The Delaware Teachers Institute is a unique program of professional development for K-12 public school teachers!
“My experience in Delaware Teachers Institute has been far more rewarding than I could have imagined. I loved the process of creating a unit from learning a new topic, enriched by an expert in the field, growing it with a community of fellows from different content areas, grade levels and districts then funneling my knowledge into a comprehensive interdisciplinary unit for my elementary Art students.” ~ Kristen Leida Rosenthal [email protected] leidascope.weebly.com
The Civil Rights Movement in America - Origins, Movements and Legacies Art in a Nation of Change – Visual Artists Influenced by the Harlem Renaissance
In this unit, fifth grade students will focus on the guiding questions: To what extent can media be manipulated using a variety of techniques and processes? To what extent does history reflect upon and have an influence on art? How and why is art used as a vehicle for communication? Following the Delaware Visual Art Standards, students will study artists who were influenced by the Harlem Renaissance to better understand different techniques and processes for creating art and also how artists analyze and interpret their personal experiences and external history in their artwork. This unit is naturally interdisciplinary connecting visual art to Common Core Standards in English Language Arts through reading, writing and speaking about artworks and Delaware Social Studies Standards by studying the Civil Rights Movement. For their culminating activity, students will create a painting or collage that reflects a significant event in their life.
Pictures, Poems, and Planets
How can I incorporate reading, writing and drawing poetry in my elementary art classroom as a fun interdisciplinary approach for my fourth grade students? Students can be intimidated by interacting with art and with poems. Through strategies in observation, critical thinking, and collaboration students will recognize poetry and art are both accessible. I aim to build engagement in both poetic literacy and visual illustration in my elementary art classroom through humorous poetry.
I have always adored the wit of Shel Silverstein and still laugh when reading "Something Missing." This author-artist combines the art of poetry with the art of illustration as two symbiotic parts where the poem and drawing are interdependent. After an introduction of 'playing' with poetry and drawings by Shel Silverstein and creating original collaborative ones, students will use their prior knowledge of the planets from the fourth grade science curriculum to create a poem about an imaginary trip to a planet of their choice and draw an illustration of themselves during this extraordinary visit. "Something Missing" inspires me to fill in the gaps in my curriculum to best meet my students' needs. Their poems will use rhyme and figurative language inspired by elements in Silverstein's work. (Recommended for Visual Art, Science, English Language Arts, Grade 4)
Protecting the Landscapes of Delaware
The role of the artist has always been integral in recording history. In this unit, I will introduce the artwork of Thomas Moran, William Henry Jackson and their influence in the inception of Yellowstone National Park. We will investigate the Ranger Naturalist Service series and how posters can influence and educate the viewer. We will discuss how human population growth has adversely impacted our planet and why it is important to have protected lands. Students will understand the impact on our environment which, in turn, impacts our health and well-being. We will connect with the role of artists as catalysts for preserving places and preventing the human population to further disrupt the natural habits around us. Subsequently, we will discuss what areas of Delaware are and are not protected, preserved or maintained by local, state and federal policies. For the culminating project, students will choose a place in Delaware that deserves to be protected to recreate in a two to three color work of art in the style of the Ranger Naturalist Series and write a statement why. Students will demonstrate craftsmanship and techniques of different media while applying the elements of art and principles of design in their artwork.