The SHARP Literacy Mission is Clear
SHARP Literacy energizes urban school children to become confident, capable readers, writers and researchers, using the visual arts to engage young minds and reinforce learning.
The Eight Building Blocks of SHARP
Teachers smile as the lights come on in the eyes of their students — as they all begin learning in nontraditional ways, interacting with the visual arts and art history as part of the daily curriculum.
The effective Eight Building Blocks of SHARP include:
Teacher Summer Workshops
Educators work to develop the latest updates to SHARP Workbooks and Guides, are introduced to new enrichment projects and publications, review lesson plans for the coming school year, and more.
Teachers gain a wealth of information from leaders in the fields of creative writing and reading instruction.
Teacher In-Service
Teachers divide into breakout sessions for each grade level and receive information relevant to the vocabulary and required curriculum for each of their grade levels.
Student Workbooks and Teacher Guides
At the beginning of each school year thousands of grade level specific workbooks are printed and distributed by SHARP Literacy, along with corresponding teacher guides.
All workbook pages meet with the Milwaukee Educational targets and conform to Wisconsin Model Academic Standards for required curriculum in:
- Language Arts
- Science
- Social Studies
- Auxiliary standards such as Information and Technology Literacy, and Art and Design Education.
In-School Presentations
Hundreds of presentations are then given at the SHARP schools. SHARP presenters meet with classes to show and discuss art slides. Oral practice and slides reinforce vocabulary words related to the curriculum and art appreciation.
Tours at the Milwaukee Art Museum
SHARP students take field trips to the art museum. Vocabulary words are reinforced as the youngsters discover the power of art to move and inspire.
Year-End Writing Challenge
Second-semester presentations explore a new selection of artwork and prepare students to complete creative writing pieces for an exciting “Year-End Writing Challenge.”
Family Achievement Recognition Events
Near the end of the school year, a rousing “Family Achievement Recognition Events” are held. SHARP students orally present their creative writing projects before classmates and proud family members.
The opportunity to see their work in print and hear the applause of a live audience does confidence-building wonders for these students.
|
