Make It, Own It, Learn It

Source: ASIDE, 2013

Like so many other teachers faced with time constraints in completing curricula, we often think of how to fit more things in that we know will make a difference in the learning. We strive to provide our students with creative opportunities to show what they know. To this end, the best advice we can give is to collaborate with other teachers.

By taking an interdisciplinary approach to a particular topic and partnering with others, it's easier to accomplish this objective. Straightforward projects are equally beneficial to student understanding, and the educational looping of material allows students to make stronger connections. Our Sumerian ziggurat project is one example of this.

Source: ASIDE, 2013

The fifth graders learn about ancient Mesopotamia and in particular how farming gave rise to the first civilizations. They make sketchnotes about the eight basic features of a civilization to understand the transformation from a hunter and gatherer society to that of settling down in permanent locations. Two of these features that the ziggurat project addresses are organized religion and the development of art and architecture.

Source: ASIDE, 2013

We keep it simple, but we thread in the history throughout the process. Before beginning, the students complete a short research assignment in their history class using the British Museum website on ziggurats.

In art class, they work in small groups to construct, paint, and build ziggurats by transforming boxes to look like stone, stepped structures. The students have a blast spackling pizza boxes, too. In addition, our art teacher gives them a history lesson about the different types of art the Sumerians made that adds to their knowledge about Sumerian culture.

Each group personalizes their ziggurat with offerings, people, and a dedication to a god or goddess. This makes for an incredible show of creativity. The kids get so into it that they made clay figures praying on their knees. The temples at the top are equally as elaborate.

Source: ASIDE, 2013

They also write a dedication to the deity based on their selection from the list of gods on the British Museum site. They have fun developing this written piece as a tribute to their god or goddess, and each dedication is displayed next to the ziggurat in the school library.

Once everything is completed, the math teacher uses the ziggurats to teach the students about area and perimeter. The students enjoy using their own work to measure and figure out math problems.

As we stated earlier, we keep the project simple, but allow for the students to take ownership of what they make and use it to further their learning. It makes a difference in how they retain the content, because they are engaged throughout the process.

While we all wish we had more time to make things with our students, collaborating with other teachers not only helps bring the learning to life, but also makes it fun.

Source: ASIDE, 2013

Making the Connection, or Doing the Learning

Source: ASIDE, 2012

Source: ASIDE, 2012

Making the connection with kids by letting them create by hand allows them to build an understanding about the things they learn. The act of “doing the learning” changes how kids perceive information and develops a deeper knowledge for any topic.

This was the case with our sixth graders who learned how to write in Arabic as part of their study of the Islamic culture in their history classes. One of our parents, Dr. Isma Chaudhry, came to the classroom to teach the kids the art of Arabic calligraphy, which means “beautiful writing.” By learning how to do it, they gained a full appreciation of the calligraphic form.

Dr. Chaudhry gave the students an overview of the history of calligraphy and showed them its many different styles and variations. She demonstrated how this beautiful writing became integrated into the many art forms created by the Islamic people, starting with the early dynasties of the Umayyad and Abbasid empires. The students also discovered how the designs were incorporated into the elaborate decoration of buildings in the Muslim world, from the Dome of the Rock in Israel to the Taj Mahal in India.

Source: ASIDE, 2012

In past visits, the students viewed some examples from Dr. Chaudhry’s personal collection that she brought into class for them to see. She explained to them how the Arabic language is an oral language and that the sounds created by the strokes used in calligraphy are different from the literal use of letters in English.

Source: ASIDE, 2012

The students used a handout of the Arabic alphabet to practice making the strokes and to try to put the correct letters together to write their names. Dr. Chaudhry helped them draw the different strokes to create the letters and sounds found in the alphabet, and she worked with students individually to help them write their first names in Arabic. The images in this post are some of the many examples and designs the students created from this workshop.

Source: ASIDE, 2012

We are extremely fortunate and grateful to have such a wonderful parent volunteer her time to help the students understand a writing system less familiar than their own. In addition, it brings the heritage of our Muslim students into the classroom to better bridge the multicultural views of the world.

Making connections by actually trying your hand at creating work that ties to the curriculum can help students learn. Whether doodling, mapping, or constructing visualizations, it is the tangible aspect that changes the way they see and understand.