stop, looktwice and study the theme of it. Throughoutthe years, the display board has become a centralarea for visual awareness and public. notice."

cAno azion exit to encourage vitworsparticyation

\A BIRD IN THETHE HAND ISs, ....

Oft*.011.11/11."-

towfogo.ww,iff

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At Shaftsbury, the main hallway display manytimes acts as an announcement for an upcoming eventincluding who, why, how, when and where it is to occur.After the event, children's drawings and writings,are often displayed to explain their reactions andtheir recall of the occurrence in detail.

Other exhibit areas, throughout the school, aswell as the main display area, provide additional spaceto display student work, professional art work andexchange exhibits from area schools. Exhibiting Artsand Basics art work in places outside the school isanother effective way to spread the good word aboutthe program. Store windows, schools, banks, hospitalsand galleries are a few public areas that are willingto show children's art work.

(2) A newsletter about The Arts and the BasicsProgram written by the Artist Coordinator informsparents of current projects and upcoming events.It can describe how the Program works, give specificexamples of Arts and Basics connections as they haveoccurred in individual classes, report on all-schoolevents and include invitations for parents to.upcoming events. The format should be concise andattractive to encourage parents to read it as itreaches home via the students. (See Appendix.)

One Shaftsbury parent commented,

"I send my extra copy of The A&B News home tomy brother who is a sports editor. He isvery interested in my children's schoolwork,as are the other relatives and friends."

In addition to the newsletter, brief flyersshould be sent home to invite parents to upcomingevents and inform them of artist residency schedules.

(3) The area newspaper, radio station and ifavailable the T.V. station can help to inform thelocal community about the Arts and the Basics Program.Short articles and/or photographs should, appear in thelocal paper a few times throughout the year. One yeara group of sixth graders at Shaftsbury wrote an articlewith photographs as. part of-an Arts and Basics project.Another time, the Artist Coordinator was interviewedby a local radio commentator and appeared on a_localT.V. panel show concerning how schools used a historichouse in the area as a resource.

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(4) Presentations about the program at Parent-Teacher group gatherings, school board meetings andfor other educator's groups by the Artist Coordinatorhelp promote the program's concepts. At Shaftsbury,a slide record of some.of the Arts and Basics acti-vities which-was kept during the first three yearsof the program proved very useful in showing theprogram in action to others.

(5) Parent involvement with some of the Artsand.Basics activities is a direct method of gainingsupport for and understanding of the program. Parentscould be invited to go on field trips, hang exhibits,donate materials or attend adult workshops concerningarts education.

(6) A student newspaper of student writings anddrawings by the program is an effective method ofsharing some of the Arts and Basics work being donein the classroom. Reports, interviews, stories,poetry and activity pages of original work can beincluded in the publication. The newspaper .shouldbe distributed to each child in the classroom.Teachers would need to read the paper to kindergartenand first -grade classes or use it to encourage reading.The students take the paper home to share with theirfamilies. The Artist Coordinator acts as the organ-izer of the student newspaper staff and editor of thepaper.

22. 32

6 rivaruationi rocecrwres

-Evaluation procedures need to be designed byan adopting/adapting school-of The Arts and BasicsProgram to assess its effectiveness in achievingits objectives: During the first three years ofthe program at Shaftsbury the Division of FederalAssistance, Vermont State Department of Educationgave important direction to different evaluativemethods. The following are methods that we foundworked well for our school. Examples of the formsused may be found in the Appendix. (It must benoted at this point that without evaluation dataaccumulated over the past three years, much of thisprocess manual would not have been possible.)

(1) Questionnaires were filled out at the endof each year for three years by students, teachers,parents and artist instructors. They were comparedand analyzed each year. Written comments by allinvolved gave a good indication where improvementswere needed and how effective the program reallywas. They were especially helpful to the ArtistCoordinator when writing reports and newsletters.

(2) An Arts and Basics Activity Planning andEvaluation form designed to record each activity asit occurred proved very useful. It included a.description of the activity, basic objectives accom-plished, follow-up activities and an evaluation ofthe activity and resource person. It ser% d as areminder of what arts activities had connected withthe curriculum, which resources had worked well andwhat follow-up events were stimulated. It also gaveteachers a space to write how they felt about aparticular activity. A notebook has been kept ofthe activity forms and is referred to regularly.

(3) A detailed calendar was kept by the ArtistCoordinator to correlate with the time line of events.

(4) Two on-site team.visits, organized by theDivision of Federal Assistance, evaluated the program'sprogress during the first and third year of the programand provided written reports for the project staff,Superintendent and School Board.

(5) Most importantly meetings between the principal,

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teachers and Artist Coordinator were on-going to reassessprogram goals and effectiveness.

(6) Observation by teachers, the Artist Coordinatorand artist instructors provide a record of student attitudeand response to the activities. A slide and photographcollection have been kept to record both the process and

products of the_ activities.

24 34

7 Ueaccers Section/

The Arts and the Basics Program is designedto coordinate arts activities with the core subjectareas for elementary school age children. Units arebrought "alive" through a meaningful variety of artsactivities. Much of the success of the program dependson teacher involvement. When children experiencelearning through graphic, creative means, they respond,remember, respect and grow.

A Shaftsbury teacher quoted,

"There's nothing like a hands on experience...'I hear and I forget. I touch and I remember.I do and I understand'."

Becoming actively involved in the program pro-vides endless possibilities for a classroom teacher.Fresh ideas will blossom, attitudes will improve andteaching simply becomes a more creative and challengingoccupation.

Another Shaftsbury teacher wrote in responseto an Arts and Basics questionnaire,

"I have a fear that lurks in the shadows ofmy life that of becoming an insensitive,in-a-rut teacher wearing blinders, providingmy students with reading, writing and computingskills, but forgetting that these are, afterall, merely tools to use to learn about theirworld and to solve problems they will encounterin their lives.

The Arts and the Basics Program, in particular,is insurance against this. It is important tome as a teacher as it is to my students."

The arts are learning tools as well._ Thecombination of the arts with the academics, providesbalanced experiences necessary in the child's develop-ment. We, as educators, are responsible for supplyingsuch experiences.

offeigfas_Acince,:

(1) Take part in initiating the program foryour school. It is a program that works for-youand your students. It is a resource, a catalogue anda sounding board for your own creative ideas.

(2) Work directly with the Artist Coordinator.The Artist Coordinator will brainstorm ideas with you,filter them out and come up with meaningful artsactivities, which you both agree to try.

