Fifth graders visit the Met

WANTAGE — Carol Speck’s fifth- grade class at the Wantage School recently won a Target Field Trip Grant to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The Social Studies curriculum in fifth -grade is Ancient Civilizations and this museum houses many of the artifacts that the students see in their textbook, said Speck. Target launched the grants program in 2006 to help teachers bring learning to life for students and enhance classroom studies. The grant funded the $800 bus trip to the city and was the first trip to New York City for more than one third of the students and the first trip to the Metropolitan Museum for 90 percent for the students. The students were given a teacher-made guide booklet and separated into four small groups — each group beginning its tour at a different ancient culture. While the targeted cultures were Mesopotamia, Egyptian, Near Eastern and Far Eastern, the students were encouraged to visit the Roman and Greek sculpture, as well as the American Wing. Modern art, sculpture gardens that work with mathematical perspective, famous works by the masters, Da Vinci, Monet, Rodin, to name a few, sparked inspiration for a culminating activity. During this last phase of the learning, the students were asked to choose an artifact, research the history of the art, and put together a Power Point slide show for the class to share.