What Can A Discovery Humanities Class Produce?

I'm eager to showcase this fantastic class that I'm co-teaching. Folks, we're absolutely excelling with our Discovery Wheel. This Humanities course is delving deep into the world of art and beyond. The seamless integration and cross-curricular connections are simply organic, not at all contrived. It is a forced to be reckoned with as you can see by this issue of our published magazine. Yes, we did this.

What is this class? Our Discovery Program is designed for our seventh and eighth grade students who wish to pursue their passions. The courses in the Discovery program contain a rigorous collection of content designed to allow highly motivated learners to select a path to either discover STEM or discover Humanities further. Throughout the first semester, students will take a deep dive into each course along their chosen path. During the second semester, students will engage in a culminating project of their own design focused on an interest discovered during their coursework. These projects, completed in partnership with community members and Discovery teachers, will give students real world practice in research, written, and spoken expression all while learning more about topics that inspire them. Students will be expected to present in a Spring Consortium toward the end of the school year. This is a year-long program.

The Path to Discover Humanities:
In the Path to Discover Humanities class, students investigate three strands of humanities – community outreach through the arts, communication studies, and creative expressions – to identify and develop their passions and skills in art, journalism, and writing. As part of the class, students will also produce a literary magazine, Maclay in the Middle, by engaging in the process of researching, interviewing, writing, designing, and editing content for the magazine. The Path to Discover Humanities class offers individualized feedback and support for students who are interested in pursuing writing, art, or journalism or who are simply interested in discovering more about humanities and developing as a learner and individual.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH THROUGH ARTS
COTA challenges students to explore their community's needs and address them through creative arts projects, fostering cultural understanding and community cohesion. Through collaboration, students will discover the transformative power of art in strengthening communities. Additionally, we'll learn about design principles, Canva, branding, logos, and social media strategies, as well as explore photography techniques to enhance our visual storytelling.

COMMUNICATION STUDIES
Communication studies focuses on learning the elements of journalism, public speaking, and graphic design. Students will learn about the fields of print journalism, graphic design, creative writing, and broadcast journalism. Students will use InDesign, Photoshop, and Premiere video editing software to create the Middle School Humanities Magazine and the Middle School News.

CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS
Discover Humanities provides students with additional instruction and writing experience. Students will practice planning, revising, and editing for an authentic audience. Additionally, students will learn how to incorporate research into writing and develop credibility as a journalist. Each student is encouraged to try new techniques and experiment with developing a personal voice in writing as they learn to think and read like writers.

What makes this class possible? This team teaching trio right here! This photo below is just full of joy for me. Yes, our block scheduled B days are jam packed during our class times but we make it work and the students rise to the occasion and produce stellar work as you can see by the submissions below. 

The theme for this magazine was fairytales. And, man let me tell you what they nailed it! So, if this looks like your typical class it is not. We have managed to get these kids to soar. I am hoping to do a post this summer on our 4th magazine that deals with Tallahassee turning 200! (Bicentennial) 

We use InDesign, Photoshop, and Canva in this class. We have a social media presence on Instagram called Maclay In the Middle. Check it out.

Arts integration empowers us to cultivate chefs who make decisions, rather than cooks who simply follow instructions. So, yeah... we are Cheffin' it up in our Humanities class. Thanks for stopping by and reach out if you want to learn more about this invocative class.

1969

 

Louise Nevelson: Building Community Through Art Assemblage

 

Louise Nevelson was an American sculptor known for her groundbreaking work in the realm of assemblage art, creating intricate sculptures from found objects and wood. Her art often explored themes of identity, transformation, and community, drawing inspiration from the urban landscapes around her. As we celebrate the arts in our school, the Visual Arts Department envisioned an art installation inspired by Nevelson's unique approach. This initiative served as a collaborative project, bringing together students, teachers, and staff to create something beautiful and meaningful together. Nevelson once said, 'Art is the essence of community, binding us together in a shared vision of beauty and creativity.' Through this installation, we echo Nevelson's sentiment, recognizing the power of art to foster connection and build a sense of community on our campus.

Hello, art fans! Today, I'm super excited to tell you about our cool art project at school. Get ready for a story full of fun, creativity, and art that can change the world! Well, on ur campus we sure did make a vast impact at being seen. Good stuff folks, Good stuff, I tell you! Our Amazing Art Adventure: Inspired by Louise Nevelson here is a very cool idea for your school too. We will post the final gallery here but stay tuned for how we made it happen in a follow up post.

It all started with an idea from the famous artist Louise Nevelson. She made awesome sculptures from everyday things like wood and metal. Her art was so amazing that it inspired us to try something new! We wanted to honor Nevelson's awesome art, so we decided to make our own sculptures. We gathered all sorts of stuff—old furniture, metal scraps, even pieces of wood. Then, with lots of excitement, we got to work, knowing that there were no limits to what we could create. We had homerooms and all faculty and staff involved in this lesson. Basically, the information was clean out your junk drawer. Not kidding and the results did not disappoint.

Every step of our project was like a magical adventure. We searched for materials, shared ideas, and worked together to make something incredible. It was like our school turned into a big art studio where everyone could join in and have fun. Y’all, it was a bit of a pain to organize but so well worth it. You can see the visuals below. Finally, after lots of hard work, we unveiled our masterpiece! Seeing it all finished was amazing. We were so proud of what we made together. Every little detail showed how we worked as a team and how powerful art can be. Yes, this was a huge hit in our BFIC Art Gallery!

But the best part was sharing our art with everyone. Our families, teachers, and even visitors loved seeing what we created. It sparked conversations and made people smile, showing that art can bring people together in a special way. Like what a great way to stir up some good ole free PR for the art department and build community at the same time. Ahhhh, it was amazing!

Our adventure with Louise Nevelson taught us that art isn't just about making things—it's about dreaming big, trying new things, and believing in ourselves. With art, we can make the world a more beautiful place, one masterpiece at a time.

Here's to Louise Nevelson, to all of us amazing students, and to the endless possibilities of art! Let's keep dreaming, creating, and inspiring each other to reach for the stars. Stay tuned for more art information on how we made this happen for our one school.

1969