North Ogden Elementary- Art is making a big mark on students in Weber School District with the reintroduction of a district art specialist after years of not having one at all. New programs are available to the students as a result, enriching and enlivening the education for local students.
The Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTSALP) is giving students the valuable experience of learning their core subjects as they create and develop their artistic side. 70 of the 508 elementary schools throughout Utah have adopted the successful program. Research shows that isolating subjects during teaching and testing is not as effective as integration of the subjects.
Stacy Harris, artist and teacher, is implementing the new program offered at North Ogden Elementary that is made possible by a special grant. Principal David Rhees is very enthusiastic about the program and is happy to have Mrs. Harris teaching art at N.O. Elementary. She worked with students previously through a project called Artist in Residence.
BTSALP liaison, Lori Matlack, who coordinates with and helps Mrs. Harris said, "There is a link between how well the students are doing in their core subjects and involvement in the arts, and this program enhances the core curriculum." Mrs. Harris agrees. Bu she said it has been a lot of work this first year because it is new for everyone. She meets with teachers to learn what they are doing in class and develop projects that will reinforce concepts the students are learning in other subjects using art projects they would not have been able to participate in otherwise. Lesson plans are created to last, and the teachers are present and involved as she teaches their classes, enabling them to carry on the same lessons for years to come.
3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Wride, commented, "The kids get so excited about coming to art and learning about the stories we are working on with our art projects. It is fun to see them get to be creative and have fun. Mrs. Harris said, "When you are using your hands, and you don't realize you are learning those same things you are doing in class, it opens up other parts of your brain. It really gives the kids the opportunity to have fun learning math or literature or other core subjects while being creative."
One example of this integrated teaching style is this: after studying the classic story, "Stone Soup" students got to create a special "Stone Soup" bowl, then color clay and mold it into some of the ingredients for stone soup. One more example is: students learned place values, then used construction paper to create a little skyline of buildings. The windows were made up of squares they used to represent 10's, 100's and 1,000's.
The enjoyment the students experience in Mrs. Harris's room is apparent in the happy way they behave throughout the lessons and projects and in the enthusiastic, "Thank-you!" they call as they leave her class.
The Principal hinted about a pretty spectacular 3-diminsional art project to be finished by the students in March and hung from the several-story-high ceiling just inside the front entrance of N.O. Elementary.
Caption for Photos : "Students at North Ogden Elementary in Mrs. Wride's 3rd grade class learning through art with artist and teacher Stacey Harris.
