Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2008
BARROW JOURNAL
PAGE 5B
Folk art a teaching tool at Russell Middle School
History in a shard
By Donna O’Kelley Butler
(Donna O’Kelley Butler is a local
storyteller and the vice-chairman of the
Arts Development Council of Georgia,
a statewide organization to promote the
arts through economic development,
education and awareness. She recently
visited Russell Middle School to talk
with students about the arts integrated
program now’ in its second month at the
school.)
hen I was a child, my
father came in from
plowing, pockets full
of dusty bits of pottery, shards of a
long-ago civilization. He’d examine
each one, pointing out
the cross-hatched and
basket weave patterns.
A master brick mason,
as well as a farmer, he
would reproduce those
ancient designs in the
bricking of a house or
the construction of a
chimney. My father saw
history and art in every
piece of broken pottery.
His cousin kept a history of family
memory, brighdy drawn in paint and
wood.
A group of Russell Middle School
students are being taught to see more
than history in pottery, painting and
sculpture. Fifteen students in Robin
Blan’s class are in the second month
of a special grant-funded arts integra
tion unit. The unit, to be taught in four
phases, will use folk art from around
Northeast Georgia and the Southern
United States to teach a variety of sub
jects from language arts to physics.
“We here at Russell were really for
tunate to receive the grant, but it was
also fortuitous,” Blan said. “Harrison
Poultry was searching for a school
system that would integrate both art
and character education into curriculum
spanning several subject areas.”
Blan, a veteran teacher and artist,
rhapsodized as she described the pro
cess that allowed the Barrow students
to participate.
“Dr. Richard Benjamin, a consultant
for Pioneer RES A and a faculty member
of Kennesaw University, trains teach
ers using the Leonard Bernstein Artful
Learning Model,” she explained.
The Bernstein Model, named for the
late symphony conductor and com
poser, uses the arts to lead students to
master complex material, meeting or
exceeding, national and state standards.
Teachers learn to incorporate the arts
into all subject areas, appealing to all
levels of student interest and achieve
ment.
“Dr. Benjamin was having dinner
with a representative of Harrison
Poultry who had been instructed to
develop a grant incorporating the
arts and character education,” Blan
said. “Dr. Benjamin was charged
with finding a school system with
in 60 miles to participate. He liter
ally drew a circle around Atlanta,
and read the web pages of a num
ber of systems. He chose Barrow
County to participate, little knowing
the impact Harrison Poultry has on our
community.”
Benjamin contacted Barrow schools
superintendent Ron Saunders, who
referred him to Kerry Bryant, Barrow
County Schools fine arts coordinator.
Bryant, a long-time veteran of Barrow
County Schools, remembered Blan’s
interest in folk art, as well as her exper
tise in the classroom. Traditionally,
educators integrate art within curricu
lum through the choice of one mas
terpiece, weaving a single piece of
artwork into math, science, history, and
language arts. Bryan contacted Blan,
explained the grant and requested that
she develop the project for Barrow
schools, using Russell as the pilot pro
gram, and choosing one piece of folk
art from Barrow County’s rich arts his
tory as the springboard.
“Well,” Blan continued. “You can
imagine! There was no way I could
choose one piece, one genre, one artist
or one medium.”
Consequently, three artists, represent
ing four different media, were chosen. I
recently visited Russell to interview
the students in Blan’s gifted language
arts class, as they near completion of
the first phase - folk painting - of the
Harrison Grant.
The room, brightly decorated with
samples of student work, buzzed with
excitement and enthusi
asm for “the art grant.”
Ashton Locke was
the first to give an expla
nation of the process.
“Russell received the
grant to bring art and
peer help into our class
rooms,” Locke said.
“After learning about
lots of folk artists, a group of five of us
got to go visit Billy Roper, who lives
at Talking Rock. We observed him,
studied his work, asked questions and
Ms. Williams (Aprille Williams, RMS
media specialist) videotaped us doing
the interview. Those who went to Mr.
Roper’s house, came back and taught
the other students about his work. Later,
we "re all going to do a big power point
presentation about folk painting for
everyone. We had fun doing our own
visual storytelling pictures, based on
our own childhood memories.”
Jack Bryant chimed in: “Meeting Mr.
Roper was really inter
esting. He lives deep,
deep in the woods, with
artwork all over the
place. He has a very
interesting personality.
