Challenge 2- #Connections! #ArtsEdMonthAK
Alaska Arts Education Month is here! We’re celebrating throughout March with a different Creativity Challenge each week. Get inspired by the week’s theme to explore music, dance, theater, cultural arts, media arts, and visual arts. Share creations by you and your students with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by tagging #ArtsEdMonthAK + @akartsed to join the party!
Our first Creativity Challenge for March 6 – March 12 is ………….. #Connections!
There are so many ways we can think about connections! We connect with each other as people, our communities and families are connected by roads, waterways and air; in order to make a shape our lines connect and intersect, and in order to make a play, we connect our lines together on stage. We connect ideas together to integrate the arts, and we connect to language and culture through all the art forms! We hope that for #ARTSEDMONTHAK, you will consider the way #Connections appear in your lives and in your communities.
Today we’re going to share a few ways to investigate Connections through the arts. Some may work in your current educational setting and some may need to be saved for a different learning landscape. All can be adapted for different ages and abilities.
LEARN ALONGSIDE AN ARTIST
What does it mean to connect words together through rhyming and songwriting? In this 54-minute training with Arias Hoyle “Air Jazz” and T.J. “Manner” Cramer from Juneau. This session features rhyming games, language, & literacy with Manner and Air Jazz.
FIND A VISUAL ARTS LESSON PLAN
Connect Science Observation and Drawing: As part of the Teaching Artists Present Collection from the Kennedy Center, Gustavus teaching artist Katherine Hocker shares about “The Drawing Cycle.” In this short video, learn how to connect the curiosity of science and the art of drawing.
Word Weaving: Is it weaving? Is it poetry? Connect visual and literary arts as you explore Christina Rossetti’s poem “Color”, make a loom, and weave a story using words and colors. This short video lesson is led by Stefania Gomez, Education and Youth Services Assistant from the Poetry Foundation as part of the “Poetry Explorers” series.
JUMP INTO A NEW DRAMA GAME
Connect in the classroom through Improv Games: The Kodiak Arts Council has great arts integrated lesson plan resources on their website. A great way to connect in the classroom, build collaboration, and have fun with students is to explore Improvisational Theatre Games. “Improv in the Classroom” developed by teaching artists Brianna Gibbs and Laura Smelser, is a lesson plan to explore Improv games and techniques over five days! Recommended for grades K through 5
SING AND DANCE ALONG
Connect with Rhythms from Around the World: Carnegie Hall education program offers a resource toolbox titled, “Rhythms from Around the World.” This resource includes listening tracks, activities, and other resources. Music is a wonderful way to connect with culture, language, and ideas anywhere in our world, without leaving home.
We hope these ideas spark your creative thinking for this first week of Alaska Arts Education Month. Whether you create something from this list or from your own inspiration, remember to showcase your work on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter with #ArtsEdMonthAK + @akartsed.
Visit again for a new Creativity Challenge and more ideas next week!