Author: A+ Schools of North Carolina
Welcome to "Capturing Creativity," a visual celebration of the creative and engaging work happening in A+ Schools. This collection of photographs and captions offers a glimpse into the vibrant classrooms, dynamic projects, and dedicated individuals who are practicing A+ philosophy every day. We hope you’ll find enjoyment and inspiration in these images and accompanying resources from across the A+ network.
Black Mountain Primary (Buncombe County)
Black Mountain Primary kindergarten students’ self-portraits focus on their teeth (or lack thereof)—could these be any cuter?! To learn how self-portraiture supports young students’ learning, visit Preschool of the Arts.
China Grove Elementary School (Rowan County)
China Grove Elementary first grade students used their study of maps to create a new playground for the school and draw maps of the new layout, a great example of spatial thinking. The lesson demonstrated first grade social studies standards (1.G.1 Apply geographic representations, tools, and terms to describe surroundings) in action. Learn more about the connection between map skills and spatial reasoning in this National Geographic article.
Clarkton School of Discovery (Bladen County)
Clarkton School of Discovery students learned block printing from visual artist Lingam James, through a residency funded by an Arts in Education grant from the North Carolina Arts Council.
Corey Academy of Fine Arts and Dual Language (Arlington, TX)
Fifth graders at Corey Academy of Fine Arts and Dual Language also created self-portraits along with name boards and vision-scapes in a project using vision boards. Incorporate vision-boarding activities to inspire your students!
Eugene Field A+ Elementary School (Sioux Falls, SD)
Students at Eugene Field A+ Elementary choreographed, rehearsed, and performed their own dances using a $15 budget. This lesson allowed them to use their math-smart, people-smart, and body-smart skills.
Audrey Garrett Elementary School (Alamance County)
Audrey Garrett Elementary students learned about the symbolism and importance of feathers in Native American cultures. Students in all grades created unique, artistic feathers to connect to nature using a lesson plan inspired by Native Hope.
Mineral Springs Elementary School (Forsyth County)
Mineral Springs Elementary students showed their understanding of fractions by analyzing the letters in their names. What better way to learn fractions than by making it fun and personal?
Reynolds High School (Forsyth County)
Reynolds High School celebrated their spring musical, “Mamma Mia,” with a colorful project integrating visual art and math concepts that may be used with a variety of ages and skill levels.
Scotts Elementary School (Iredell County)
Scotts Elementary students compared different versions of Cinderella stories using data retrieval charts and Venn diagrams to connect their math skills with their verbal-linguistic intelligence. The National Endowment for the Humanities offers a lesson plan, “‛Cinderella’ Folk Tales: Variations in Character,” for educators to similarly engage their students.
Z.E.C.A. School of Arts and Technology (Onslow County)
Eighth grade students at Z.E.C.A. School of Arts and Technology created designs for wood- and cardboard-sculpted letters that were inspired from a variety of natural and manmade sounds. Corresponding QR codes allow viewers to hear the sounds that inspired each piece. QR codes can be used in a variety of ways in all classrooms.