2009-2011 Pomaika'i Elementary School--Teaching Artist and Arts Integration

During the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 school year I was a resident teaching artist at Pomaika'i Elementary School.  I worked with each grade for an 8 week project.  Sometimes the projects were rooted in arts for arts sake, building the students' self expression and artistic abilities.  We would look at famous artists' art, and also explore the elements of art.  

Other projects connected with core subject material, meeting benchmarks in both Visual Arts and another other subject.  These images showcase works created in various grade levels which connect to the Waihe'e Wetlands, which the school studies.

Rae Takemoto, Arts Integration coordinator, and continual mentor tours the newly hung student work with me.  Like High Tech High, Pomaika'i Elementary makes exhibition of the students work—proof of learning—a major part of the school culture.  

These photos are from the school's end of the year exhibition for the entire community.

These pictures, by kindergarten and 1st graders gave the students an opportunity to explore painting techniques, color mixing, and to depict the habitat of the animals native to Waihe'e. 

Here 3rd graders stand by their underwater coral reef paintings.  

The 4th graders had the challenging project of creating a color wheel out of symbols that represented Waihe'e to them.  

Showing proof of learning includes displaying artifacts of the learning process.  These photos and early steps of the 4th grade project were put together by one of the classroom teachers. 

There were so many people I was continually learning from at Pomaika'i.