Birding project integrates science & art lessons for 4th graders

Every spring, 4th graders at Chautauqua take a deep dive into the study of Vashon birds. A longstanding focus of Vashon Island School District’s science curriculum, the 4th grade birding unit brings together teachers and community partners to strengthen students’ lifelong appreciation for our local Island environment. Students learn to see and study birds for their anatomy, for their fascinating behaviors and for the important roles birds play in ecosystems that sustain life.

Over the years, Vashon Audubon and Vashon Artists in Schools (VAIS) have worked hand-in-hand with the Chautauqua 4th grade team to create a learning experience that integrates students’ important scientific understandings with principles of artistic expression. The art component of the birding unit is designed to reinforce scientific knowledge of bird anatomy, behavior, habitat, AND to build on significant learning in the visual arts for 4th graders.
   
To bring all this learning to fruition, the classroom teachers and Chautauqua art specialist Tara Brenno recently partnered with ceramic artist Liz Lewis in a VAIS artist residency, Vashon Shore and Water Birds.  Over the course of four weeks, Lewis and Brenno led the 4th graders on a journey that culminated in each student constructing a favorite Vashon bird out of clay. All 78 finished beauties - painted, glazed and fired - are on display in the window of Heron’s Nest in downtown Vashon, April 11-30.

Dropping in on the first 50-minute class session in the Chautauqua art room was to experience a room full of 4th graders eagerly intent on each step of building their chosen bird out of clay. Starting with photographs and large lifelike drawings of birds, artist Liz Lewis began the class with a series of questions: “What do you see – the physical parts of the bird’s body, the poses, the angle of the head, the action the bird is about to take, the positive/negative spaces created by its pose? What would you like to include in your sculptural depiction? What is most important to me, as an artist, in sculpting a bird? What do I hope to convey? First, we will do some drawing, as a way to make a plan for the clay work and to find answers to these questions.”
 
The next two class sessions involved the students making the pedestal and the bird’s body, followed by the wings, beak, tail and eyes. Lewis directed the students to “go back to your original drawing and check the feather patterns and directionality of the plumage.” She instructed students in ways to ensure a strong attachment of the clay, and in adding texture to the wings and other body parts. On the final day, students gloried in glazing/painting their carefully sculpted birds.

The project deepened 4th graders’ visual thinking strategies as they grappled with the many choices and challenges presented. Finding a comfort level with clay as a sculptural medium and bringing their artwork to life formed a progression of important visual arts skills for the students. But the overall learning goals for Vashon Shore and Water Birds stimulated the possibilities of science and art integration. According to Lewis,  “Throughout the project we learned the concepts of volume and (implied) mass which make up our physical world. We apply these concepts to a work of art that draws from nature and expresses life. Working with clay provides a conduit from the hearts and minds of the young artists, through their eyes, arms, hands and fingers, providing an experience that builds connection between the artist, the viewer, the animals and the natural world. This, in turn can foster a spirit of stewardship and responsibility in making choices about how we humans live on planet Earth.”

Vashon Artists in Schools (VAIS) is a collaborative project between Vashon Island School District and Vashon Allied Arts.  Additional support comes from National Endowment for the Arts/ArtWorks, Washington State Arts Commission/ArtsWA, Vashon Partners in Education/PIE, Vashon PTSA and private donors.  For more information, go to www.vashonalliedarts.org/artists-in-schools/