March 1, 2020
Sunshine 2.0 is a professional traveling theater troupe based at Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) in Rochester, New York. The troupe provides performances and activities for deaf and hard-of-hearing children and adults that highlight the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEaM), as well as educational topics pertaining to the Deaf experience. The theater troupe travels to schools, and programs serving deaf and hard-of-hearing students, colleges, museums, conferences, civic groups, festivals and other venues. Performances are presented in voice and in American Sign Language, are accessible to all audience members and cover […]
February 13, 2020
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 […]
December 9, 2019
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 […]
November 7, 2019
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.
October 15, 2019
This Fall, 2019 the Artsbridge Honors course at Weber State University will design and co-create a new faux-stained glass installation called Utah Birds & Ecosystems. This is a course designed for Weber State University students to work closely with professors and BTSALP Visual Arts Specialist, Brent Rhodes, and his 4th graders at James Madison Elementary. Through this collaboration students design and build a hanging installation that depicts the birds and ecosystems found in Utah. This aligns with the 4th grade Utah State Science Standards. All of the Weber State students and 4th Graders will visit the Ogden Nature Center to gather field […]
May 9, 2019
The plaster animal masks are finished and on display (Just in time for Art Night!) at Moss Elementary School in Granite School District. Kirsten Schiel, BTSALP Visual Art Specialist did a wonderful job of guiding the fifth grade students through the research, drawing and constructing phases of this integrated mask making project.
April 29, 2019
Beacon Heights Elementary School in the Salt Lake City School District has a giant open area atrium right in the front foyer. Many years ago the students at Beacon Heights constructed a huge hanging mobile to fill the space and welcome visitors to their school Well that was then . . . and this is now and there’s a new installation in town! Each student at Beacon Heights studied a different type of bird and created pieces of art depicting that bird. These birds became part of the new exhibit in the foyer of Beacon Heights. You might say this […]
April 19, 2019
Shout out to Denise Manzione, BTSALP Arts Coordinator in Tooele School District and the students at Vernon and Ibapah Elementary Schools. Both of these schools are 2 room school houses in farm/ranch communities. Students were studying wool and how it is processed (in Ibapah quite a few already knew because they raise sheep). Wool was purchased from Utah’s Ag in the Classroom, but some of the students offered to run home and sheer a sheep if we needed more! The wool was dyed using Kool-Aid and coffee. Then students created faces and rolled it between sheets of bubble wrap to wet […]
April 1, 2019
The Mandala Magic lesson plan Integrates Visual Art and Science. Students will research and observe different patterns in nature and use those patterns to construct Mandalas. This lesson also includes a mini lesson on radial symmetrical design.
March 29, 2019
Guest Blogger: Rachel Zumaya Drama Specialist at Suncrest Elementary School, Alpine School District Pantomime /ˈpan(t)əˌmīm/ nouna 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 […]
March 14, 2019
from The Conversation From biotech to climate change, advances in technology raise significant moral questions. To engage responsibly, our next generation of scientists need training in the arts and ethics.
March 1, 2019
The “Science” of Collage lesson plan integrates Visual Art and Science. Students will learn to identify and explain organic shapes used in an art collage. Also includes a mini lesson from Kara Kramer's One Minute, No Glue Collage and a video link to Rex Ray inspired collage painting.
January 15, 2019
Jean Gardner, BTSALP Dance Specialist at Meadowlark Elementary School, and her students are Happy to Dance and Happy to Learn! The First Graders learned all about the process of plant growth through dance. Third Graders combined the study of Australian Folk Tales and the phases of the moon. Upper Grades studied and danced ratios and rates using hand and leg movements. They also created a dance inspired by the artwork of Jean Michel Basquiat and the words of Maya Angelou’s poem, Life Doesn’t Frighten Me.
November 25, 2018
Guest Blogger: Aleia Nay Visual Art Specialist at Oscarson Elementary School, Piute School District The 3rd and 4th grade classes, under the supervision of BTSALP Visual Art Specialist, Aleia Nay constructed Flashlight Shadow Puppet Narratives. This is a combination classroom since Oscarson Elementary only has 35 students in their school. STANDARD 3.V.CR.1: Elaborate on an imaginative idea and apply knowledge of resources, tools, and technologies to investigate personal ideas through the art making process. The students have been learning about the properties of light in their science unit. Materials Needed: flashlights paper black colored pencil sharpie visual aids projector screen Each […]
November 12, 2018
Guest Blogger: Kelly Bruce Glynn Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program Coordinator Weber State University Arts Learning Collaborative Norma Zaugg, BTSALP Dance Specialist at Stewart Elementary in Davis School District, worked with third grade students to explore gravity, force, and friction through improvisation and choreography. Students learned how to use force to keep a simple piece of computer paper attached to their bodies while exploring the elements of dance. Once they finished working through these improvisations, students created a class dance based on their findings.
