November and December always fly by! However, we still managed to tackle a handful of meaningful projects and activities.
We started November learning about the Wright Brothers and the Wright Brothers National Historic Park in North Carolina. Our focus was to understand the geographical factors that influenced Wilbur and Orville's decision to go to North Carolina and explain the changes brought about by the Wright brothers' invention. We discussed four things needed for flight: lift, control, power, and thrust...then tried a hands on experiment to see if we could construct and use a simple device to demonstrate Bernoulli's principle and relate it to the "lift" of an airplane. Middle school students were even given an extra assignment to create a historical meme using photos from the time of the first flight.
Our national park focus for the months of November and December was Yosemite National Park. We learned and researched all about Yosemite and four major landmarks in the park (Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, El Capitan, Mariposa Grove). We specifically discussed the key characteristics of the park, summarized the parks history, and the importance of John Muir's work and activism. Our research led us to an amazing website that included a virtual tour of the park. We truly felt like we were there! Check out "Meet the Explorers" and click on "Yosemite Park" to learn more and visit the virtual tour yourself! You won't regret it!
As far as our blogs...we spent some time responding to each others previously written blogs then we tackled the topic "Climate Change in our National Parks". This was a 3 part blog. We read three different articles and watched a National Geographic video about climate change. Once I felt the students had a variety of information from several different sources I let them pick one specific area of focus (rising sea levels, fire, harm to wildlife, extreme weather damage, drought, changing landscapes, or invasive species). They were then asked to blog about their understanding and opinion on climate change and how scientist are specifically documenting the changes in our National Parks. Our discussion and research included the 1990 Global Change research act as well.
Art. We completed two art projects. We discovered the detail of Inuit art then explored a subtractive method of creating a sculpture using soap. We started learning about the Inuit by reading an Inuit folktale then learned a little more about their interpretations of life, culture, and daily struggles to survive. This art study certainly helped us better understand that visual arts have both a history and specific relationship to various cultures. Closer to winter break we learned a little about an Israeli artist named Yaacov Agam and his Agamagraphs. An agamagraph is a series of images that change at different angles. This artist is known for his optical and kinetic art. Students were given a premade Christmas agamagraph and asked to color and fold it to see the full effect. Folding in just the right order and with precision was important to the process. We honestly did not get to fully finish the agamagraph project because of time, but all projects were sent home with students to finish on their own if they desired.
We ended the month of December with a field trip to Escape Room Lafayette and the Hilliard Art Museum. Students were locked in a themed room and had to work together to find clues and solve puzzles to escape the room before time runs out. They had to use critical thinking, be observant, and work together to escape. This is similar to the digital breakouts we complete in class each week, just way more fun! They had a blast! Our tour of the art museum was led by Olivia Morgan. We were able to view three different exhibits. The first was an exhibit titled "Universe of the Mind". It was a massive exhibit that showcased the work of Master Shen-Long. His work is a mix between traditional Chinese art and contemporary art. He was trained both in China and art school in America. He aims to inspire viewers to think about their place in the universe. He believes every living creature has the ability to make their own world and improve themselves. The second exhibit was titled "Sanctuary". The artist Linda Alterwitz is a photographer who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Her experience with brain scans and medical imagery during treatments made her think about a relationship between science and art and how our brains respond to certain things we see. Each one of the photographs on the wall included a piece of medical gauze with brain waves printed on it. It was positioned in a certain area of the photograph. Students were asked to quietly enter, walk around the exhibit and pick one image they were drawn too. Then they had to choose one word to describe the image and tell why they chose that word. It was so interesting to hear student interpretations. The final exhibit was titled "Axis" by Khara Woods. Her art was largely abstract in nature. She used line, repetition, and wood to create optical illusion art. There were only a few pieces of art in the exhibit area but they were very interesting to look at from different angles and distances. She is a graphic designer and new and upcoming artist. It was interesting to hear about her inspiration and the process she uses to create her art!
