Key Learning Community, Indianapolis, Indiana
The Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana developed a Study Outdoor Sculpture traveling trunk program that is popular, to say the least. The five multimedia teaching kits designed for grades four through eight are booked for use by area schools through the year 2000. The students at the Key Learning Community in Indianapolis don't have to wait in line to enjoy the slide shows, guidebooks, and samples of sculpture materials, however. Middle-school teacher Andrea Fletcher-Gill and her students used the trunk in their unit on sculpture last year, and are eager to sing its praises!
Ms.
Fletcher-Gill's students used the trunk to learn about sculpture vocabulary, history and
materials. They then took their new knowledge on a field trip to the War Memorial Plaza
Historic District in downtown Indianapolis. While there, the kids ages 12 to 14 surveyed
the sculptures, sketched what they saw, made rubbings of materials, and wrote about their
favorite pieces.
As an instructional tool, Ms. Fletcher-Gill gives the trunk top ratings. "It was easy to use and was full of great teaching and learning ideas," she says. "Using these materials helps to foster a real understanding and awareness of sculptures for my students." She continues, "Prior to this unit, they would just pass by sculpture without any notice of it."
Ms. Fletcher-Gill isn't the only member of the Key Learning Community with good things to say about the trunk, a 1999 SOS! Achievement Award winner. Her students have praise of their own for the project.
"The trunk was very interesting. The box of materials that are used in making sculptures was my favorite. It was fun to guess what each thing was. Sometimes you thought it was made of a certain material, but it turned out to be something else." — Laureka
"I liked learning about the materials used and the artists' ideas when they built the sculptures." — Katie
"Before, I didn't know much about sculptures. Now, I understand how they make them. It was interesting learning about the artists that made the sculptures and the names of some of the sculptures in our city." — Courtney"Something I learned is that sculptures are meant to be looked at from more than one angle. I also learned that we can learn about people through art." — Chauncey
Photo by Franc Alameda