Students of the ELD programs will be leading their peers on a guided tour through the pop-up museum: Art Walk, which will feature original works that represent each ELD student’s identity. The students will be showcasing their works on Nov. 9 from 3-6 P.M. in the Media Center and the courtyard of the new buildings.
The Art Walk is being arranged by ELD and Sheltered English teachers Ms. Lynn Alvarez, Ms. Vanessa Hadikusumah, Ms. Sally Chen and Ms. Jessica Shunkey.
Ms. Alvarez experimented with the project last year in her ELD classes. She was inspired to implement what she learned into her curriculum by a Social Justice and Education program at her graduate school, as well as by a Design Thinking workshop she attended with Ms. Hadikusumah. The programs introduced her to the idea of acquiring academic skills through activities that are related to aspects of the students’ identities. This year, the English development teachers decided to expand upon this idea and produce the project at a larger scale.
“The focus of the event is to help students transition from their home country to their new country in the U.S.,” Ms. Alvarez said. “I want them to not only feel included in the Temple City campus and community, but to also remember who they were when they came here.”
Each English development class will be contributing to a different part of the project. ELD 1 will be doing shadow portraits that correspond to the theme of “I believe.” The shadow portraits are meant to symbolize the outline of what the students believe in, which will help them realize their values. ELD 2 will be focusing on the theme of “I do” and conveying it through mixed media, since it will allow students to easily incorporate their action plans into their art. ELD 3 will be representing the theme of “I become” through scarecrows. The students will be working in pairs and finding common ground in the values that they have written about, in order to create a representation of who they hope to become. Sheltered English students will be using silhouettes of the students to illustrate the theme of “I dream.”
“As a teacher, my hope is the artistic medium and the experience of creating a product that is uniquely their own will engage students who may otherwise not be motivated to learn English,” Ms. Hadikusumah said. “I am really excited for my students to showcase their talents, as well as to reflect on how they see themselves in the future.”
The goal of the Art Walk is to provide ELD and Sheltered English students with a platform to showcase their public speaking skills by explaining how they interpreted their given theme and expressed it in their work.
The advisors hope that the Art Walk will allow students on campus to better understanding the identities and backgrounds of the students within ELD programs.
At the conclusion of the project, ELD students will know how they can contribute to the community by bringing their cultures and values to the table.
十二年级 Sheltered English 的学生 Queena Liu 说“我觉得这个项目可以帮助我们ELD的学生了解我们高中毕业后的计划 ，因为Ms. Chen 的班上的主题是 “我的梦想”, 所以会帮助我们更了解自己的想法和 未来的打算。”
“I believe that this project will help us ELD students think about our plans after high school,” Senior Sheltered English student Queena Liu said. “Because the topic assigned to Ms. Chen’s class is “I Dream,” it will help us gain a better understanding of our thoughts and ideas for the future.”
The facilitators of the event have applied for a $400 grant from Temple City Schools Foundation, so that they can purchase the required materials for their students. Currently, they are waiting to hear whether the grant has been approved or not.
TCHS School Newspaper