An Appreciation Luncheon for Utah State Legislators was held at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building on Friday, January 31, 2020. It was a fabulous affair filled with Art, Dance and support for the BTSALP program.
Art for Centerpieces and Program – Liberty Hills Elementary, Alpine District, Jen Terry
“We Will Rock You!” presented by Herriman Elementary School, Jordan School District 4th Grade (Ms. Mumford,) Jana Shumway BTSALP Dance Specialist
Gumball Machines: Study of Color Mixing – James Moss Elementary, Granite School District, Kirsten Schiel
Sandhill Cranes in Utah Wetlands: Environmental Studies – Riley Elementary, Salt Lake City School District, Regina Stenberg
Aspen Trees – Eastlake Elementary, Jordan School District, Jacquelin Webster
Ladder to the Moon – Amelia Earhart Elementary, Provo School District, Amanda Elton
Cubist Autumn Trees – Bennion Elementary, Salt Lake City School District, Paul Heath
Robert Smith, BTSALP Art Coach in Alpine School District, led Ms. Decker’s 5th grade class through an integrated lesson using the book, The Mountain Dance by Thomas Locker. He started by having students close their eyes and listen to a Beethoven selection that complemented the wonderful illustrations in the book. Students listed words that described the music such as happy, intense, adventurous, calming and relaxing.
He then read the book to the students, pausing at certain passages for the students to visualize the words being read. The class then discussed the vivid verbs and interesting adverbs they found in the text. Breaking into small groups, students listed and recorded Earth Science vocabulary words. These words were tied to passages in the book.
Each group was given a different page from the book and asked to create a movement that illustrated the picture, text and vocabulary words. Students then performed their movements for their classmates.
Robert Smith, BTSALP and Alpine School District Coach, is back guiding the 4th grade students in Ms. Mickelsen’s class through a session of scientific sketching and drawing. Topic: Butterflies!
Scientific drawing require the artist to look at things through the eyes of a scientist. Charles Darwin was a scientist who was also an artist. He studied plants and animals and drew them in an accurate and detailed way.
Boxes of butterflies, beetles and other creatures can be checked out from the Museum of Natural History on the University of Utah campus.
BTSALP and Alpine School District Coach, Robert Smith is a man of many talents. Follow along as he guides Mrs. Everitt’s Kindergarten class in some drawing exercises on National Dot Day!
“We are learning to tell stories with pictures. Artists use exercises and mark making to strengthen the muscles in their hands. It improves our drawing.”
Mr. Smith puts on the music, first a lullaby and then some . . . Super Hero music and students take their pencils dancing!
Group and Peer critique is an important part of the art lesson. First students respond to the question, What is the same about these lines? What is different? Then it’s time for Peer Critique where students look for similarities and differences in others work.
Be on the lookout for more with Robert Smith in Thunder Ridge Parts 2 and 3
The Sorenson Legacy Foundation was created to improve the lives of others and the world in which we live. The foundation provides support for a wide range of endeavors from community development and education to health care, scientific and artistic pursuits. On Friday, April 26, 2019 the Sorenson Legacy Awards were presented to nine outstanding arts educators.
This year’s winners are as follows:
ARTcetera, Provo School District, Exemplary Arts Program in a School or District
Randall Beach, Secondary Music Instruction – Instrumental, Cache County School District
Monique deWitt, Elementary Visual Arts Instruction, Alpine School District
Steve Durtschi, Secondary Music Instruction – Choral, Alpine School District
Deanna Lee, Elementary Music Instruction, Provo School District
Traci Raymond, Secondary Dance Instruction, Canyons School District
Joseph VanLeeuwen, Secondary Visual Arts Instruction, Granite School District
Jean Tokuda Irwin, Utah Division of Arts & Museums, Lifetime Achievement in Arts Education
AND . . . our very own Jen Terry, Elementary Arts Integration Coach, Alpine School District.