Sometimes a workskoi is re more once to involve afew

teachers at each timer than aft- teachers

(3) Attend Arts and Basics Workshops for yourown arts education. Usually, that means giving extratime outside of school hours. However, if you havenot been exposed to a variety of arts you need tospend that extra time. If you have, you can alwayslearn more!

(4) Study your units thoroughly. During thehalf day release time provided for planning Arts andBasics activities with the Artist Coordinator, it isbeneficial for you to outline your upcoming units ofstudy. Planning ahead can also help you organize

2636

for the months ahead. Remember, the Artist Coordinatorworks on a full -time basis, so-go to her/him wheneveran idea seers to need some advice.

(5) Talk with your fellow teachers, share thoughtsand ideas. Once you see an Arts and Basics activity workin another classroom, find out how: it connected with thatteacher's unit. Many times, an activity can be adaptedto your unit to achieve different results.

(6) Plan with the artist instructor. In orderto have a successful Arts and Basics acitvity makecomplete plans with the resource person who will beworking in your room. If possible talk directly withthe artist instructor or do it through the ArtistCoordinator before the scheduled activity. It isnecessary for the artist to understand your objectivesand you need to be aware of the artist's approach.

(7) Use the program in different ways. Think ofusing the program for your whole class. Other times,use it for small groups of your class. The program isflexible and the concept can be interpreted in a varietyof ways.

(8) Schedule Arts and Basics activities tobest fit your plans. Determine with the Artist Coordin-ator where in the unit the arts activity would be mostmeaningful to your students. Scheduling may have tobe adjusted to allow enough time to complete the

activity. For example, if the arts activity is

chosen to enhance a Social Studies unit, schedule theactivity during the' regular Social Studies time allowingmore time if needed. Keep in mind, your students willbe receiving in depth experiences from which qualitylearning results.

(9) Participate in the activity. It is necessaryfor you to either participate in or observe the activityled by an artist instructor-. This is important foryour own arts training and for follow-up with yourstudents. It must be understood that the program doesnot act as a once-a-week art period replacement.

(10) Fill out 'Arts and Basics evaluation forms.After each Arts and Basics activity, work together withthe Artist Coordinator to fill out an evaluation. formto describe the activity, objectives accomplished,follow-up activities and evaluation of the resourceper§pn(s) It is important to keep a detailed recordof Ehe activities which can later be used as a resourcecatalogue.

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The Arts and the Basics Program works for theteacher but in turn, teacher involvement is essential.It takes time, energy, and long-range Planning by bothParties. Once you have worked with it for a while andwitnessed your students' awareness, appreciation,attitudes and skills improve and grow, then you willrealiz.: the worthiness of the arts becoming an integralpart of the curriculum. In this case, the processbecomes more important than the product because theProduct is_only one result of the process.

The following are a few quotes from Shaftsburyteachers who have benefited from the program forfour years:

"The Arts and the Basics Program hasimproved my teaching, in terms of creativity.Skill development has become 'hands-on' funand more cohesive in relating to application.I am more creative and so are my kids,"

"My students are beginning to think moreanalytically now that art concepts are nottaught in isolation."

"I really have become more aware'of thevariety of art-; from this program. It'sso applicable to education,"

"I have seen students' motivation increaseresulting in both study skills and improvedwork. Students simply like school betterbecause of the Arts and the Basics."

"Because of the Arts and Basics Program, Ihave become a more proficient planner."

"Watching and listening to our Artist Coordinatorand our guest artists has been more helpfulto me than any college course."

"The best program a school could have! Aprogram which allows the classroom to extendfar beyond its limits and the limits of itsteacher." ,

And here are some quotes from Shaftsbury students.

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"The Arts and Basics activities help me writebetter. They help me draw'better. They help

38

me read better. They help me solve problemsbetter."

"I feel messy when we are doing something messy,but besides chat I feel wa and great inside.P.S. I" ike to have lots o time to do Artsand Basics activities."

"When I do an Arts and Basics activity, I feellike I have something (an idea) boiling and Iget to pour it out. That is when I'm allowedto think up my own ideas, but if something isassigned, I feel as though I'm forced to doit and it isn't enjoyable and I can't do mybest."

"You learn how to work together. You learn toshow your abilities."

"I learn more about something' by trying it.I also feel like in science, I do betterwork when I do an arts project with science."

"This school is better than other schools I'vebeen to. There is a bigget assortment of whatto do, like make movies. I like it here."

S cotSamiS/rofCcininectivevIrts and

(Basic (Activities aneivairs

The-foll&viing pages give exampls'of connective

Arts activities that'worked- with the basic units atThe Shaftsbury Elementary School. Realizing _that

every School has slightly different curriculums, thesampler is intended to give you a better idea abouthow the program- works.in our school and spur on yourown ideas. Examples are given for each grade, kindergarten through sixth and for two all-school events.

Kindergarten

Arts Activity

Discovering Colors

Subject Connection,

Verbalizing, Reading,Math, Science

COLok

.

CV_

30

,5 .

40

A basic objective for a kindergartener is tobe'able to recognize, distinguish and name colors..-The teacher'works with the classes, before.hand, givingthem repeated visual exercises in naming the basiccolors - red; yellow, blue, orange,- green and purple.The arts activity begins when he/she feels the classis close to mastering that task. Three session's arescheduled to reinforce the previousexercises and showhow the primary colors, red, blue and yellow can bemixed in pairs to make the sf.?.condary colors; green,orange and purple. The Artist Coordinator. and theteacher choose three different art media to do theexperiments.

We decided to try making green first by mixingtempera paint. The Cobrdinator came into the class-room with one jar of yellow and one jlat of. blue temperapaint. While the class watched, shepertprmed "magic"for them by Pouring a little blue,and a bit more yellowinto a jar, mixed it and to their amazement made.green!She showed them another way of mixing green. She tooka green apple, cut in half, dipped it-in blue and thenyellow paint. and printed the-new color, green, on apiece of paper-.cut out_in the shape of an apple.Since late September is a month to study apples, thestuderits.were asked to perform magic and turn theirapple paper into green. Off-we all'went to the Art.Room and each child enthusiastically made:a greenapple from mixing and printing with blue and .,.yellow:Kindergarteners learnespecially well by repetitionso we repeated .the color mixture often duringthe activity anda.color.equation was shown to helpthe children remember and "read."

ye llow

During other sessions, orange was produced bydipping cloth leaf shapes in yellow and red dye.Rurple.was discovered when each child mixed red andblue finger paint together to make a finger drawing.of something purple. Additional equations were addedto the first yellow and blue equation. The green apples,orange leaves and purple paintings with the equationswere put on display outside the classroom for others.to see.