He paints these bright
pictures, using lots of
different colors, and he
writes stories on the back of each paint
ing. He writes the stories just like he
talks, and if you ever met him, you’d
recognize his paintings just from that.
continued on page 6B
BUTLER
BRYANT
What is Arts Integration Education?
Recognizing that all students do not learn in the same way, arts integration
educators believe that incorporating artistic forms such as music, painting,
pottery, storytelling and writing into everyday curriculum teaches students to
think, reason and solve problems.
Arts integration appeals to all academic levels of students, supplying creative
students with an outlet, while providing nontraditional students with concrete,
hands-on opportunities to learn.
Arts and Character Integration models, such as the one in the Harrison
Poultry Grant, are frequent implemented in at-risk school systems with non
traditional, low-performing student populations.
While Barrow County does not meet those criteria, national and state test
scores, especially in reading and math, have been proven to rise dramatically
when Arts and Character Integration Projects are implemented.
Harrison Arts and Character Integration Grant
The grant will be administered in four phases. During each phase, five stu
dents will visit, interview and observe a different artist, and teach other stu
dents about the artist and his or her technique. All of the students will create
art in all four phases. In addition, each student will choose a medium and artist
to research, demonstrate and present in a power point presentation. Each
phase and artist featured will integrate into several academic areas, including
science, mathematics, physics, ecology, language arts, both collaborative and
individual research, social studies and local history. Character education, such
as discipline, patience, kindness, and environmental awareness will also be inte
grated throughout the study.
Coming up: A schedule for artists, as well as the academic areas to be
targeted, has been developed for the year’s study:
•November and December 2008: Visual storyteller Billy Roper, pain
ter, language arts, history, social studies and science
•January and February, 2009: Green artist Lisa Pirkle, science, ecology,
mathematics and research. In addition to the Harrison Grant, Blan’s students
are competing nationally in the Siemens We Can Change the World, an incen
tive grant to pinpoint a local environmental issue, leading to a positive conclu
sion. Marci Gussio, science teacher, will assist.
•March and April, 2009: Folk potter Michael Crocker, language arts, state
and local history, chemistry, geology and mathematics. Teacher Jocelyn Davis
will assist. Media specialist Aprille Williams will assist the students in a reading/
research project on the Newbery Award book, “A Single Shard,” which details
the development of complex chemical glazes used in early Korean pottery.
•May, 2009: The students will present a power point presentation and an
art display.
R U Sick & Tired
Of being Sick & Tired?
Crawl N, Walk N, just get N 2
RAGLAND
CHIROPRACTIC CENTER
82 West Candler St.
Winder, GA
770-867-2115
4860 Atlanta Highway • Bogart-Athens
One Mile West of Sam’s Club • 770-725-1977
www.marvstackfeedDet.com
WE HAVE A HUGE PET DEPT.
See us for all your Pet & Animal Products
Nutra Max Puppy, Large Breed Puppy, Large V
Breed Adult, Senior & Weight Management
$21.99 35#
We have all your pet health care products, De-wormers, vaccinations,
toys, clothes, grooming aids, crates, kennels & cat poles.
BOOT SALE Now through Christmas Eve - Shop Early for selection
f\ (’Ji £ All Ariat, Georgia
/O ^11 Boot & Justin Boots
(You must have this ad with you - not advertised!)
CARHARTT SALE Mary's has the best selection
of Carhartt for Women & Men in NEGA.
II
20% Off
with this flyer.
All English Riding Apparel 20% Off
Quilted Horse Jacket (Reg. $119.99) Sale $95.99
Black-Plaid Fleece zip-top (Reg. $64.99) Sale $51.99
Equi-Chic Jacket (Reg. $44.00) Sale $35.99
I Flying Change Nylon shell jacket (Reg. $59.99) Sale $47.99
One stop for You, Your Animals & Pets
'MiHJliill Site
ms Odd Utosguos
Our Complete Inventoey Is Marked DownI
Shop while the selection is good
Delivery ' Financing
Available and the prices are great! Available
w.a.c.
Fine Furniture
And Accessories
■
Antiques
■
Unique
Imports
Hamrick's Furniture
(Next to Clinton's Auto)
8 Autry Road • Auburn, GA
770-822-1913
OpenThurs., Fri. & Sat. 10am - 6pm
Hamrick's Furniture