A recent collaboration between Union Ridge Elementary School’s first grade classes and View Ridge Middle School’s art students brought imagination to life through an interdisciplinary, cross-grade project celebrating creativity, curriculum, and community.
The project was inspired by the district’s new English Language Arts curriculum, Wit and Wisdom, which encourages students to explore rich content through inquiry-based learning. For first graders, the second module poses the question, “What are the unique features of animals?” followed by a third module that explores the “Powerful force of wind.”
Michelle Hankins, art teacher at View Ridge Middle School, first came up with the idea for a collaborative art project that could tie into these ELA themes. She reached out to Union Ridge first grade teacher Shandel Oderman, and together, they developed a plan that would blend the creative work of students from both schools.
“First graders were asked, ‘If you could create a creature, what features would it have to embody or personify the wind?’” Oderman explained. “The responses were amazing–creative, thoughtful, and completely unique.”
Students created original drawings of their imagined wind creatures, complete with names and descriptions of their features. These designs were then passed along to Hankins and her middle school art class, where the 7th and 8th grade students each selected one creature to bring to life using clay, kicking off their unit on sculpture.
“We originally intended to keep the sculptures small,” Hankins said with a laugh, “but the students were so inspired by the designs that the creatures ended up being much larger than planned. It was really meaningful for them to create something based on another student’s imagination.”
The final phase of the project saw the middle school students board a bus to hand-deliver their creations to Union Ridge. Transportation costs for this trip were generously funded by The Ridge PTO. The first graders excitedly unwrapped the clay versions of the creatures they had imagined and proudly showed them off to one another. Afterward, the 8th graders spent time reading with their younger peers, building connections beyond the classroom.
“This was such a powerful experience,” Oderman said. “Our students were thrilled to see their ideas come to life, and they were beaming with pride. To witness that level of joy and connection between the older and younger students was incredibly rewarding.”
Hankins echoed the sentiment: “It’s not every day that middle schoolers get to be part of something that feels so purposeful and heartwarming. Seeing their artwork light up the faces of the first graders–there’s just nothing like it.”
Thanks to creative teaching, inspired students, and a little help from The Ridge PTO, this project was a shining example of what happens when schools connect learning across grade levels and let imagination take flight.