41'

The activity did not end here. The teachercontinued to refer to the experiments when recallingcolor names in stories, songs, art prints and othercolor discovery projects throughout the year. Thearts activity often carries on into future activities..

First Grade Learning Letters and Numbers

Arts Activity

Creative Movenient.Viewing Sculpture

Subject Connection

Writing, Math

First, graders must begin to put pencil to paperto form letters and numbers early in the school year,:That task may be accolnplished by rote, but thrOughintroducing the Concept of straight, curved. lines,planes and basic geometric shapes through creativemovement beforehand, we found first graders betterprepared for the task.

A Creative Movement Specialist warmed up thegroup with a session of stretching, bending andexploring space with their bodies in their clasSroom.The second session was led by the artist instructorat a nearby outdoor sculpture show'. Moving around'and. through large metal. sculptures; the childrentraced straight and curved paths and learned themeaning of planes created by the lines with theirbodies. The class was attentive as they participatedwith the artist instructor. Before returning tc,school,.each child was given paper and pencils to

32,

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draw the straight and curved basic shape sculptures.The following day, the class constructed miniaturecardboard and wood shape sculptures with anotherartist instructor. Each activity-helped the childrenexp,rience the straight and curved concept throughtheir senses with their bodies. The activities preparedthe class to then put pencil to paper to form letters,words and numbers made up of straight and curved lines.Simply, the meaning of the terms "curved" and "straight"used to describe the formation of a letter shape wasmore easily understood.

Second Grade - The Monarch Butterfly

Subject Connection

Science, Math, Language Arts

Arts Activity

Painting, SculptureCreative Movement,Drama, Music

4.11.*?.' !it^

Second graders are ready to make a detailedscientific study concerning the development of theMonarch butterfly. The two classes study differentstages of the development - from the caterpillar tothe chrysalis to the hatching of the butterfly. Itis a study that involves manyprojects including avariety of arts activities and resource people.

- One class fashioned the yellow, black and whitecaterpillars fromParis craft (the material plaster

3

casts- are made from), painted'and wrote short poems

about them. The other class cut the butterfly.shape

and painted the intricate patterns of the Monarch

KutterUy's wings. The math concept of symmetry was

introduced in the painting process:' The paper butterflies

were stuffed to give them stiffness, so later they could

be suspended and displayed in the library with the

three-dimensional caterpillars. Meanwhile, Monarch

caterpillars were.brought into the class for the

children to observe them changing into the chrysalisstage, then into the butterfly. As a finale, both

classes dramatized the beautiful, sequential cycle.

One class became the undulating caterpillar under a

striped sheet. Part of the other class wrapped in

green strips of sheeting.showed the bound up chrysalis

stage. The rest of the class assumed the positions of

butterflies and bright colored flowers. Music played

by some of the second graders was coordinated with the

movement. A student narrator guided the parade and

performance for an audience of kindergarteners;third-graders, and parents, The physical. education

teacher and music teacher helped with the movement

and tunes respectively. All the costumes were made

by the children - simply, and effectively.

We have repeated this activity for several

.years with some alterations - always with wonderful

results'.

There is a great ,loal of interchange between,both-second grade classe-, and sharing with other

.classes. It is a fine learning experience,lby doin

that the children .do notforget!

Third Grade - North American Indians

Arts Activity Subject Connection

Folklore Social Studies

Weaving 4-2-71= Language Arts

Basketmaking

A high point f6r both thir(-7. (Trade classeS is

a regional study of the North American Indians. The

emphasis is onthe many different kinds of Indians

that exist and how each group coped with the environment

in the past and deal with it in the preSent.

The Arts and the Basics Program arranged to

bring in a North'American Indian expert to speak with

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44.

classes and show artifacts that the children couldhandle.' He answered many questions concerning thelikenesses and differences of the people. A localhistorian came in to show each class slides of theEastern Woodland Indians. A-local weaver demonstratedon a Navajo loom which she brought in and the childrenalso tried their hand at it. Finally, a basket weaver,provided through The'Vermont Council on the Arts, Crafts-in-the-Schools Program, led each class in fashioningreed baskets in the Southwest Indian tradition. Theteachers worked diligently along with their :studentsand the baskets they made were later displayedin the Learning Center with library books about thesubject.

The resource people and the hands-on activitiesmotivated the children to gain a better understandingfor the North American Indians. The children'sinterest increased and their- written reports werearticulate and thoughtful.

Fourth Grade Sunflowers.

Arts Activity Subject Connection

Painting, Drawing ImammE0 Science, Math ,(Metiics)

When a fourth grade class was involved-in aScience study of plants and ,flowers,'the. Artist CoordinatorJotted a live sunflower from her garden and brought itinto the classroom. Because.of its size it provided.a fine example for close observation. Then the teacher.came up with a bright idea. In addition to usingthe sunflower for the Science unit, she decided to useit for the Metric unit too. The leaves, petals, stalkand center were measured and noted by the class. Therewas discUssion about the seeds with questions beingasked about patterning, use,. and formation.. Researchwas done and reports were written.

The class then got another bright idea. Theydecided to compare their height to the sunflower'sheight.' By then, the sunflower was beginning to droop.The teacher came to me and we decided to try an artsactivity to remedy the problem. Large mural paper .wascut lengthwise to each child's height. The papers:were arranged in upright positions throughout theArt Room for each child to paint their interpretationof a sunflower. The Artist Coordinator cut a bouquetof fresh sunflowers to be placed in the Art Room while

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e,n

she led.the children in observing and.painting theirown individual sunflowert. The result was a vibrantpatch of sunflowers of different heights. For a followthrough, each child measured their painted sunflowerand compared it to their own height in metrics. Alabel was filled out by every child and displayedabove their own sunfloWer.

The following Spring, the class prepared and

planted a bed of sunflowers behind their classroomfor next year's fourth grade class study.