Jen Terry has been a stand-out among educators over the last 24 years as a master-creator and master-integrator of art in the classroom. Not only is Jen an Elementary Arts Integration Coach in Alpine School District, she is an adjunct professor of the Creative Methods class at Utah Valley University, a BTSALP Professional Development partner for the BYU and the U of U regions and a guest lecturer at universities and conferences across the state. Congratulations Jen!
Drama Specialist at Suncrest Elementary School, Alpine School District
Pantomime /ˈpan(t)əˌmīm/ noun a dramatic entertainment, originating in Roman mime, in which performers express meaning through gestures accompanied by music.
In the Drama space at Suncrest Elementary School, students have been learning about pantomime and how tableaus can tell stories. 2nd graders learned to do “the rope” and had a pantomime Tug-O-War that they acted our for their class.
The 5th grade also did a Tug-O-War activity integrating the Underground Railroad and the Salem Witch Trials with drama skills.
3rd graders worked on a collaborative project where they performed a “Biomes” poem. They each took turns doing moving tableaus that portrayed the various biomes of the earth. They then performed that for their teachers and classmates.
Tableau /ˌtaˈblō/ noun a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene from a story or from history; a tableau vivant.
The 4th graders were given a project where they researched Utah Native American legends. Groups planned 3 tableaus to narrate the beginning, middle, and end of their stories. These were performed for teachers and classmates.
6th graders did a similar project, using Greek mythology as their point of study. They told their story through 3 tableaus, narrating and performing it for their class.
We certainly had a lot of fun workshopping the tableau and pantomime projects together as a school. Student learned concepts of Science and Social Studies in a deeper way.
Two feet of snow didn’t deter Utah State Legislators, their families and friends of BTSALP from venturing to the Grand America Hotel for the annual Legislative Dinner.
Art for the program is from The Spike 150 Graphic Novel, Auntie & Lopey Track the Transcontinental Railroad
by Mrs. Quigley’s 4th grade class.
Helen M Knight Elementary School, Moab UT.
BTSALP Visual Art Specialist: Bruce Hucko
Student artwork from BTSALP schools as well as enlarged drawings from the Spike 150 Graphic Novel project were on display to illustrate arts integration and celebrate 150 years of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.
Jeremy Chatterton, Principal at Dilworth Elementary, Salt Lake City School District, highlighted the Visual Art program at his school and talked about the impact it has had on his school. He proudly showed us some of the “masterpieces” he created alongside the students.
Centerpieces by Every Blooming Thing. The hanging trains were created by Cedar Ridge Elementary School students, Alpine School District, under the supervision of BTSALP Coach, Jen Terry.
Thanks to the Utah State Legislature for their continued support of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Progam.
Christmas trees using only three shapes and a few basic colors. Thanks to Jen Terry and the first graders at Westfield Elementary School in Alpine School District.
Jen Terry is a BTSALP Professional Development Partner and elementary art integration coach at Alpine School District. She believes that art integration transforms learning into purposeful experiences that are worthwhile for the teacher and student. Jen holds a B.S. from Utah State University in Early Childhood Education with a Visual Art emphasis and a M.Ed. in Integrated Curriculum from American College of Education. As a practicing artist, she is passionate about the arts and children’s literature. She is a curator of children’s picture books who works to bridge stories and inspire ideas in the hearts of children and educators.
Jen presented on the Best Children’s Books of the Year panel at Utah Valley University’s For the Love of Reading Conference held in October, 2018. Specialists in all art forms will find inspiration for integrated lessons within the pages of Jen’s “Best Books of 2018.”
This book is from a french author/artist and beautifully encourages unplugged exploration. A book about seeing the world through a different mindset and lens. The illustrations and color will leave you wanting to go out, play in the dirt and experience nature.
A heartwarming story about empathy and imagination. Pair with Sam, Bangs and Moonshine to bring the importance of being kind and that understanding is sweeter than judgement. Luyken’s illustrations really make you take the time to look over and observe Adrian’s “horse.”
