Integrating art

From a "History Detectives" video clip about murals created for the WPA, to an interactives from the Library of Congress teaching political cartoon analysis and lesson plans about the three laws of motion that incorporate art projects, AETN/PBS LM has a plethora of resources for integrating art. Throughout this edition of StationBreak, we've highlighted additional resources like these for you to use in your classroom!

"Art of Crystal Bridges" to air three times this month

"The Art of Crystal Bridges," a film detailing the story behind the creation and opening of the first museum in half-a-century dedicated exclusively to American Art, will air on the Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN) Wednesday, Dec. 21st at 6:30 p.m. and Dec. 30th at 4 p.m. Founded by philanthropist Alice Walton and designed by acclaimed architect Moshe Safdie, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art draws visitors from around the globe, bringing millions of tourism dollars into the Northwest Arkansas economy. "The Art of Crystal Bridges" chronicles the museum's journey from vision to reality. Viewers will gain insight into the museum's inspiration, the curation of its remarkable collection and the creation of its breathtaking natural grounds and trails through interviews with the individuals who made its construction possible. "The Art of Crystal Bridges" was produced by Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Larry Foley and associate producer Ginny Lauren Hulette. Arkansas native and acclaimed actress Mary Steenburgen narrates. The film also features photography by Hayot Tuchiev, editing Dale Carpenter and a score by composer James Greeson. "The Art of Crystal Bridges" was made possible through support provided by J.P. Morgan.

Artopia

A variety of resources from Artopia via AETN/PBS LM teaches students about dance, music, theatre, painting, sculpture, and media arts. For each topic, a one-minute lesson that gives a broad overview of the art form, including its history, is available. After the movie plays, you may click "Return to Lobby" to access the many other resources. Students can use the "Be a Critic" function, where they'll learn more about each art form before viewing real pieces or performances. For instance, when learning about theatre, students will write a review after seeing clips from plays. Media arts invites them to view cigarette ads critically, and painting studies teaches students how to take a closer look at works through the elements and principles of design. Classes can also "Meet an Artist" by reading short biographies of real artists or visit "The Studio," where they'll learn even more about each art form through graphics, videos, and interactives.

Resources for integrating art

Artifacts - Video clips of a Late-Period Egyptian Bronze Falcon and of Late 19th Century American Indian Clothing appraised on "Antiques Roadshow" are accompanied by background essays and discussion questions aimed at teaching about cultures via period objects.

Dancing - Video clips of Renaissance and Civil War era dances, as well as traditional Native American and African/African-American, dances are available. Many of these resources have accompanying video clips explaining the purpose and structure of the dances as well as essays and discussion questions.

Careers – Video clips featuring a cake designer, architect, and sculptor discuss how these professionals' jobs require them to use a combination of mathematics and art.

Professional development

The series entitled "Annenberg Media - Connecting With the Arts: A Workshop for Middle Grade Teachers" is available on the ArkansasIDEAS portal. The eight-part professional development series shows middle school teachers how to integrate the arts with other subjects, including language arts, social studies, science and math. Extensive classroom examples present teachers working together to create rich, integrated learning experiences for their students. A round-table panel of arts educators discusses each of the classroom examples and shares their own experiences with arts integration.

Also available on ArkansasIDEAS:

SERIES: Annenberg Media - The Art of Teaching the Arts: A Workshop for High School Teachers

SERIES: Annenberg Media - The Arts in Every Classroom: A Workshop for Elementary School Teachers

What's New

Talking to kids about scary news In light of the tragedy in Connecticut last week, PBS has resource materials to help parents and teachers talk to kids about emergencies and scary news.

• Help your children feel secure by downloading the companion parent guide "Helping Our Children Feel Safe" from the "Arthur" website here: http://to.pbs.org/Wjrd1a. This guide includes a read-aloud story, along with some tips for parents. You can also download a simple one-sheet with advice from early childhood experts.
• Mr. Rogers gives advice on scary news: http://www.pbs.org/parents/rogers/special/scarynews.html
• Watch a "Sesame Street" Elmo video, "Helping Kids Feel Safe": http://www.pbs.org/parents/
• Elmo talks to kids and parents about scary situations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=080SefkwI64&list=PL8TioFHubWFtJx3KhfYYJJbrvqLTkKCyO&index=3
• Download the "Sesame Street" guide "Here for Each Other – Helping Families after Emergencies": http://www.sesameworkshop.org/assets/1192/src/HereForEachOther_vEng2012Modified.pdf
• Strategies for talking and listening: http://www.pbs.org/parents/talkingwithkids/news/talking.html
• Consider a media blackout to help your kids: http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2012/12/with-small-kids-consider-a-media-blackout-during-a-crisis-like-sandy-hook352.html?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=fanpage&utm_campaign=pbs

PBS KIDS and AETN 2013 Writer's Contest accepting entries - April 5 deadline

Arkansas children in grades K-3 can celebrate the power of creating stories and illustrations by submitting their own original pieces in this local and national contest. 12 Arkansas winners will be chosen, and first place winners will be submitted to the national contest.

Prizes include:

• A participation certificate for each entrant.
• An AETN prize pack, including a set of PBS KIDS educational apps for mobile devices, for 12 local winners (three from each grade).
• For first place winners, the opportunity for Clifford the Big Red Dog to visit their school and to tour AETN studios in Conway.
• Tablet computers, e-readers and MP3 players for national winners.
• A print or digital version of Highlights Magazine, provided by contest partner Highlights for Children, is available to all participants.

To learn more, visit aetn.org/writerscontest

AETN presents 'AETN Arts Fridays' each Friday night at 6:30 and 9 p.m., bringing world class arts and culture programming to your living room. Enjoy local interviews with Arkansas authors and performances by area bands with locally produced arts and culture series "AETN Presents" at 6:30 p.m. At 9 p.m., PBS Arts presents unprecedented, varied Arts programming. PBS is America's largest stage – and AETN has it for you every Friday! You can find December's lineup online.

http://www.aetn.org/programs/aetnartsfridays

Email: This addition of StationBreak is devoted to integrating art into daily instruction. From a "History Detectives" video clip about murals created for the WPA, to an interactives from the Library of Congress teaching political cartoon analysis and lesson plans about the three laws of motion that incorporate art projects, AETN/PBS LM has a plethora of resources for integrating art. Throughout this edition of StationBreak, weíve highlighted additional resources like these for you to use in your classroom! In light of the tragedy in Connecticut last week, PBS has resource materials to help parents and teachers talk to kids about emergencies and scary news. You can find these resources in StationBreak as well.