Fifth Grade - Greek Mythology and Astronomy ,

Arts Activity

Drama.- Role playin .411,4AaviWrsoAtt.i.,

Subject Connection

Language ArtsScience Astronomy

Greek Mythology and Astronomy are studied in

some depth through textbooks when children reachfifth grade. The Arts and the Basics Program enlivenedthe units by arranging a five-day residency with acollege-professor and a theatrical.artist, who worked

with each of the classes. The college professor,

36

along with his assistant, spent part of each dayintroducing Greek myths to the. classes and explaininghow they'correlate with Astronomy. Meanwhile, thetheatrical artist prepared the classes for enacting ashadow puppet play that he wrote and developed entitled,"The Old Templo,of Change." The students and teacherscame to understandthe.rolesof the Greek gods andgoddesses through their involvement in making a tapeof the script and operating the puppets. The play wasperformed for the whole school and for many visitors.A:video-tape was made of the performance'and shown inthe fifth grade classrooms as a fallow-up.

It was a highly worthwhil(' 1 ur c!veryoneinvolved. The students' enthusio sic co: inthe activities helped them apply 1_,-,asid'tcxtbook infor-mation to a dramatic production. ileyond Lhat, theactivity improved their self-confidence/An expressivereading and in their own self images. ,;.This activitymotivated the teachers to. do an additional project.Each child extensively researched the origins of theirfirst names- and put together, "Name Books." An 8" x 10 ".portrait was taken of each by.siXth grade photo-graphers-tO complete.their'hand-bOund keepSakes.

37.

Sixth Grade - Creating story. lines

Arts Activity

FilmmakingPhotographyMusic.

Subject Connection

Language Arts, Science,'Math

A filmmaking project was coordinated for bothsixth grade classes in the early part of the ,sqhool.year

to motivate creative writing. A professional filmmaker,'through the Artist-in-Resident Program of .The Vermont

Council on the Arts, led two two-and-a-half day workshopsfor each class. The student groups organized their own

story lines, operated the movie cameras, developed andedited their films and syncronized sound tracks tocreate Super 8 black and white films. Math skills andscience knowledge was used throughout the activity.

The students worked cooperatively and followed a complex

proces's to completion.' Many individuals gained agreat deal of confidence, once they realized they couldaccomplish such an. involved and creative process.

As a continuation of the arts project, a lcicalphotographer worked with small groups of sixth gradersthroughout the year teaching them how to use 35 mm. cameras,and develop and print film in the school's darkrooM. Those

students in turn taught their fellow classmates.;

48

.4$

We found that the filmmaking project was aneffective way to bring the classes together andprepare them for many creative writing times ahead.As the children discovered, there are similaritiesto putting together a film and writing a story. Both

are made of many parts that need to be arranged orrearranged to make it be a complete and interestingpiece.

EXAMPLES OF ALL SCH0a ACTIVITIES

Artist Residency for Grade 1-60

The Arts and the Basics Program coordinatesartist residencies with the basic curriculum for all

classes during each year.

For the past four'years, a poet, through. the

Artist-in-Resident Program of The. Vermont Council-on the Arts, spent two weeks giving workshops.One week, the poet worked with each claSs from grades.4 -6 and a second week with grades 1-3. The classesmet indiVidually with the poet,for about one hour a

day. He presented thought-provoking topics-to the

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49,

children which stimulated creative writings anddrawings to accompany the students' original words.Each day led to, more voyages into the imaginationwith writings flowing from every child. The writingswere started in the workshops and continued duringadditional classroom time scheduled'by the teachers.Much sharing within classes and between classes occurredand the work was put up on display throughout theschool. Parents were invited to observe the workshops.A selection. of written work was published and distri-buted to the children to road and take home to sharewith their parents,.

Working with an artist for an extended amountof time provides consistency in approach for thestudents and teachers. A variety of methods andresources are made available to the teachers fortheir own training. Teachers have the Opportunity toobserve their children from a different perspective which

.leads many times to,a better understanding of them.Every residency broadens the scope of the curriculum andprovides a resource of professional expertise.

Emph :ne s 6ehuL..,i Participation

The Arts and the Basics Program initiatesevents for all school participation, coordinated bythe Principal, Artist Coordinator and teachers. Atheme is determined which relates to the'curriculum.in general. Usually, two different emphasis weeksare scheduled during the year.

This past year, one emphasis week revolvedaround, "The Beauty of the Hand-Written Word." Thetheme was chosen to encourage students to becomeaware of their handwriting. The program spotlightedthe at of calligraphy and brought in local resourcepeople to demonstrate a variety of styles for eachclass. Among the resource people was our localpostmaster who showed the classes his beautiful'script. An exhibit of calligraphy done by high schoOlstudents was displayed.in the main hallway. TheLearning Center Specialist and Artist Coordinatorworked together-to exhibit calligraphic pieces donein the classes. The professional calligrapher, whohad demonstrated the art, and the Artist Coordinatorwere scheduled. to lead individual classes in tryingtheir hand at it.

40

50

Actually, the emphasis week led into anemphasis month as the children developed great.interest and appreciation for the art of calligraphy.

After the calligrapher had guided a class,one teacher observed in follow-up,

"Students titled stories, poems, name cardsand book markers with their new foundskill. My students took on a new appre-ciation for neatness and precision in theirown handwriting. Some took pride in Writingtheir own names on classroom assignments

they had never done before."

Other projects, such as an alphabet mobile,titleyages for student written books, and hand-letteredpoems resulted from the emphasis month. Parents'andteachers expressed their interest, so an eveningcalligraphy workShop was offered by the professionalcalligrapher.

Emphasis weeks require long-range planning andneed plenty of advance notice for preparation time and

; for follow-up activities. They are essential becausethey reach all the classes and many time's encouragewhole school community interest and involvement.

9 co sion_,

This process manual emphasizes the essentialingredients needed to provide success for initiatingan innovative arts program for other schools whichare aware of the importance arts play in education.When integrated into the curriculum, the arts offerunique opportunities to explore and discover farbeyond the textbook. Arts and Basics experiencesare enriching for all involved.

One.artist instructor at Shaftsbury Schoolwrote,

"I think that the Arts and the Basics Programplays an important role in the Shaftsbury curriculum.Shaftsbury students-are very aware of it, teachersmention it frequently and seem 'most appreciative ofit. The Arts are not extras or frillt or frostingor fats in any budget - they ,are a kind of grammaror geometry of thought. Students, like civilizations,.need what clarity these disciplines can bring to'them."

It is hoped that this process manual willhelp other schools adopt and adapt an Arts and theBasics Program using Shaftsbury School's experienceas a guide. We found that arts are basic in a child'sdevelopment and together with the academics, theydance a fine tango! One complements the otherwhile the arts* prove to be a missing link in the

.basic curriculum chain.

