Integrating the arts in learning...
Music:Ben Franklin by Jonathan Sprout (click on the picture to access this resource)
Video: Songs of Freedom and Folly from The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Visual Arts:Invent a Kite!
In this original activity, math, writing, and the visual arts are integrated. Children are provided one large diamond shape made from construction paper and several smaller, colorful shapes including rectangles, squares, triangles, and diamonds. The children are instructed to "invent" their own kite by combining the smaller shapes to form the larger diamond. These shapes are then glued to the large white diamond. The children then write one fact about Benjamin Franklin on the back of their new kite (on the blank white side). To finish the art project, the children pick a color ribbon and a metal charm of their choice which the teacher then uses hot glue to attach to the diamond kite. |
Drama:Dance/Movement:Additional Video: Colonial Dance from The Colonial Williamsburg
Dance was an intregal part of colonial life in the 18th century. Each class had their own dances from the salve, to the working class, and the wealthy gentry. For the gentry, the dance became a symbol of social status and was in part a means of finding a prospective spouse at gatherings. In my class I play these videos and then the Ben Franklin song. I explain that Benjamin Franklin was also a big fan of music and invented the glass armonica. We then go on the explore how vibrations create sound using instruments borrowed from the music teacher (a science standard). Finally, I split the students into three groups and ask them to create a dance to the Ben Franklin song. I do not give any other parameters or direction. Each group has there own media device to play the song as many times as necessary (without changing the preset volume!). |