The exceptional artworks created by the Small Group Investigations (SGI) students at the Van Holten Primary School were exhibited on Friday, June 5.
Kathy Bonjione, who is the Intervention Specialist at Van Holten, coordinated this exhibit in the school’s multi-purpose room, which served as an art gallery.
The dedicated Ms. Bonjione explained the theme for the artworks for each of the grades..
“In the 4th Grade, SGI students picked a topic that they are passionate about. In the first part of the school year, they learned about the Research Cycle and how to develop questions and a plan for researching. They enjoyed researching and learning about some very interesting topics.”
“Students in 3rd Grade e SGI become environmentalists. They spent the year researching the impact of plastic pollution on the environment. Students learned how we can reduce the amount of plastic we use to help clean up our environment.”
She continued to explain the 3rd Grade projects.
“They researched which plastics are recyclable and learned about the little numbers in a recycling symbol. Ask an SGI student about microplastics, and you will be surprised to learn a few things. The SGI Students were especially interested in how they can build awareness and help motivate people to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Their final project was to build a creation from recyclable materials.”
“Students in 2nd Grade SGI became conservationists. They researched endangered animals of New Jersey and learned about what they would need in order to survive in a Conservation Center. Each student researched why their animal is endangered and what can be done to help them. Students built their animal's habitat, and together we built the "Van Holten Conservation Center.”
“Students in 1st Grade SGI had the challenge of creating a fun playground. They researched different playgrounds and surveyed their classmates to see which playground equipment they most wanted on a playground. The student then built the four most popular pieces of equipment and added some fun extras. They wrote about what makes their playground fun and the rules of their playground.”
“Kindergarten SGI students completed a unit of study on Towers. They began the year building towers with different types of materials. The students experimented with shapes and heights of towers and learned the importance of a strong base. Students performed tests to determine if their tower could withstand strong winds, an earthquake or the "smash test" where they used a toy car to smash into their tower. They completed several challenges throughout the year to duplicate famous towers using simple supplies such as straws and tape. They even built water towers that could actually hold water!”
Well done, our fine artists!