Contact: Samuel Carrara, PrincipalKathy Gerlach Link, Artist Coordinator

Address: Shaftsbury Elementary SchoolEast StreetShaftsbury, Vermont 05262Telephone: (802) 442-4373

52

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6

53

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43

c

0 AfilomilixSample thins of

1. The Arts and the Basics Activity 4Planning and Evaluation Form

2, Student Questionnaire '50.

3. Teacher Questionnaire

4. 'Parent Questionnaire 57

5. Artist instructor Questionnaire 53

The A&B News, A Newsletter about 59The Arts and the Basics

a

ti

45

SAMPLE FOR?4

The Arts and the BasicsActivity Planning and Evaluation Form

Resource/Artist Instructor-(S)

Address Phonee

Address Phone

Field Projected Instriiction Date

Estimated Instructional Time

Teacher(s)

No. of Students Involved. .

Type of Arts & Basics Activity

/-7 Literary Arts

/-/ Poetry /Prose

/:/ Play-writing

Performing Arts

Grade

Grade

Grade

Subject Connection

E7 Reading

E7 Writing

L./ Math

LI Social Studies

/ / Theatre (Drama, role-playing) /7 Science

/ / Dance/Creative Movement /Mime = /7 Spelling

/ / Music z=7 Career Education

/ / Visual Arts /7 Healfh

L-17 Drawing/Painting

/.-.7 Photography/filmmaking

/ 7 Graphics and Printing

/27 Sculpture

/27 Hand Crafts

/ / Pottery

/-7 Weaving/Stitchery (fiber art).

/T/ Woodworking

/ / Field Trip.

Where No. of ParentS

1.. The Arts and the Basics Activity Planningand Evaluation Forms are filled out by theArtist Coordinator and teacher(s) for each activitythat occurred' throughout.the year. A notebook iskept to record the variety of activities and .torefer to, during the released planning times.

55

47

Purpose

Other (describe)

Description, of Activity

Materials Needed

Basic Objectives Accomplished

L=7 Expansion of Communication. Skills(writing & speaking)

Z._/ Acceptance/appreciation of ideasdifferent than their own

LC/ Appreciation of the Arts as aform of expression

L1-7 Fine & gross motor skills improvement

/./ Creativity & originality shown

/_/ Expressed feelings in acreative form

.1=7 Worked. cooperatively

/ / Attentiveness & parti-cipation shown

/-7 Respect shown for eachother & for artist-instructor

LL/ Improvement of self -image & confidence / 7 Math skills explored &

in their own abilities clarified through Artsexperience

/-7 Improvement in expressivereading

Z=7 Decision making accomplished

L=7 Sense of responsibility shown

/ / Science concepts better understood /-7 utht2rs(list)

through arts-related experimentation

Follow-up Activities

Evaluation of Activities

Evaluation of Resource Person

2, 3,4, 5SAMPLE OF STUDENT, TEACHER,

.PARENT AND ARTIST INSTRUCTOR

QUESTIONNAIRES

5

Student, Teacher and Parent Questionnaires wereadministered in May for the first three years of

the program.

2 STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRES SAMPLE FORMS

Note: Teachers-of kindergarten through second grade

administrated the questionnaire by asking theirClass on the whole the questions,,then noted their

student's responses.

Date

Student Questionnaire

for the Arts and the Basics Program

K-2

Shoftsbury Elementary School

No. of studentsresponding

Grade

Total enrollmentof class Teacher

To the teachers: Ask your whole class the followingguesti.)ns and write down their different answers. If

you need to recall specific events, please do.

1) What comes into your head when you think about

the arts?

2) How do you feel when you do an arts activity?

3) When you did an arts activity, how did it helpyou learn more about one of your units of study?

__Please give_examples.

4) If you were to describe your school to a friendvisiting from another town, what would you say?

50

Date

Name

Student Questionnaire

for The Arts and the Basics Program

Grades 3-6

Shaftsbury Elementary School

Grade

SAMPLE FORM

* Please keep in mind the Arts and Basics includesmany kinds of art such as: -photography, dance, drama,hand-Ordfts, music, drawin-g andpaInting to help youlearn reading, writing, speaking, math, science and

social studies.

All ofthe time

Most ofthe time

Sometimes NotOften

Don'tKnow

1. I do many kinds ofarts projects.

2. Pictures of grassshould always becolored green.

.

3. It is more funto write aboutsomething afteryou have seen ordone it,

4.

5.

We do plenty ofarts activitiesin school.

The arts can bea good way oftelling somethingdifferent inanother way.

6. I like workingwith my hands.

7. I have gone tomuseums, exhibitsand other placeswhere I canlearn things.

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51

All ofthe time

Most- ofthe time

Sometimes NotOften

Don'tKnow

8. Art is drawingand painting.

9. School is too-much sitting.

10. I like to meetoeciple withdifferent

than myown.

Section II. Please write brief sentences when answeringthese questions.

1) What comes into your head when you-think about the arts?

2) How do you feel when you do an arts activity?

3) Write a few sentences about how arts activitieshelped you learn more about other subject. areas?

4) If you were to describe your school to a friendvisiting from another town, what would you say?

52-

Teacher Questionnaireconcerning The Arts and the Basics Program

Shaftsbury Elementary School

Date Name

Grade

1) Have you observed changes in your students as aresult of the Arts and the Basics Program?

1. -2. 3. 4. 5.

Very Negative Neutral Very PositiveChanges Changes

Comments:

2) flow well have you and the Artist Coordinator workedtogether?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Terribly So-so Very well

Comments:

3) flow well have arts activities connected to basiclearning experiences in your classroom?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Very Neutral Very,relatedUnrelated

Comments:

4) Taken-as a whole, how effective have artist-instructorsbeen in your class?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Very effective

Comments:

Neutral- Very effective

3 TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRE SAMPLE FORM

61

53

5) Would You like to be able to include artistinstructors more often in your clats?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Never again

Commentt:

At the current More frequentlylevel

6) Students demonstrated a better understanding ofcore subjects as a result of the Arts and Basics

activities.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

. Much Neutral Much better

worse

Comment-:

7) Students expanded their communication skills as a

result of Arts and Basics activities.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Much Neu*ral -Much better

worse

Comments:

8) Students displayed a greater sense of appreciationand acceptance of ideas that were different fromtheir own as a result of Arts and Basics activities.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Much Neutral Much better

worse

Comments:

9) Students demonstrated an appreciation of the arts

as a form of expression as a result of Arts and

Basics activities.

