Kimberly Simms, Teaching Artist

Arts Integration Units 2003 – 2005

 

Units at Tanglewood Middle School

 

Unit I: Visual Art and Poetry: How Does Visual Art Tell a Story?

Teacher: Jeannine Cartwright, Tanglewood Middle School, Greenville, SC

Class: Related Arts. 6th grade. 7th grade.          No. of Students: 140

Dates: October 22 & 29. November 12 & 19. 2003.

Overview: Through the use of poetry we used personification poems to convey the concepts of mood and emotion in visual arts. The poems were used as a frontloading technique to help the students think about still life from a new perspective. The most remarkable result from this unit was seeing the impact that our Haiku, Monster Poems, and Object Poems had on the student drawings. I remember one particular student’s line drawing of  a chair that evoked a strong emotion of sadness.

 

Unit II: Language Arts and Poetry: How Can I Express My Voice Through Poetry?

Teacher: Debbie Sanders, Tanglewood Middle School, Greenville, SC

Class: Language Arts. 7th grade and 7th grade challenge.          No. of Students: 40

Dates: February 17,19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27. 2004.

Overview: In this unit students explored how they can use poetry to define themselves and to express their individuality. This unit also covered strategies for performing poems (pubic speaking), and the unit culminated in a poetry slam. Vocabulary covered included stanza, line, speaker, audience, setting, point of view, tone, imagery, figurative language, word choice, revision, personification, and alliteration. Students used the free verse poetry exercises “Bedroom Furniture,” “Dream Car,” and “I’m From”.

 

Unit III: Language Arts and Poetry: How Can I Express My Voice Through Poetry?

Teacher: Fran Wortkoetter, Tanglewood Middle School, Greenville, SC

Class: Language Arts. 7th grade.          No. of Students: 40

Dates: February 9, 11, 13, 16, 18, 19, 24, 26. 2004.

Overview: In this unit students investigated how every person has a unique voice that can safely and effectively communicate strong personal feelings and ideas concerning life issues. This unit emphasized strategies for performing poems (pubic speaking), and the unit culminated in a poetry slam. Vocabulary covered included stanza, line, speaker, audience, setting, point of view, tone, imagery, figurative language, word choice, revision, personification, and alliteration. Students used the free verse poetry exercises “Bedroom Furniture,” “Dream Car,” and “I’m From”.

 

Unit IV: Special Education and Poetry: How Can I Express My Voice Through Poetry?

Teacher: Tory Hayes, Tanglewood Middle School, Greenville, SC

Class: Special Education. 7th grade.     No. of Students: 11

Dates: 4 Visits. April 2004.

Overview: In this unit students recited and performed poems, as well as writing poems themselves. This unit also emphasized functional skills such as teamwork, building confidence, listening to each other, and expressing strong emotions in a positive way. This unit also had a strong emphasis on performance to engage our many kinetic learners. Students wrote free verse poetry using the exercises “Monster,” “Dream Car,” and “My Family.”

 

Unit V: Math and Poetry: How Does Math Shape My World?

Teacher: Lagette Kennedy, Tanglewood Middle School, Greenville, SC

Class: Math. 7th grade.            No. of Students: 80

Dates: 8 Visits. October 2004.

Overview: In this unit, we used poetry to infuse lessons on Polygons, Area, and Volume. We started with a brief introduction to poetry and utilized the “Dream Car” poem to hook the students. We then moved on to creating 3-D concrete poetry based on polygons. My “Explorer Poem” was used to place the concepts of perimeter/circumference, diameter, radius, and the metric system.

 

Unit VI: Language Arts and Poetry: How Can I Express My Voice Through Poetry?

Teacher: Donna Wharton, Tanglewood Middle School, Greenville, SC

Class: Language Arts. 6th grade.          No. of Students: 80.

Dates: 8 Visits. December 2004.

Overview: In this unit students explored how they can use poetry to define themselves and to express their individuality. This unit also covered strategies for performing poems (pubic speaking), and the unit culminated in a poetry slam. Vocabulary covered included stanza, line, speaker, audience, setting, point of view, tone, imagery, figurative language, word choice, revision, personification, and alliteration. Students used the free verse poetry exercises “My Family,” “Dream Car,” and “I’m From”. This unit also had a heavy emphasis on team work.

 

Unit VI: Science and Poetry: How Can I Make Science Come Alive?

Teacher: Debra Pearson, Tanglewood Middle School, Greenville, SC

Class: Science. 7th grade.        No. of Students: 80.

Dates: 8 Visits. April 2005.

Overview: In this unit students explored chapters on diseases and on ecosystems by writing chants and personae poems.  Students wrote chants/raps about diseases and personae poems from the perspective of relevant scientists. The poems engaged the students in higher order thinking and helped create anchors for knowledge. The students also wrote personae poems from various elements of ecosystems including biotic and abiotic factors. The unit culminated with a poetry slam.

 

 

 

 

 

Kimberly Simms, Teaching Artist

Arts Integration Units 2003 – 2005

 

Units at Grove Elementary School

 

 

 

Unit I: Special Education and Poetry: How does the Revolutionary War relate to me?

Teacher: Audrey Greene, Grove Elementary, Greenville, SC

Class: Special Education. 3rd Grade.    No. of Students: 11

Dates: 4 Visits. Spring 2004.

Overview: This unit was particularly challenging since the students were not yet reading or writing.  Due to No Child Left Behind, the teacher was teaching social studies for the first time to these special students. In addition to creating a visual collage poem about the revolutionary war, I wrote a simple 5 line poem which I taught to the students with movements. The students enjoyed performing this poem from memory for another class. The students also remembered the concepts of Patriot, Loyalists, South Carolina, Britain, and George Washington when they were later tested.

 

Unit II: Language Arts and Poetry: What is my Heritage?

Teacher: Beth Gee, Grove Elementary, Greenville, SC

Class: 4rd Grade.         No. of Students: 18

Dates: 4 Visits. Fall 2005.

Overview: In this class, we wrote poems in conjunction with several stories that the students were reading. As part of this process, the students also investigated their own heritage. Vocabulary covered included stanza, line, speaker, audience, setting, imagery, figurative language, word choice, revision, personification, and alliteration. In addition to covering many poetry and reading standards, the students interviewed family members about family heirlooms and their stories. The students also worked on their team work and performance skills. The unit culminated in a poetry slam.

 

Unit III: Language Arts and Poetry: How can performance enhance poetry?

Teacher: Ruth Ann Sexton, Grove Elementary, Greenville, SC

Class: 3rd Grade.         No. of Students: 14

Dates: 4 Visits. Spring 2005.

Overview: In this class, particular emphasis was placed on movement and performance to engage kinetic learners. The students learned how to write syllabic poetry and perform it in teams. We also explored a poem entitled “Dippy the Dragon” and talked about performance topics such as rate, volume, inflection, eye contact, and movements. Vocabulary covered included stanza, line, speaker, audience, setting, point of view, imagery, verbs, figurative language, word choice, revision, personification, and alliteration. The unit culminated in a poetry slam.