I'm really late in posting this one:
February is Black History Month. I really enjoy teaching about different cultures in Art class. There's a very natural tie-in between these two diciplines as art often defines a culture. My sixth graders learned about the African American artist Romare Bearden, or "Romie" as they liked to call him. We looked at a great interactive website that the Metroplitan Museum of Art has created about him and his work, particularly his famous collage called, "The Block". The website did a wonderful job of explaining how certain materials were used, and what some of the collage elements represented. A lot of great discussion amongst the students followed. The students were each given a piece of blue construction paper with a beige strip at the bottom. They used scraps of paper, newspaper, magazines, and foil to create their own interpretation of "The Block". When the works were finished, I hung them right next to eacother to give the impression they were all connected in one long city block. This was a great way to tie in community as well.
Great job 6th graders!