Dreamers is a celebration of what migrants bring with them when they leave their homes. It’s a story about family. Also included are a brief autobiographical essay about Yuyi’s own experience, a list of books that inspired her (and still do), and a description of the beautiful personal images, textures, and mementos she used to create this book.
In creating this book, Valerio was inspired by the German Expressionist group known as Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), which formed in Munich in 1911 and included painters Franz Marc and Wassily Kandinsky. The colors and shapes in this book will inspire and make you get up and create your own colorful story. Valerio has created a wordless book that speaks volumes about how art can transform us beyond the sometimes dreary world of the everyday.
National Book Award winner, Jacqueline Woodson and two time Pura Belpre illustrator award winner Rafael Lopez have teamed up to create a poignant, yet heartening book about finding courage to connect, even when you feel scared and alone. We find when we reach out and begin to share our stories, others will be happy to meet us halfway. The illustrations will move you just like in Drum Dream Girl.
Pair with Vivid: Poems and Notes About Color by Julie Paschkis. Why did Roman emperors wear purple? Which color is made from crushed beetles? Find out the answers to these and many more questions in this vibrant exploration of the stories behind different colors, and the roles they’ve play throughout history.
This is a collection of almost 100 original poems written by the award winning poet Naomi Shihab Nye in honor of the artists, writers, poets, historical figures, ordinary people, and diverse luminaries from past and present who have inspired her. This book celebrate the inspirational people who strengthen and motivate us to create, to open our hearts, and to live rewarding and graceful lives.
From world renowned autism spokesperson, scientist, and inventor Temple Grandin – a book of personal stories, invention, facts that will blow young inventors’ minds and make them soar. She creates a blueprint for different ways to look at the world. She gives a call to action, a call to imagination, and shows readers that there is truly no single way to approach any given problem – but that an open and inquisitive mind is always key.
Mass and Stead, two masterminds of classic middle grade fiction come together to craft this magical story about the enduring power of friendship. Clue by clue, Livy and Bob – a short greenish creature dressed in a chicken suit – will unravel the mystery of where Bob comes from and discover the kind of magic that lasts forever.
In this unforgettable, multicultural coming-of-age narrative, based on the author’s childhood in the 1960s, a young Cuban/Jewish immigrant girl is adjusting to her new life in New York City when her American dream is suddenly derailed. Ruthie’s plight will intrigue readers and her powerful story of strength and resilience, full of color, light and poignancy, will stay with them for a long time. As Ruthie’s world shrinks because of her inability to move, her powers of observation and her heart grow larger and she comes to understand how fragile life is, how vulnerable we all are as human beings and how friends, neighbors and the power of the arts can sweeten even the worst of times.
This is an astonishing New York Times bestselling novel-in-verse by an award winning slam poet about an Afro-Latina heroine who tells her story with blazing words and powerful truth.
Art Nights, Musical Performances, Theater Productions are what make Springtime in BTSALP schools the best time of the school year! Join the celebration by reading our current newsletter.
North Elementary in Iron County, a STEM Partner school with Southern Utah University, held their STEAM Night highlighting Math and Science integration. BTSALP Visual Arts Specialist: Lori Wrankle.
Lomond View Elementary, Weber School District, BTSALP Visual Arts Specialist: Mendy Reese
North Ogden Elementary, Weber School District, BTSALP Visual Arts Specialist: Alisa Webb
Ogden School District Elementary Arts Festival
Artwork from James Madison and Horace Mann, BTSALP Visual
Arts Specialist: Brent Rhodes and Lincoln, Polk, and Hillcrest,
BTSALP Visual Arts Specialist: Stephanie Jaden
Hooper Elementary, Weber School District, BTSALP Visual Arts Specialist: Alisa Webb
Springtime in BTSALP Schools = Art Nights, Musical Performances, Theater Productions
