Presentation of Learning: The Schwab-Anderson Family

Curiosity At Its Best: Fostering a Love of Learning through Collaboration and Art

Meet the Schwab-Anderson family of iLEAD Exploration learners. Ella, grade 5, Nolan, grade 3, and Kindergartener Emeline all approach the world with curious eyes and a willingness to explore. 

Family is everything to this creative crew and they love working together. Recently, they studied the three branches of the United States government. Instead of doing recitations or writing down facts about it, they demonstrated their knowledge as art pieces and visually transformed the information into trees. The final products beautifully and effectively illustrate what they learned about each of the three different branches of government. Check out the samples from this lesson to see how learning can be adapted to meet the needs of three learners in three different grade levels through differentiated instruction. 

Each learning period brings an opportunity for discovery for the Schwabs. When the family learned about beavers, they read books, gathered facts, and then built their own beaver dams. Ella noted that their dam construction took hard work and perseverance. It took several attempts because there was trouble creating a seal that actually held water. This unit on beavers incorporated multiple subjects and multifaceted learning opportunities. In the end, each learner created his or her own unique art piece and fact sheet (seen below) to compliment the lesson. Collaboration not only makes learning interesting, but keeps it efficient.

These learners really appreciate the art-centered approach to their studies. Ella, the eldest explains, “I really look forward to learning every day when I get to use my creativity and can explore interesting new subjects. It really makes learning more exciting!” Emmie, the youngest, shares that she likes drawing and painting what she is learning about while Nolan appreciates the fun associated with using his imagination while he’s learning.

Each day brings new challenges and new ways to learn through artistic expression. The family’s unit studies are cross-curricularly planned to incorporate the learners’ interests. and then those interests are funneled through creativity and standards based assignments. Their most valuable resource is their imagination and their willingness to explore, create and collaborate.

Resources:

Ways to Learn Science Through Art

Creating Connections: Integrating the Visual Arts with Social Studies

Differentiated Instruction