Chemung River School Project: RIVERWALKS - SCIENCE AND LANGUAGE ARTS BY THE RIVER!

Monday, October 6, 2008

RIVERWALKS - SCIENCE AND LANGUAGE ARTS BY THE RIVER!

Emily Hofelich-Jack and Ian McLaughlin, educators from Tanglewood Nature Center, pose on site at the Chemung River for the September Riverwalk.

Emily is a Volunteer Coordinator/Educator with a B.A. in Environmental Policy and Analysis from Bowling Green State University and joined Tanglewood in April, 2006. Ian McLaughlin is a Naturalist/Educator with a B.A. University of Vermont in Environmental Studies. He loves working at Tanglewood because it’s a job that constantly stretches your boundaries. Ian joined Tanglewood in January, 2006.

Sue Smith-Heavenrich joined the Chemung River School Project this year as a poet and writer on nature and science. She replaces poet Michael Czarnecki, who worked with CRSP since its inception. Michael was a tough act to follow as he is not only an accomplished poet, but has worked extensively with the region's children. However, Sue has proven to be up to the task!

She is a multi-talented woman and has authored over 500 articles, essays and reviews for local, regional and national adult and children’s publications. Her poetry has been published in Runoff (an anthology), the 2004 and 2005 Women Artist’s Datebook, as well 13th Moon, The Moonlighter, Berkshire Magazine, Sing Out!, Once Upon a Time and the Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener. Her short stories have been aired on our local NPR station, WSKG. Additionally, she writes the science column for Ithaca Child and, as an independent journalist contributes features to Broader View Weekly. She is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Susquehanna Storytellers, and local writing groups. In 2007 she received the Cap Creal Journalism Award, and this fall she is a Knight Fellow for a 3-day environmental journalism "boot camp." She is currently researching the environmental aspects of gas drilling in the Marcellus and working on a young adult novel.

As a teacher, she has been working with young writers as well as adults in the classroom and in workshops outside the classroom for many years. She directed the "Teen Writing Workshop" in Candor, and for many years taught writing courses for mid-grade and teen homeschooling groups. Her workshops in schools range from fairy tales to nature and science writing to mystery writing workshops that include hands-on forensic labs.

On this bright September day, Gardner Road Elementary School students in the Horseheads Central School District were enjoying their first experience through the Chemung River School Project. According to Melanie Stetzer, fourth grade teacher at Gardner Road, The Chemung River School Project offers the "best" field trips in the region! Melanie is shown above taking photographs of her class as they explore the beautiful Chemung River.

With Emily and Ian, students learned about the flora and fauna of the river and surrounding meadows. Students captured amphibians, fish and insects for close examination and learned about the water cycle through Tanglewood educators. Through Sue, they learned how to use all their senses to perceive and write about their experiences. Descriptive writing requires careful concentration, but Sue was able, through colorful example, give them many tips for journal writing. In December, Sue will visit their classrooms to lead an introduction to writing poetry. Students will consult their journals and reflect on seasonal changes, among other things.

Between Sue and Tanglewood educators, many NY State Standards for Education in science, the arts and literary arts were addressed through their presentations, providing a fun and substantial educational experience for the students - one they will never forget. The Arnot Art Museum and participating schools are most fortunate to have school administrators, teachers and museum educators who bring such a rich range of experience, talent and education to the program!

CHEMUNG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Chemung Elementary School kids meet at the Wyncoop Creek behind their school rather than trekking up to Elmira to meet at the Chemung River.

One of the great things about CRSP is the involvement of parents who can accompany the students as chaperones. A father and son join forces below as they search for critters in the field.

4th grade teacher, Jeanne Gridley (below) always goes the extra mile for her students and has participated in the Chemung School River Project for several years.
An unexpected and most rare sighting on this expedition was the legendary "Wyncoop Chicken," previously thought to be extinct! Of course, this is a joke, but the chicken stole the show for a while as he was very friendly and curious.
Finally, our avian friend had to be rather unceremoniously escorted away from the crowd of students. I was standing by ready to put my camera on video should somebody have felt the need to carry the chicken off the premises. Fortunately, force was never needed as the chicken peacefully kept his distance for the remainder of the program.
Below, Sue Smith Heavenrich resumes her presentation and presents many of the same ideas she did for students by the river.
Whether they meet by the river or the Wyncoop Creek, Chemung River School students enjoy a richly educational and fun experience.