1. 2. 3 4. 5.

Muchworse

Comments:

Neutral Much better

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62

10) Students showed improvement in fine and gross motorskills as a result of Arts and Basics activities.

2. 3. 4. 5.

Muchworse

Comments:

Neutral Much better

11) Students demonstrated creativity and originality intheir art work and basic work as a result of Artsand Basics activities.

2. 3. 4. 5.

Much Neutral Much betterworse

Comments:

12) Students displayed increased interest in coresubjects as demonstrated by their involvementin cla.='; projects as a result of Arts and Basicsactivities.

1. 2. 3. 4 5.

Much Neutral Much betterworse

Comments:

13) Students showed a better self image and confidencein their abilities as a result of Arts and Basicsactivities.

1.

Muchworse

Comments:

2. 3. 4. 5.

Neutral Much better

14) Students showed greater appreciation for the schooland its activities as a result of Arts and Basicsactivities.

1. 4. 3. 4. 5.

Much.' Neutral Much betterworse °

Comments:

63

15) Teachers integrated arts experiences into theirprogram nore often as a result of_Arts :ind Basicsactivities.

2.

Not atall

Comments:

3. 4. 5.

Somewhat A great deal

16) Are you more interested in the Arts as a resultof the Arts and Basics Program?

2. 3. 4. 5.

Lessinterested

Comments:

Neutral Very interested

17) Would you feel comfortable presenting arts inyour classroom without the help of an artistinstructor or the Program Director?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Very Neutral 'Very comfortableuncomfortable

Comments:

18) How helpful has training in arts been for you so far?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Not helpful Neutral Very helpful

Comments:

19) What things would you like to learn more aboutrelated to using the arts in the classroom?

Comments:

20) What format has been most useful in helping you touse the arts in the classroom?

Comments:

21) What do you like most about the Arts and Basics Program?

Comments:

22) What do you like least about the Arts and Basics Program?

Comments:

23) How would you describe the Arts. and BasiC's Programto another friend or another tea.cArr visiting from out of,town?

Comments: Thank you.

56

Parent Ou.stionnaie

,hR Arts 2.-v; = ^e Basics ?*-ogram

Shaftsbury Elerenta -,- School

narc. No. of children in 5,(aftsbury School

1) How often has your child or children talked aboutthe Arts and the Basics activities?

2. 3. 4. 5.

Not at Severalall times

Comments:

5 or more times

2, When your child or children talk(s) about art, doeshe/she sound:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Very Notunhappy decided

Comments:

Very happy

3) Do you think the Arts and Basics Program has affectedor influenced your child or children about schoolin general?

1.

No

Comments:

2. 3. 4. 5.

In someways

Yes

4) In what form do you think the Arts and the BasicsProgram should be continued next year?

Comments:

5) What would you tell a friend from out oftown about the Arts and the Basics Program?

Comments:

Any other comments are welcome.

Thank you.

44-PARENT OUESTIONNAIRE SAMPLE FORMNote: Parents were asked to fill out and return onequestionnaire per family. Names were not reauested.Comments were encouraged. (A cover sheet explainingthe importance of the questionnaire was attached.)

65

57

5 ARTIST INSTRUCTOR QUESTIONNAIRE SAMPLE

Note: An teen -ended form was used for visitingartist instructors to allow for flexibility.

Artists who worked in the school five timesor more were asked to fill out this questionnaire.

SAMPLE FORM

Question for Artists

If you were to describe your experience with what youdid for the Arts and the Basics Program in the mannerof a novelist describing or portraying an event, whatwould you say?

Name

Field

Date

Please return to: Kathy Link, Artist CoordinatorShaftsbury Elementary SchoolShaftsbury, VT 05262

6 SAMPLE ARTS AND THE BASICS PROGRAM NEWSLETTER

(Written by the Artist CoordinatorfPr_the-fi-rst-three-years-of-the-program-andsent home with each student. It was sent alsoto the Superintendent, principals of the otherschools in the union district, art teachersand school board members.)

58

6U

rhe 4 t MewsA NEWSLETTER ABOUT THE ARTS AND THE BASICS .

Shaftsbury Elementary School, Shaftsbury, Vermont 05262

eptember, 1979-January, 1980

THE PROGRAM

The Arts and the BasicsProgram continues into itsthird year at S.E.S. Fundedeaually this year by a federalESEA, Title IV graft and bythe local school district,this innovative program isdesigned to integrate a widevariety of arts into thebasic curriculum. ncluding'the mhe arts in this manner isProving to motivate, encour-age and enrich the learning -of reading, writing, math,.social studies and science forK-6 grades. Kathy GerlachLink, Artist Coordinator for-the program works with theteachers and children arrang-ing for meaningful arts andbasics activity connections.Sometimes, community artistinstructors are employed toguide and share their parti-cular art skill with individ-ual classes or with the wholeschool. Many times, Kathy, avisual artist, works directlywith a class as the resource'person. Activities are co-ordinated by the teacher andKathy or the Program initiates

7;4*sohool wide projects. The--.Nr.Artsancl the Basics -- Program

ilizas grown each year due to thewonderful cooperative natureof the Shaftsbury School andits community.

A+B

No. I

HERE IS HOW IT WORKS

In 1977, the first year of.the program, coordinatedactivities had to be created,and tried. The second year,some activities were repeatedwhile new and more meaningfulprojects evolved. Since thispast September, 1979, the pro-gram has proved to be an inte-gral part of the curriculum.The many arts such as, photo-graphy, creative movement,crafts, creative writing,dramatics, - painting and draw7ing, provide endless ways'tohelp students learn and applywhat they^are being taught inthe ccre subject areas.Following are a few examplesof this year's many activitiesfor grades K-6.

KINDERGARTENERS BEGIN TO LEARNABOUT N. AMERICAN INDIANS.

In October, both of Mrs.Kevorkian's Kinddkgarten classestook a trip to the Children'sMuseum in Williamstown, Massa-chusetts to go on a guidedwoodland walk, make crafts andhave theft- faces painted in anIndian tradition. It was a_430o1day-,---but the children andadults braved the weather tolearn a bit more about the' .

