The Prairie
Through New Eyes
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Introduction
The Prairie Through New Eyes
How do we teach children to really see the world around them? To ask questions? To make
judgements? The Prairie Through New Eyes, an arts integrated curriculum, has been designed to
help teachers meet the academic goals of their daily teaching and to help develop students'
creative, communicative, and higher order thinking skills through integration of the arts.
Prompted by the recent exhibition, Taking Root: The Art of Patricia DuBose Duncan (whose
artwork illustrates the curriculum), the Beach Museum of Art, with financial assistance from the
Kansas Arts Commission and the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, set out to create an arts
integrated curriculum with a focus on the state's predominant natural environment.
Students in Kansas are surrounded by the prairie - an ecosystem that most children take for
granted. Through dance, music, creative writing and art, we cannot only provide students with
new lenses for viewing the world around them, but also provide valuable intellectual and
creative enhancement to the school curriculum. Research has proven that the observational,
critical, and creative thinking skills utilized in studying and producing the arts will help improve
students’ thinking in other areas of academics. In addition, students will develop a greater
understanding of and appreciation for their own cultural heritage.
Each of these units has been tested at Riley County Grade School, in a classroom setting. Lead
teachers Laurie Curtis, Sue Garver, Donna MacDougall and Darnell Vargo have served as
curriculum advisers. The curriculum also includes additional information on resources and
8 fi" x 11" color prints for use in the classroom. To make these units more useful for the teacher,
ties with state standards are listed on the front page of each unit.
Enjoy this opportunity to open the eyes of your students to the world around them. As a teacher,
you are one of the single most influential people in the lives of your students. With this curricu-
lum, I hope that you can give them new tools for looking, thinking and creating, and a greater
appreciation for their world.
Kathrine Walker Schlageck
Education and Public Services Supervisor
Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art
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QPA
Ties With Quality Performance Accreditation
Outcomes
The Prairie Through New Eyes has strong ties to QPA. First, the collaboration directly responds
to School Process Outcome II - Each school and district will work collaboratively with its
community to create a learning community.
Exposure to the arts helps in all areas of student outcomes:
Student Outcome I
Mastery of Essential Skills:
A. Read and comprehend a variety of resources - art, poetry, dance, etc.
B. Communicate clearly, both orally and in writing, for a variety of purposes and
audiences - discussion on tours, writing projects, etc.
C. Use mathematics and mathematical principles - dance utilizes patterns, quilts
use geometry.
D. Access and use information - take environmental/science info. and apply to arts.
Student Outcome II
Effective Communication Skills:
Students will develop both written and oral communication skills during the Prairie
Through New Eyes project. Activities such as creative writing and poetry, in conjunction
with group brainstorming sessions and the discussion of visual art, provide many
opportunities for communication.
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Student Outcome III
Complex Thinking Skills:
All of the Higher Order Thinking Skills are closely aligned with the process of
learning about the arts, including problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity.
Student Outcome IV
Work Effectively Both Independently and in Groups:
Students work together to create dance and musical performances, and independently to
create written and visual arts products. Museum tours and projects include cooperative
education activities.
Student Outcome V
Physical and Emotional Well-Being:
Understanding our cultural heritage creates productive citizens. The arts activities
provide opportunities to develop creativity and self-esteem.
Kansas Standards
Ties With Kansas State Education Standards
As the creative product of mankind, the arts have strong ties with most areas of the academic
curriculum. Ties with the Kansas State Education Standards are noted on the first page of each
curriculum unit. There are strong ties with the writing, social studies, and environmental
education standards. Several units also have ties to the science and mathematics standards.
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National Standards
Ties With National Standards For Arts Education
p Students should be able to communicate at a basic level in the four arts
disciplines.
The Prairie Through New Eyes exposes students to music, dance, creative
writing and visual arts. In some cases, puppets are used, thereby including drama.
p Students should be able to communicate proficiently in at least one art form.
Residency and Visual Art units provide opportunities to focus on a variety of art
forms in depth.
p Students should be able to develop and present basic analyses of works of art.
Students will participate in analysis of poetry and visual art.
p Students should have an informed acquaintance with exemplary works of art
from a variety of cultures and historical periods.
There are many opportunities to view a variety of art.
p Students should be able to relate various types of arts knowledge and skills
within and across the arts disciplines.
Many of the projects include more than one art form - e.g. creative writing and
music, creative writing and art, poetry and art. Units for early childhood are
entirely interdisciplinary. In addition, the arts are linked with environmental
and science education, mathematics, literature, history, and geography.
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