October 28, 2018
Guest Blogger: Melanie Haslam Melanie Haslam is the BTSALP Visual Art Specialist at Canyon Elementary School in Cache County. Follow along step by step as she brings Science, History and Visual Art together with Eco Printing. A big thank you to Melanie for an excellent lesson and blog post! Supplies: watercolor paper trays for soaking paper a variety of fresh leaves from different plants (any color, but not dry leaves) mordants (I used iron oxide and alum) 2 large tiles (that will fit in a pot) large c-clamps a large pot with a wire rack a heat source (I have […]
October 11, 2018
BTSALP Visual Art specialist, Catherine Widner and the first grade students at Jim Bridger Elementary, used a beautiful sunshine filled day to create cyanotypes using items from nature. First Grade Science Standard 4 – Life Science: Students will gain an understanding of Life Science through the study of changes in organisms over time and the nature of living things. Thanks to the Education majors from the University of Utah who were on hand to help the first grade students arrange their materials and process their cyanotypes.
September 26, 2018
Just bringing you an update from one of our BTSALP long term projects! This project is “in the works” so keep checking back to see the progress. Laurie Shea, BTSALP Visual Art specialist, is working on a large scale, permanent installation for the open foyer at Beacon Heights Elementary in Salt Lake City. She started with the sixth grade and the paper mache Birds of Prey. She is now working with the lower grades. Each grade level is creating a different type of bird that will be hanging as part of the installation. Kindergarten students used Styrofoam balls, pom poms, […]
September 12, 2018
Laurie Shea, BTSALP Visual Art Specialist at Beacon Heights Elementary started the school year off with a fun, informative project on Utah Birds of Prey. She had the sixth grade students research different birds of prey. They drew the birds highlighting the different shapes found on the birds. Then it was time to blow up the balloons and construct the birds using newspaper and paper mache. Great collaboration between preservice teachers, Dayna Morris and Christy Edgel from the Integrated Curriculum class at the University of Utah, BTSALP and Beacon Heights. Extra hands ALWAYS come in handy! Coming Soon: The finished […]
September 10, 2018
BTSALP Specialists gathered at Luminaria Photography Studio on Saturday, September 8, 2018 to learn the process of Cyanotype. This is a photographic printing process that produces a cyan-blue print. Engineers used the process well into the 20th century as a simple and low-cost process to produce copies of drawings, referred to as blueprints. Thanks to Dave Hyams & Christine Baczek. The Process of Cyanotype The English scientist and astronomer Sir John Herschel discovered the procedure in 1842. Though the process was developed by Herschel, he considered it as mainly a means of reproducing notes and diagrams, as in blueprints. Hard at Work Rachel Jacobs, BTSALP […]
April 13, 2018
You won’t believe what the BTBALP students and specialists in the Weber State University region have been up to! Click here to see excellent arts integration in action! GreenWood Charter School Community Mural with Second Grade Lydia Stewart, Visual Art Specialist The second graders at GreenWood Charter had an expedition where they painted a mural along the Ogden River Trail. To prepare, they took a close look at the artist James Rizzi and created a rough draft of the mural on paper, which was posted in the school. They used the paper mural as a template for the design of their final product North Ogden & Hooper Elementary Schools […]
December 3, 2017
A dance specialist, BTSALP coach, sixth grade classroom teachers and students in Alpine School District joined together for an integrated collaborative project on the solar system that’s “out of this world!” Read more about their project and Envision Utah’s 2017 Common Good Award Winner – Art Works for Kids in our current newsletter.
March 25, 2017
Take a tour of BTSALP specialist, Kate Watson’s art space at Harvest Elementary School in Saratoga Springs. Kate is a master at integrating visual art with Science, Technology Engineering and Math. She puts the A in STEAM! Start your tour here in our latest newsletter.
January 27, 2017
Wind turbines, bouncy balls, University of Utah College of Engineering and STEAM! Click here to find out how these things fit together.
March 24, 2016
Welcome to Draper Elementary’s Art Night 2016. Enjoy the visual arts projects created by the students and their BTSALP specialist, Kylie Welling. Arts and academic integration at it’s finest. Click here to learn how visual art can support and enhance content area learning.