Indians of our area.Discussing the fact that

N. American Indians dependedon nature to provide all theirneeds, Ms. Link led the classesin working with clay. Each

67

child fashioned small pinch° pots and decorated them withearthen colors in the mannerof the Southwestern Indians.As Thanksgiving time.carearound, the classes role-played the Pilgrims and Indiansmeeting for the feast.

The classes then exmeriencedmaking Small reed baskets,competently led by artist-instructor,41Marti Dunbar of

Bennington. Each childworked diligently to weavethe reeds in and out around thespokes finishing their basketsoff with a colored reedstripe. The basket makingfollowed the classes doingpaper mat weaving. It was achallenging and worthwhile

. activity for all.

THE OLD VERSUS THE MODERN-ACOMPARISON IN MR. RENE'S 3RDGRADE CLASS

A field trip to The Park-McCullough House Carriage Barnled way to Mr. Rene's classwriting reports and drawingold and new types of transpor-tation. The class examinedthe horse-drawn carriages ofthe 1870's and observed someantique vehicles of the early,1900's. Each child was evenpermitted to sit in an oldfire edgine! Through thereports and-much discussion,the children showed greaterappreciation for how transpor-tation has changed over theyears.

643'

)C.

THE MEANING OF STRAIGHT ANDCURVED LINES AND PLANES ISEXPLORED BY 1125. TILGNER'S1ST GRADE CLASS THROUGHCREATIVE MOVEMENT

In 'order for a first graderto understand the geometricConcepts of straight and curvedlines and-planes, Mrs. Tiigner's1st grade was given an,introductory

-movement lesson with CreatiVeMovement Specialist, 4,Mary Ann y

Brehm. They explored straightand la7ZUrved paths with theirbodies and learned the meaningof planes created from theselines: A visit to The

oPark-McCullough HOuse outdoorsculptilies brought to life thegeometric concepts in large form.Ms. Brehm led the cla$s inexperiencing the lines and planesthrough moving around and throughthe sculptures. As a follow-up',Mrs. Jeanne McWaters, Director,of the Curriculum Workshop,worked with_the'children in helpingthem create their own miniaturestraight and curved sculptures-ofwood and cardboard. These activitieshave gone. on to help the children .

with recognition and formationof letters and numbers.

The straight and curvedcf511,:ept was also introduced tothe iUndergarten classes in amore simple manner with Ms.Brehm. To apply this basic idea,each child appropriately madea colorful shape paper mobilewith Ms. Link, which wasdisplayed in the Learning Center.

68

MS. BREHM WORKS WITH MRS.LARIVIERE'S 4TH GRADE CLASSTO ADD EXPRESSION TO A HALLO-WEEN POEM.

110.Ms. Brehm worked with Mrs.Lariviere's 4th grade class inadding expressive movementto John Ciardi's imaginativepoem, "What Night Would ItB6?" The children were dress-ed as ghosts, witches, pump-kins, bats, owls, small menwith lit grins and paintedeach others faces accordinglyunder the direction of Ms.Link. Ghostly music was addedto the movement with Mr. Harristo complete the performance.The class was enthusiasticallyinvolved in-the mood of thepoem when they performed foran audience of parents, friendsand- classmates from othergrades..

THE GOOD EARTH-A SCIENCE STUDYIN MRS. MAILHOT'S 3RD GRADECLASS,

It is a gCod earth, espec-ially when 'one looks closelyto see the wonders that growon the forest floor. Mrs. '

class studiedthe cross - section of soil andthen ventured off to a ShaftsbUrywoods, led by Ms. Link, to care-fully collect materials formaking terrariums. On return to.the classroom, each childlayered the earth in variousshaped jars and placed theirgathered Materials in them.Small ferns, moss, partridgeberry, fungi, bark and smallstones were arranged in the'jars to create miniatureenvironments.. Later their soil studycontinued on to Coloring,,white-sand to make._ imaginative sand

paintings of-farm scenes, etc.

THE WORLD OF COLOR-DISCOVEREDBYMRS-.7--AEBERSOLWS-1ST-GRADE,CLASS..

Early in'the school year, Mrs:Aebersold's class mixed red,yellow and blue paint to makeorange, green and 'purple withMs. Link. Recognition of thecolors'and distinguishingbetween them, is a-basic scienceand math objective-for a firstgrader,

Later on in the year, the'class recalled the primaryand-secondary colors by com-pleting color whecls, as partof their math/geometryEach child had to follow M.Link'S instructions carefullyto put triangular cellophanepieces in place, and to putsquare cellophane pieces in"between to show the mixture ofcolors. Before hand, each childwrote the equations for Mixingprimary colors With Mrs.Aebersold, which was attached totheir color wheels. The classexpressed delight when lookingthrough their cellophane win:-dows and clearly seeing the magicof colors that surrounds useveryday.

HOW TIME FLIES IN MRS.AUNCHMAN'S 4TH GRADE CLASS

In. connection to their, studyof time, Mr's. Aunchman'S 4thgrade class delved into themany aspects of time. Theystudied,

l

a variety of tiMe.pieceshistorically, designed a largemonthly calenda to be hungin their room anc:', ade-"hour7glass" timers with >r Link,Two -small medicine bott eswere put-together with a cork,and a wood base and doweling 0

69 Cot

frame was made by each childta encase the bottles. Then,the-amount-of-seconds_it:toOk_for the salt to'run from onebottle to the other was check-'ed with the second hand on aclock and noted. Their timerswere taken home for holidaygifts.

Many times, Arts 'and 'Basicsactivities are coordinated byboth classes in a grade.

THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY PARADERS-MISS BAILEY'S AND MRS. YOUNG'S2ND GRADE CLASSES WORKINGTOGETHER

The second grade classesdid a detailed 'unit concerningthe development of the Monarchbutterfly, from the cater-:pillar to the chrysalis to the:.butterfly. As a finale totheir unit, the classes putOn a performance parade in theLearning Center for Kinder-'garten thiOugh third grade.Miss Bailey's class became one .

long caterpillar guided by astudent narrator.- Mrs.Young's class showed thecocoon stage, bursting forthinto butterflies to flutteraround the flowers. The cos-tumes were made with Ms. Linkwith Mr. Barbaglia ,and Mr.Harris coordinating movementand music for the project.

GREEK MYTHOLOGY AND THEORIGINS OF ASTRONOMY EXPERIENCED

MRS. DAILEY'S AND MRS. CAREY'S5TH GRADE CLASSES.

