April 18, 2019 - As a culmination of the 6-week Artists in the Schools program through the Mariposa County Arts Council, our fifth and sixth graders led by musician Gail Dreifus recently held a song writing presentation. Some family members attended, too. In duos and trios, students performed the songs that they wrote about historical figures from the Revolutionary War, the period they are studying in Social Studies. Near the end, Ms. Dreifus played guitar as students sung a few songs she had taught them.
The Mariposa County Art Council's Artists in Schools program places trained teaching artists into all of Mariposa County’s 5th grade classrooms for residencies. These artists have worked with their respective classroom teachers to develop an arts infused, standards-aligned curriculum that teaches art in concert with at least one other academic subject. The residencies provide in-depth, hands-on visual arts and music experiences that develop students’ critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills while challenging students to transfer knowledge across traditional subject areas boundaries. “Through viewing, making, and discussing art works, students come to realize that the arts do not exist in isolation, but are always situated within multiple dimensions, including time, space, culture, history, and [the sciences.]” (National Core Arts Standards: A Conceptual Framework for Arts Learning)
Art Council Artist in Schools musician Gail Dreiful sings songs with SFCS's fifth and sixth grade class at the culmination of her residency.
Rhu Jones and Reese Evans sing their song about the Revolutionary War to their classmates and guests.
Keegan Smerber and Matthew Corn enjoy the song they created.
Natalee Marundee, Cecilia Naranjo, and Mylee Allen take a turn singing about an historical figure from the Revolutionary War.
Sierra Foothill Charter School is a free, non-profit, TK-8 public school. For more information, contact the office at (209) 742-6222 or visit SFCS’s website: SierraFoothillCharterSchool.org. To stay up to date on all the latest happenings, “like” SFCS on Facebook.
Source: Sierra Foothill Charter School
