Reconnecting to Connect

Educator: Renée DiMeo - Art Teacher

Cultural Partner(s): Yanet Garcia - Yoga & Visual Art

School: Center Moriches Middle School, Grade 6-8 ENL Students

District: Center Moriches UFSD https://data.nysed.gov/profile.php?instid=800000037468

Summary

This partnership invited students to use yoga and visual art as a way to be empowered to control and regulate their own breathing and movement when faced with the changes and acclimation challenges of school and life. They were able to connect with themselves, the environment, and understand mindfulness as a strength.

Rationale

The project with PEACE and partnership with the school is unique in the sense that it can bring students together and create an art piece representing connection to their environment and opportunity to ground and come back to the self, introducing yoga and mindfulness as a way of self expression amidst their ever-changing environment.

What learning goals/standards did this meet?

Arts

Students explored self-expression and emotion through movement and visual artwork.

CCCR

EMOTIONAL responding to information through feelings (when difficult issues strike us at a

physical level and cause sensations such as anger, sadness, joy, or embarrassment). Using art and movement to allow them to express themselves through self-awareness.

SOCIAL connecting and responding to difficult topics and information through actions and behaviors.

CR-S

Welcoming and affirming environment - ESL students / Bilingual teaching

Inclusive curriculum and assessment

Ongoing professional learning

“Using this approach to education, all families are believed to have cultural capital,

or knowledge, abilities, and networks that can, and should, be leveraged in classrooms.”

- this piece of information alone helps students to understand this is an effort to include everyone and give them an opportunity to their roots (the grounding) and give them a voice.