Victoria Cox teaches 4th-6th graders at Wisdom Ridge Academy, and has a deep love and appreciation for Maya Angelou. Not only do they both originally hail from St. Louis, but Cox says that she feels a deep connection with Angelou's acclaimed poetry and cites her work as a poet, author, and activist as being "a wonderful example of finding one's voice and using it."
\r\nDuring last week's enrichment activities, the class learned about Maya Angelou and the adversity that she faced during her lifetime, and did some Visual Thinking Strategies with photographs and art from the Civil Rights Era. Today, the class focused on Angelou's poem "Life Doesn't Frighten Me."
\r\nFirst, they watched a video of Angelou reciting her poem, which included illustrations by artist Jean Michel Basquiat. The students observed elements of the poem and analyzed the recurring structure of her three-line stanzas and worked to create their own original stanza using the same AAB rhyme and syllable patterns. The line "Life doesn't frighten me at all" remained unchanged, creating an example of "found poetry." After writing their new stanzas, the students had the opportunity to share their creations with the class and celebrate their unique voices.
\r\nThe students also analyzed Basquiat's illustrations by sharing what they see (observe), think (infer) and wonder (inquire) about them. Next, the students got to work on creating their own Basquiat-inspired abstract works of art while listening to jazz music from Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gilespie, two of Basquiat's favorite musicians he created art for. Using both oil and chalk pastels, the students started by laying down colors for their backgrounds. They then built on their creations using scaffolded, student-friendly approaches to create art that is inspired by the techniques and style of Basquiat himself.
\r\n"During Enrichment sessions at Wisdom Ridge, I consistently strive to create collaborative, cooperative, interdisciplinary STREAM lessons that engage through and with art," Cox said. "I find arts integration naturally differentiates and meets the needs of universal learners, and incorporates intent and choice. The kids tend to truly embrace these strategies and love the invitation to take risks in a safe space, and express themselves with their voice, writing, and art."
\r\nCox's background is in Arts Integration, and her formative years of teaching included extensive training in arts integration practices by teaching artists from the Kennedy Center and other nationally recognized groups such as Focus Five.
\r\nThe small class sizes at Wisdom Ridge include kids from different backgrounds, grade levels, ability levels, and interests. "They come to each class with a lot of curiosity and excitement about what their next project will be, and every single student is able to access what we do and find success," Cox said. "Many students thrive in this type of learning environment. We build confidence, make friends, and restore joy to learning."
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