Seventh grade students in Wamego, Kansas have been working on observation and communication skills this week with the help of some regional art, native grasses, and the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art.
Funded by a 2012 grant from Target, the On Target Observation Station outreach program ties language arts and science together with art and observation. At the same time students practiced skills in communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity.
Monday’s language arts activities were inspired by landscapes by artists such as Birger Sandzén, John Steuart Curry, and Robert Sudlow and included Visual Thinking Strategies, figurative language, Venn diagrams, and physical or descriptive attributes. Students shared their thoughts verbally in class and recorded them in journals. Students were asked to reflect on the process as well as participate in the activities.
Teacher Michael Peterman continued the collaborative communication process the rest of the week as students discussed short stories during Literature Hangouts.
Science students in Shane Neel’s class further developed their observation skills on Wednesday as they investigated native grasses with the naked eye, handheld magnifiers, and microscopes that allowed students to view plant cells. They discussed what they saw in small groups, made scientific drawings of the grasses and used physical description to annotate the drawings.
On Target Observation Station activities, with a focus on the native Kansas environment, emphasize the interrelation between disciplines and develop Common Core and 21st Century Super Skills. A spring field trip to the Konza Prairie, Discovery Center, and Beach Museum of Art to view the upcoming Tom Parish installation will allow students to continue the investigation and add a math and art element to the interdisciplinary learning.
When 7th graders were asked about what they thought of this change of pace, Logan E. exclaimed, “It challenged us to think critically on our own.” Chance P. added, “It forced us to provide evidence of what we think as well as listen to the opinions of others.” Ashlyn Z. may have said it best, “I was allowed to think for myself, rather than just trying to learn what I’m supposed to know.”Mission accomplished.
