Unit: The Secret Word of Pollination, 2nd grade.
A 10 session project, part of the Teaching Artist Program (TAP) with Montalvo Arts Center. 4 classes at Rosemary Elementary School in Campbell.
Arts integration into Science. Session 1: How does a plant begin?

Session 2: How does a Plant Begin?
Seeds contains the beginning of a new plant. In the same conditions, not all seeds sprout at the same time, at the same pace.

How do we become researchers and share our learning?
Scientists use models to explain an idea

Do baby plants have the same characteristics when they begin?
Do seeds need sun and warmth to germinate?
Can they germinate without soil?

Scientific drawing:
The more you look, the more you see. Look closely and look again, focus, pay attention to details. Trust your eye. Accuracy is important.
Know the parts, label your drawing.

I brought to the class buckeye seeds that I found while hiking, sprouted lentils, sprouted black beans, sprouted fava beans.

I use the Studio Habits of Mind and for this session we focussed on “Observe”:
Learning to attend to visual contexts more closely than ordinary “looking” requires, and thereby to see things that otherwise might not be seen.

I started the session by introducing the project. Presenting my last installation at the Tech Museum and show the connection between art and science in my work. The installation was created with bio ink, created from a bacteria grown at the museum. I worked in close relation with scientists. I also showed the students my mom’s observational drawings from when she was studying botany at the University in Marseille, France. She became a biology teacher, always passionate about nature, with an eye to pay attention to details.