We started November learning about the Wright Brothers and the Wright Brothers National Historic Park in North Carolina. Our focus was to understand the geographical factors that influenced Wilbur and Orville's decision to go to North Carolina and explain the changes brought about by the Wright brothers' invention. We discussed four things needed for flight: lift, control, power, and thrust...then tried a hands on experiment to see if we could construct and use a simple device to demonstrate Bernoulli's principle and relate it to the "lift" of an airplane. Middle school students were even given an extra assignment to create a historical meme using photos from the time of the first flight.
Our national park focus for the months of November and December was Yosemite National Park. We learned and researched all about Yosemite and four major landmarks in the park (Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, El Capitan, Mariposa Grove). We specifically discussed the key characteristics of the park, summarized the parks history, and the importance of John Muir's work and activism. Our research led us to an amazing website that included a virtual tour of the park. We truly felt like we were there! Check out "Meet the Explorers" and click on "Yosemite Park" to learn more and visit the virtual tour yourself! You won't regret it!
As far as our blogs...we spent some time responding to each others previously written blogs then we tackled the topic "Climate Change in our National Parks". This was a 3 part blog. We read three different articles and watched a National Geographic video about climate change. Once I felt the students had a variety of information from several different sources I let them pick one specific area of focus (rising sea levels, fire, harm to wildlife, extreme weather damage, drought, changing landscapes, or invasive species). They were then asked to blog about their understanding and opinion on climate change and how scientist are specifically documenting the changes in our National Parks. Our discussion and research included the 1990 Global Change research act as well.
Art. We completed two art projects. We discovered the detail of Inuit art then explored a subtractive method of creating a sculpture using soap. We started learning about the Inuit by reading an Inuit folktale then learned a little more about their interpretations of life, culture, and daily struggles to survive. This art study certainly helped us better understand that visual arts have both a history and specific relationship to various cultures. Closer to winter break we learned a little about an Israeli artist named Yaacov Agam and his Agamagraphs. An agamagraph is a series of images that change at different angles. This artist is known for his optical and kinetic art. Students were given a premade Christmas agamagraph and asked to color and fold it to see the full effect. Folding in just the right order and with precision was important to the process. We honestly did not get to fully finish the agamagraph project because of time, but all projects were sent home with students to finish on their own if they desired.
We ended the month of December with a field trip to Escape Room Lafayette and the Hilliard Art Museum. Students were locked in a themed room and had to work together to find clues and solve puzzles to escape the room before time runs out. They had to use critical thinking, be observant, and work together to escape. This is similar to the digital breakouts we complete in class each week, just way more fun! They had a blast! Our tour of the art museum was led by Olivia Morgan. We were able to view three different exhibits. The first was an exhibit titled "Universe of the Mind". It was a massive exhibit that showcased the work of Master Shen-Long. His work is a mix between traditional Chinese art and contemporary art. He was trained both in China and art school in America. He aims to inspire viewers to think about their place in the universe. He believes every living creature has the ability to make their own world and improve themselves. The second exhibit was titled "Sanctuary". The artist Linda Alterwitz is a photographer who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Her experience with brain scans and medical imagery during treatments made her think about a relationship between science and art and how our brains respond to certain things we see. Each one of the photographs on the wall included a piece of medical gauze with brain waves printed on it. It was positioned in a certain area of the photograph. Students were asked to quietly enter, walk around the exhibit and pick one image they were drawn too. Then they had to choose one word to describe the image and tell why they chose that word. It was so interesting to hear student interpretations. The final exhibit was titled "Axis" by Khara Woods. Her art was largely abstract in nature. She used line, repetition, and wood to create optical illusion art. There were only a few pieces of art in the exhibit area but they were very interesting to look at from different angles and distances. She is a graphic designer and new and upcoming artist. It was interesting to hear about her inspiration and the process she uses to create her art!