The Portland Project

 

Riverton Elementary School, grade 3, 2015 - 2017

 

This diverse elementary school in Portland participated in a 3 year integrated arts program coordinated by Side X Side. Third graders explored a range of topics:

 

Year 1: 

Portland History, including King Philip's War, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and the age of the sailing ship.

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Year 2:

The Great Fire of 1866 and Wabanaki Stories

 

Year 3:

Bees! The physiology and life cycle of the honey bee; social life in the hive

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By the third year, classroom teachers were at home with the process and began initiating their own integrated arts units.

 

 

 

Mural materials: acrylic paint and permanent marker on birch ply panels

 

collaborators: Side x Side, Maine Historical Society

 

grant support: U.S. Department of Education AEMDD grant

 

photo credit: Side x Side