Lansing fifth-grade students took their learning beyond the classroom this recently with a visit to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City.

The field trip was part of a cross-curricular effort connecting fifth-grade visual arts instruction with concepts students are studying in social studies. During a docent-led tour of the museum’s Native American galleries, students had the opportunity to see artwork and cultural objects in person while learning more about the people, traditions, history, and communities connected to them.

The experience gave students a chance to build on conversations happening in both classrooms. In art, students are learning how artists communicate ideas about culture, identity, community, traditions, and history. At the museum, they were able to see those ideas represented through original works and objects rather than only through photographs or digital resources.

After the guided tour, students explored other areas of the museum in small groups through a scavenger hunt. Along the way, they worked together to locate pieces, study what they were seeing, answer questions, and make their own observations about works throughout the museum.

The day gave students opportunities to practice skills that cross subject areas, from careful observation and critical thinking to collaboration and making connections between art and its historical and cultural context.

For some students, the trip was also their first opportunity to visit a major art museum and experience original works of art in person.

Art teachers Aubrey Isbell and Libby Stevenson hope the experience helps students see that art and history are closely connected. Art can tell us about the people who created it, what was important to them, and how communities have recorded, shared, and preserved their stories over time.

The Nelson-Atkins visit provided fifth graders with a memorable way to bring those lessons together while experiencing learning outside the classroom.