Fourth Grade Students Interpret the Battle of Lake Erie

 
Ninety-six fourth grade students at Union City Elementary School worked since September, 2010 to create the pieces for the Erie Maritime Museum’s new exhibit of student art.  Their instructor, Megan Sabatini, developed a maritime-focused curriculum which explores the Battle of Lake Erie and the U. S. Brig Niagara through visual arts.
 
The interdisciplinary approach used in this curriculum taught art concepts such as perspective, proportion, color, and design, using math, science, language arts, and of course, history, to help students make creative statements.
 
Students with diverse learning styles were able to achieve a greater understanding of difficult historical themes through the artistic process, which allowed them to connect more fully with the meaning of historical events.  Their work and their reflections about the work are both purposeful and imaginative, and students have achieved a depth of knowledge about the Battle of Lake Erie and Niagara unusual for this grade level.
 
The student art work will be on display in the Museum Orientation Theater and area from April 12 through June 1, 2011.