Students at Giblyn not only learned about Black History Month in their regular classrooms through read alouds, research and other wonderful lessons, but also in art through hands-on projects. Mrs. Mason, art teacher, opened lessons with discussions about Black History Month and incorporated geography and math lessons into the projects.
First grade students viewed a world map to see where Africa is in relation to where they live and "pinned it" to understand the geographic distance. They also learned about Kente cloth from Africa, designed individual squares with fabric patterns using traditional colors and assembled them to make giant Kente cloth fabric.
Third grade students made African masks to learn about symmetry, pattern and geometric shapes. Later in the year, students will learn more about the history and significance of African masks when they study a thematic unit about Africa. "It's wonderful that students are taking what they learn in the classroom and applying it to other disciplines, like the arts," says Amanda Muldowney, principal. "It truly makes the history come alive for the students and helps them to understand it better."
