Island students will have the opportunity to work closely with local artists to explore and use their knowledge in classroom subjects such as math, social studies and science through arts and creative learning under the ArtsSmarts program, says Tourism and Culture Minister Robert Henderson.
“Teaching through art is a great way to engage students and make learning more dynamic and meaningful, while at the same time supporting our local artists,” said the minister. “Our government recognizes the importance of culture in enriching Islanders’ lives and this is a great opportunity to promote the arts among young Islanders.”
A total of nine schools and approximately 600 students will participate in this year’s program. Students will work with teachers and artists to learn and use skills related to other subjects through the creativity of drama, dance, literature, music and visual arts. ArtsSmarts has been offered in French and English schools in Prince Edward Island for the past eight years.
“We are pleased to partner with the Department of Tourism and Culture and the Island’s arts community to provide creative and innovative learning opportunities for students to become more engaged in their learning,” said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Alan McIsaac. “The ArtsSmarts program develops and inspires creativity, instills confidence and provides students with another perspective in which to experience, question, understand and participate in the world around them. It provides students with unique ways of knowing, doing, living, and belonging in a global community.”
The nine schools participating are:
• Stratford Elementary, Grade 6 French immersion, Grade 5;
• Glen Stewart Primary School, kindergarten French immersion;
• Sherwood Elementary School, Grade 4;
• Eliot River, Grades 5 and 6;
• Prince Street, Grade 5;
• Queen Elizabeth Elementary, Grade 6;
• École-sur-Mer, kindergarten to Grade 6;
• École-François Buote, kindergarten to Grade 12; and
• École La-Belle-Cloche.
ArtsSmarts Prince Edward Island is administered and funded by the Department of Tourism and Culture and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. ArtsSmarts Prince Edward Island is a proud partner of the National ArtsSmarts Network. The Prince Edward Island Council of the Arts now offers an artist directory at http://peica.ca/en2/register.asp to assist teachers in their search for various artists who will contribute to the integration of the arts into their curriculum delivery.
www.artssmartspei.ca
BACKGROUNDER
2012 ArtsSmarts projects
Stratford Elementary
Project: Nous voici : En motion
Artist: B.J. McCarville
Number of students: 26
Grade: Grade 6 French Immersion
Link to curriculum: Social studies, arts, technology and French
Students will work on the creation of 12 to15 short films on Prince Edward Island’s history. Inspired by the book L’Île-du-Prince-Édouard : une histore à découvrir, the students will develop a storyboard based on an event/person/situation of the province’s history. Students will create a scenic background and props needed to re-create the desired themes. They will use a digital camera and stop motion animation to create one-to-two-minutes video clips. Students will be asked to share their experiences orally with educators and fellow students.
Glen Stewart Primary School
Project: The Magic Forest
Artist: Lynn Gaudet
Number of students: 14
Grade: Kindergarten French Immersion
Link to curriculum: Oral communication, appreciation of language, writing and representation and fine motor skills
Students will work on a piece of art displaying different animals native to Prince Edward Island during the winter. These works of art will be accompanied by relevant text written by the students describing Island animals during the winter months. A book will also be compiled of all the artwork and text. This book will become a teaching resource for future immersion kindergarten classes. Students will develop an appreciation for various geometric shapes and lines and be able to integrate them into their drawings. They will also learn to manipulate multiple types of brushes and add colour and texture using various pencils and brushes.
Sherwood Elementary School
Project: Bees in Our Garden
Artist: Terry D. Stevenson
Number of students: 75
Grade: Grade 4
Link to curriculum: Science, math, language arts and social studies
Students will create a 4x10 foot wall relief based on their research on the local bee habitat. Original art work will be incorporated into the wall relief by using a non-toxic method of colour transfers and embellishments. Students will be inspired by the natural local flora of Prince Edward Island to create a natural habitat for Island bees. Various materials will be used to build up the relief on the mural.
Stratford Elementary School
Project: Stratford Natural Areas, Natural Arts
Artist: Lucie bellemare
Number of students: 21
Grade: Grade 5
Link to curriculum: Science, social studies, English, language arts and arts
Students will work on an a unified mural, creating individual panels for integration into a collaborative work of art. Students will create their own palettes of paint using natural flora specific and native to Stratford. Students will integrate natural materials into their print-making experience.
Eliot River School
Project: From Zeus to Terry Fox
Artist: Terry D. Stevenson
Number of students: 75
Grades: Grades 5 and 6
Link to curriculum: Language arts, communication and information technology, health, math, physical education, science and social studies
From Zeus to Terry Fox, students will work on the creation of a 12x18 inch sculpture of a hero. Using recycled objects, students will explore the role of many heroes seen throughout history. The students will create their heroes using human idealized characteristics. Each student will select a hero from ancient to modern times in one of the following categories: Ancient Mythology, Canadian Heroes and Grimm’s Fairytales. Students will be encouraged to use materials that are reasonably accessible locally, encouraging creative usage of objects that surround us and usually make their way to our landfills. Students will study the work of artist Alexander Calder to better understand methods of working with wire and various materials.
Prince Street School
Project: Miss Willdey’s Crew - The Science Gurus
Artist: Darlene Balderston and Erwin Balderston
Number of students: 18
Grade: Grade 5
Link to curriculum: English language arts, science and health
Students will create a 15 to 30 minute science video, Bill Nye – The Science Guy style, which can be seen online at http://www.billnye.com/. Students will work on the curriculum unit entitled Forces and Simple Machines. Here students will become idea generators, writers, storyboarders, scientists, videographers, artists, editors and stars of the video. Students will work in an actual science lab with real science professors at the University of Prince Edward Island for part of the video.
Queen Elizabeth Elementary
Project: Ecosystem Art Display
Artist: Maurice Bernard
Number of students: 50
Grade: Grade 6
Link to curriculum: Science, language arts and math
Students will work on a science investigation of invertebrates and vertebrates that exist in our local ecosystems. They will create a number of individual paintings representing the ecosystem. The individual paintings, when displayed together, will create a large mural showing the diversity and the interdependence of our ecosystem. Students will learn to classify the local ecosystems according to the Five Kingdoms : Monera, Protist, Plant, Animal and Fungi.
École François-Buote
Project: Je porte mon identité
Artist: Louise Daigle
Number of students: 321 students
Grades: Kindergarten to grade 12
Link to curriculum: French, history and visual arts
Students will create a wearable piece of art which will enhance and promote the Acadian and Francophone culture of Prince Edward Island. Depending on the grade level, students will depict historic facts that have contributed to the safekeeping of the Francophone language of Prince Edward Island as well as to the development of the students’ cultural identity which has contributed to the social fabric of the Island. Students will also explore the contribution of the Island’s Acadian and Francophone community at the national level.
École La-Belle-Cloche
Project: Mon école idéal
Artist: Jo Jory
Number of students: 59 students
Grades: Kindergarten to grade 12
Link to curriculum: Social studies and math
Students will create a piece of art depicting what their ideal school could look like, what their visions are for a new school as well as how a new school could represent them. Students will discuss possible changes which could occur in their school in the coming years. Throughout this project, students will be encouraged to share their visions and ideas with fellow students, teachers, parents and the community.