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THE CHEMUNG RIVER SCHOOL PROJECT

The exciting and innovative program known as the Chemung River School Project - or CRSP - was initiated in 1994 by museum educators at the Arnot Art Museum. The program offers 4th grade students from the region a full school year of a rich and diverse range of experiences which take place in area museums, classrooms and outdoors by the river itself. This nine-month multidisciplinary collaborative program combines fourth grade science, natural and social history, and ecology curricula with writing, literature, performing and visual arts. Artists and museum educators employ methods of teaching which address the whole child – his or her cognitive, affective and physical being. Visual, audio, tactile and kinesthetic learning is intrinsic to arts education and research has proven that multi-sensory stimulation enhances learning and retention in every way.

CRSP has been nationally recognized by the NY State Council on the Arts, the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Arts. Our educators and presenters are HIGHLY educated and qualified to teach and are willing to work with your teachers to tailor their curriculum to the needs of regional schools. Many of them have received awards for their art and/or their teaching. Our visual artists have hailed from the big cities to our own backyards and have exhibited their artwork in galleries, museums and universities throughout the nation. One of our teaching artists - Damali Abrams - was granted a very prestigious fellowship with the A.I.R. Gallery in New York City. Janna Keser brings not only her education and experience in art education to her teaching, but her travels around the world. Her lesson plans are always fully integrated with social studies and the humanities. Annemarie Zwack and Diedra Krieger each continue to exhibit their work in national venues and receive awards for their work. Kaye Newbury is the featured poet this year for the Festival of Women in the Arts at the Steele Memorial Library and has had years of experience teaching children. Our museum educators at the Arnot Art Museum and the staff at Tanglewood Nature Center, Chemung Valley History Museum and the Cornell Cooperative Extension are, without exception, highly educated, experienced and passionate about their work. The cost of bringing these talented artists and educators into your classroom on an individual basis would be prohibitive, but is an excellent value through CRSP.

NY State Learning Standards in Social Studies, Language Arts, Science and the Arts are met and exceeded in a myriad of ways.

The Chemung River School Project integrates the various aspects of the curriculum into a thematic whole with the river at the center and the arts as the vehicle used for expression of information learned. Part of the program places emphasis on the environmental concerns of the Hudson River School, a group of 19th Century landscape painters, and how this relates to the future of our own Chemung River. Later on, in keeping with the Arnot Art Museum's slogan ART NOW, students are introduced to contemporary artists - some who work in non-traditional media - for whom water and environmental concerns are recurring themes.

Students have the opportunity to recognize the balance which exists between local history, ecological communities, and the dynamic impact of past and living artists on society. Students use the arts as a vehicle to express their understanding of nature, especially as it relates to the Chemung River.

Following the culmination of the project year, in May, a student exhibition featuring visual art and writing is exhibited at the Arnot Art Museum and the Chemung Valley History Museum.

This nationally recognized program has been the recipient of the following grants: New York State Council on the Arts, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Arnot Art Museum works with the Chemung County Historical Society, Tanglewood Nature Center, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, and the following school districts: Elmira, Horseheads, and Waverly. Poets, visual artists, musicians, historians, naturalists and water environmentalists serve as instructors.

Instructors for the 2010/11 School Year:

Writer/Poet
1 Kaye Newbury

Visual Artists
· Georgianna Keser
· Annemarie Zwack

Native American artists

Mike DeMunn

Organizations:
· Arnot Art Museum
· Tanglewood Nature Center
· Chemung County Historical Society
· Cornell University Cooperative Extension

Participating School Districts:
· Horseheads Central School District: Center Street and Big Flats Elementary Schools
· Waverly Central School District: Chemung Elementary

Students enrolled in the Chemung River School Project have educational experiences that cannot be duplicated within the confines of the classroom. In 2010/11, students experienced new methods of learning new content each month.
In September, students met by the river with a poet and science/nature writer and representatives from Tanglewood Nature Center for an introduction to journal writing and the ecosystem of the river and surrounding meadows. Students learned to pay close attention to their sensory impressions of the environment and how to write without inhibition in their journals. They also collected organisms from the water and insects from the field. They constructed a food web and showed the various niches filled by the organisms collected that correlate to human counterparts. Plant specimens were also collected and pressed.