8 Dr. Normah 'Austin,'a professor%of ,the Classics Department atthe University of. Massachusetts,and his student ,teacher,George Arles spent an intensiveweek introducing the historycf Greek myths and Astronomy

to both classes: During thatweek, Aron Tager, versatileartiat,lprepared the class norenacting a shadow puppet playthat he wrote and developed,entitled, "The Old Temple ofChange." In the play, theroles'of the Greek Gods andGoddesses took on meaning- :by theclasses involvement in making,a tape of the script and workingthe puppets. The students enthu-siastic cooperation in the studyhelped them-thoroughly learn..about Greek` mythology and mostimportantly improved, heirself-confidenCeAn expressivereading and in their self 'images.It was a highly worthwhile Projectfor students and instructors alike.The play was performed for thewhole school and.for manyvisitors.

SHARING OF RESOURCES IN MR.BIANCHI'S AND MR. COLLINS'6TH GRADE CLASSES FOR THEIRSCIENCE AND LANGUAGE UNITS.

As both classes were studyingflowers and the parts of flowers,@Stephen Lynch, illustrator and

high school.art teacher, cameinto each class to demonstrate closeObservation drawings. The classes

-gathered Fall flowers to drawfrom with the idea that howyou draW in detail describes.what you are seeing. Mr. Lynchexpertly drew one example using,fine line markers and thenadded subtle color to ,distinguishflower parts. The class went on totrying their hand at drawing floweY;;3in detail with Mr. Lynch, using thceye and by using microscopes..To follow up the drawing activity,the clasSes-Centinued on-tolearning the functions of the flowerparts.,

70-

40 Mr. Bob Woodworth, residentof Bennington, returned thisyear to show his films to bothclasses of flower movement,caught only by time-lapsephotography. The classes were

learned how to use the school'sdarkroom under Mr. Brostoski'sguidance- .- -In -turn- -thesestudents will be teaching theirfellow classmates in learning theprocess.

fascinated by being able towitness a bud opening.and THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THEclosing within a short amount CHILD, 1979. AN ALL-SCHOOLof time.when in reality it may COORDINATED PROJECT THROUGH THEtake days. ARTS AND THE BASICS PROGRAM.

The students had many thought-ful questions to ask Mr. Wood-worth concerning the flower andthe effects of daylight, butalso many questions about howhe had made the films.

FILM MAKING IN 6TH GRADE WITHNORMAN BLOOM.

3 Norman Bloom, a Vermont filmmaker, worked with both classesfor a week leading them in themovie making procest. The stud-ents worked in groups, organ-izing their own story lines;operating the cameras; develop-ing and editing their films;and syncronizmg sound tracksto create, for most, theirfirst, Super 8 Black and Whitefilms. The experience of makingthe films was. helpful in get-ting the classes to follow acomplex activity to completion.

Also, many. individuals gain-ed a great deal of confidenceonce they realized that theycould do something so involvedand creative. It was indeeda pleasure to have Mr. Bloomreturn for the 'fourth year,made possible by.the VermontCouncil on the Arts and TheArts and the Basics Program.OStan Brostoski, Shaftsburyphotographer, has been workingwith a plan group of 6th grad-ers teaching them how to use35 mm. cameras, develop andprint film. The group has

The emphasis for the monthof December, revolved aroundthe observance of the Inter-national Year Of the Child, 1979.Each class pickedHa certain aspectof the. idea, some studied childrenof particular countries or of manycountries while others focused onchildren in general irk the worldtoday. The Learning Center andhallWays,were abounding in itemsfrom around the world, thanks tomany parents and other communitymembers who loaned items todisplay. Many resource peoplewere asked to share their knowledgeof different countries in theclassroom. Parent, Sheri Crittendon,made paper international flags thatdecorated'the main entrance ceiling.Dolls and costumes from all partsof the wOrld added to the festive,atmosphere of the Learning Center,thanks to Ms. Rudolph, LearningCenter Specialist, the Media Center,and parents. Each class' studyculminated in the "Holidays Around,.the World" evening program for thecommunity, coordinated with Mr.Harris, music .teacher. The programincluded journeying to-suchcountries as: China, Mexico,Germany, Holland, Greece, France,Japan, Australia, Auttria andback to thejl.S.Ato_hearone class sing a song_about

6i3

qu'itions any child might ask. THE ARTS AND. THE BASICS PROGRAMIt was "Would .Airplanes Like IS RECOGNIZED.Feathers? (and OtherOuestions),"sent to the 4th grade classfrom RosenShontz, two Vermontmusicians thi4t gave a workshopin October' to fourth-sixth:grade, through the VermontCouncil on the Arts. Theholiday program was a .cooperativeventure of the school workingtogether, learning together.

THE ARTS AND THE BASICSPROGRAM AIMS AT BROADENING.TEACHER'S EXPERIENCES TOO.'

The program is fortunate tohave funds available to thankmany artist instructors whocome into the classroom, aswell as contacts with resourcepersons who give their timeand expertise. The teachersalways learn from them, when-they work with their students.Throughout these two and a halfyears, workshops have beengiven exclusively for teachersin Creative Drama, Creative Move-menti-Using the Darkroom, andmost recently in Writing inthe Classroom. Bill Lingelbach,a fifth grade teacher fromThetford, Vermont and RAPagent (Resource Agent Program)lent his experiences to allShaftsbury teachers.- He 'led ateacher's workshop concerning.stimulation and care of child-ren's written words. He re-'lated his methods and experi-ences of how he has his stud-ents writing daily. His 'work-shop gave our teachers.a chanceto learn new approaches orslants that they might try intheir classrooms.- Teachers-are always learning too!

Because of the Arts and ,theBasics Program's success inShaftsbury, Kathy Gerlach Linkhas given presentations through-out the State. In November, Ms.Link'spoke i.n the State HouseinMontpelteri as part ofa StateHouse Conference on the Arts,sponsored by the State Depart-ment of Education. The goalof the conference was "to forman alliance of community' advo-cates who will be used to for-ward the cause ()farts in thelives of Vermonters." The A & BProgram was chosen as an example ofhow the arts have become a basicnecessity in an elementary school.,It was truly a proud feeling torepresent Shaftsbury School andthe Program as a model for theState, doing' now what is hopedfor in the year 2001 for allVermont schools:

.664)41060 Thanks to all, .

.Kathy Gerlach Link .Artist Coordinatorfor The Arts andthe Basics Program.1979-80.

0

7 2