5th Grade: Confidence to Reimagine. Contemporary art.

Confidence to reimagine is the final segment of our program where our graduating fifth graders are presented with an opportunity to reflect on their educational achievements and demonstrate their Confidence in emotional problem solving. They identify how much they have learned in exercising The Vitamin C’s and then apply their knowledge through their development of their senior exhibition.
In this contemporary art series we focus on artists Jeanne Claude and Christo, weaving their art into the topic of inclusion vs. exclusion. Students discuss who tends to be included in our society and who seems to be excluded. We share stories of how we have each experienced exclusion and how it made us feel. We discuss bullying and compassion. After robust discussion, students begin to calculate the math for the installation and understand that art is math - and a lot of it. In this particular session students realized 6 of the pieces were not going to fit on the light track. I said, "Well, let's just leave them off then. Who are the students? Just let them know they won't be in the final show". (wanting to see how they would respond) The class got quiet and one student said, "Well, I'm not putting mine up then." - and then another and another joined in. They came up with a solution for all to be included. Yes!!
S.M.A.R.T.'s teaching method aligns with the Vitamin C curriculum created by Executive Director Andy Benavides.
The Vitamin C's:
Curiosity Feeds your Creativity,
makes you feel Calm,
gives you Clarity,
nourishes your Compassion and
empowers your Confidence.