These on-site experiences were followed up with their teachers in the classroom and a couple weeks later as the poet and naturalists visited their classrooms.

In October, students met at the Chemung Valley History Museum with Native American artist and author, Mike DeMunn, for learning about Native American culture through his very own children's book, history, stories and legends. Students then went with CVHM museum educator, Kerry Lippincott for hands-on learning about Indian culture through touching artifacts from the museum's holdings and then playing authentic games and crafts. It was a highly interactive experience involving listening skills and numerous opportunities for creative participation playing authentic musical instruments and making jewelry or utilitarian objects to take with them. Students developed an appreciation for the many inventions and contributions of Native Americans to the agriculture, language and culture of the civilizations that developed along the shores of the Chemung River.

In November, students visited the Arnot Art Museum with Janna Keser and Maria Driscoll McMahon for an introduction to the Arnot Art Museum’s picture gallery and its collection of Hudson River School artists. Students learned that looking at art is a multi-sensory process that also involves critical thinking.

They came away with a new awareness of the environment and of American history by studying the artists of the past as well as contemporary artists. They learned how artists can effect social and environmental change.

The teaching artist, Janna Keser, offered a hands-on activity - the making of fabric collages - for the students for a large portion of the workshop.

In December, the poet from the Riverwalks, Kaye Newbury returned to the classroom to follow up and discuss seasonal changes to the environment. Students reflected on the journal writing they had done in the fall and practiced the art of paying attention with all their senses. Students were introduced to writing haiku poetry which further nurtured a love for literature and language and an appreciation for the natural environment.

In January, artist Annemarie Zwack visited the classrooms to work on the creation of ceramic tiles.

In February, students returned to the Arnot Art Museum for a tour of the Scholastics Art Show and the Chemung Valley History Museum for tours of two of their main exhibitions. The Scholastics Art Show has a long history at the Arnot Art Museum and students learned how many well-known artists got their start through this competition – some right here in Elmira. Because the artwork on display is created by people just a few years older than the students themselves, children are amazed and inspired. Comparisons are made between scholastics art and the art they remembered from the picture gallery or by the Hudson River School artists they saw in November. By this time, students are beginning to acquire some fluency in the language used in the analysis and interpretation of visual art. This tour includes hands-on activities created by museum educators.

At the Chemung Valley History Museum, students immerse themselves in a stimulating environment to learn about life in the past. They complete “exhibit encounter” packets as they move through museum exhibits focusing on two local celebrities, Mark Twain and Floyd Woodhull.

In April representatives from the Cornell Cooperative Extension - Antoinette Gardner and visit the classroom introducing students to the dirty job of keeping water clean. Students will be introduced to the water cycle and asked to ponder why water is so important. Emphasis will be on conservation and students become more conscientious about the water we all consume and pollute daily. Hands-on activities follow a school-yard hike.

In May, students will return to the Chemung River to observe seasonal changes and their impact on the environment. Students have honed writing skills and will learn what it means to be ‘adapted” to an area and/or certain environmental conditions. They will gain an idea of what an introduced species is and the effect that such species can have on natives. Concepts of adaptability will be addressed and students will be asked to reflect on the implications of environmental change as it relates to the life and health of organisms adapted to a given ecosystem.

Also in May, The Arnot Art Museum will sponsor a Riverfest featuring the arts and crafts of regional artists. Students who had participated in the Chemung River School Project will have work they created throughout the year on display at the Arnot Art Museum and the Chemung Valley History Museum for a wonderful culmination to an exciting year inside and outside the classroom.

As always, the Chemung River will continue to be the pivot around which the program revolves and the inspiration for these artists and naturalists. Preservation of the river and the waters of the world will continue to be part of the mission of CRSP. We at the Arnot Art Museum remain as dedicated as ever to educating young people about the Chemung River – and all areas of the curriculum – through the arts.

For more information, please contact:
Maria Driscoll McMahon,
Director of Education for the Chemung River School Project
607-330-5742 (home)
Arnot Art Museum
235 Lake StreetElmira, NY
14901
http://www.arnotartmuseum.org/

Monday, October 6, 2008

RIVERWALKS - SCIENCE AND LANGUAGE ARTS BY THE RIVER!

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