RI Storytellers Kick Off "Math Poetry Project" at Whiteknact Elementary School

On Friday February 15th Whiteknact Elementary School students were entertained with stories, songs, and poems by RI storytellers Anne-Marie Forer and Cindy Killavey, aka Tandem Tellers, to help kick off a Math Poetry Project, part of a RISCA grant awarded to the Whiteknact PTA. The storytellers focused on math concepts in their stories and the children enjoyed participating in a MATH song. Begining next week, students will be given poetry journals, and folk artist Cindy Killavey will work with each classroom to inspire students to write their math poems. The goal is to publish an all-school math poetry book to share with the students and their families.

The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts recently announced the award of a grant to the Emma G. Whiteknact PTA for a math poetry project. The grant will fund RISCA-roster Education and Folk artist Cindy Killavey to work with each classroom work to inspire students to write math poems for the all-school poetry book. The $595 RISCA grant complements a $3,000 Crayola Creatively Alive Children grant the school received for an upcoming Math Art exhibit, the spring publication of the Math in the World poetry book, and a Math Journey Around the World at the Arts Diversity Night at the end of the year. These activities are designed to inspire student enthusiasm for math as a multi-colored window to the world. Creative exercises will bring context to classroom math concepts and will fire both sides of the brain through math and poetry. The RISCA grant panel called Whiteknact's proposal "an original idea, combining math and poetry."

Artist Cindy Killavey is an award-winning storyteller who works with children through music, song, and the performance arts. This is the first RISCA grant for the Whiteknact PTA. Emma G. Whiteknact PTA Wins Grant for "Original" Math Poetry Project The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts recently announced the award of a grant to the Emma G. Whiteknact PTA for a math poetry project. The grant will fund RISCA-roster Education and Folk artist Cindy Killavey to work with each classroom work to inspire students to write math poems for the all-school poetry book. The $595 RISCA grant complements a $3,000 Crayola Creatively Alive Children grant the school received for an upcoming Math Art exhibit, the spring publication of the Math in the World poetry book, and a Math Journey Around the World at the Arts Diversity Night at the end of the year. These activities are designed to inspire student enthusiasm for math as a multi-colored window to the world. Creative exercises will bring context to classroom math concepts and will fire both sides of the brain through math and poetry. The RISCA grant panel called Whiteknact's proposal "an original idea, combining math and poetry."

Artist Cindy Killavey is an award-winning storyteller who works with children through music, song, and the performance arts. This is the first RISCA grant for the Whiteknact PTA.