Friday, October 26, 2007

Episcopal’s kindergarten classes are experiencing art in a new way this year! Thanks to a collaborative effort between the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge and the three kindergarten teachers, school Readiness Through the Arts has been implemented into our curriculum. This 28-week, developmentally appropriate arts-based curriculum that provides “arts-based teaching experiences where classroom teachers and teaching artists are able to reach students with diverse learning styles and help them succeed academically, emotionally and socially.”

Guest artist, Marita Gentry, meets twice weekly with each kindergarten class and spends additional time planning with the kindergarten team. Their objective is to embed the basic art skills into the classroom experience while integrating them with the math and science disciplines. The group develops lesson plans, identifies benchmarks aligned with the kindergarten curriculum, and uses those benchmarks to assess student growth over time.