Students are not the only learners at Rowland Hall. Every day, teachers are finding new ways to practice their craft and make education more impactful and resonant to the children in their classrooms. And this fall, in Tiya Karaus’s second-grade classroom, that meant starting small. As small as a bug.

The study of insects has been part of the second-grade curriculum for decades. The students learn about the anatomy, the biology, and the ecological impact of various bugs. This year, though, Tiya partnered with music teacher Susan Swidnicki to add a creative layer to the lessons.

“Working together allows us to try new methods and get feedback in real time,” Tiya said. “It makes it easier to put ideas into practice and refine and iterate on them through constant check-ins with each other.”

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Before starting, the pair came up with a number of ideas of how the unit could be structured and how to make the lessons as cross-curricular as possible through the addition of music, movement, creative writing, and more. “We were looking for ways to put more child-friendly creativity into the day,” Susan said. “We wanted to do something that would engage the children and add meaning for them.”

It started with the basics, as it has in years past. The students learned the biological and anatomical features of insects, worked bugs into their math problems, and read both fiction and non-fiction books on the subject. Then, on Fridays, a new layer was added: they took all of their knowledge and set it to music.

“We usually didn’t have a set plan in place; we wanted to let the kids lead and then help them build upon it,” Tiya said. “That feeling of creation at the moment allowed us and the students to find and learn unexpected things.”

During the Friday sessions, the students would explore their knowledge of insects by creating dances that turned them into honeybees, and by playing instruments that helped turn stories into songs.

The creative exploration of insects led to the students seeing things differently across the board.—Tiya Karaus, second-grade teacher

“The music tells us certain points in the story. It’s hard to forget when you are listening to the music,” said second grader Ember H. “It’s really hard at first but it gets easier and easier.”

The kids did more than expand their knowledge of insects. Allowing the children greater freedom to be self-directed required them to use and improve social and collaborative skills. Without a teacher as the central focus, the students had to regulate their own behaviors more closely. Listening and finding compromises became much more important.

“We got to do special things,” said William J. “We acted out The Very Clumsy Click Beetle and we all worked together to make the songs.”

The lessons learned on Friday went beyond the walls of the music room and into everyday classroom activities. “The creative exploration of insects led to the students seeing things differently across the board,” said Tiya. “They’re becoming more open to exploring new ideas and finding different ways to express themselves.”

Susan sees it as the children embracing their potential. “The child is a whole child. They are an artist and musician and a dancer and a creator and a reader and a mathematician and scientist, and they are all equally important,” she said. “By putting the academic and the creative together, they learn those different aspects shouldn’t be isolated and compartmentalized.”

The child is a whole child. They are an artist and musician and a dancer and a creator and a reader and a mathematician and scientist, and they are all equally important. By putting the academic and the creative together, they learn those different aspects shouldn’t be isolated and compartmentalized.—Susan Swidnicki, McCarthey Campus music teacher

The partnership between Tiya and Susan will continue for the rest of the year with an exploration of the Great Salt Lake and a study of native Utah animals. This continued collaboration is a great benefit for the students, and also a benefit for them as both work to improve their pedagogy, even as veteran teachers.

“I’ve brought that musicality back to my classroom,” said Tiya, and it can be used for more than just lessons. “Using rhythms and movement with the kids is so much more comfortable and effective than asking for their attention in more traditionally used ways.”

“I am constantly finding ways to integrate the academic curriculum into music classes,” added Susan. “Whether it’s incorporating a book into a lesson or bringing in other subject matter, there is always a way to find that bridge.”

Teachers at Rowland Hall are preparing students to go out into an ever-changing world. By being lifelong learners, and embracing collaboration, they are teaching not only through instruction but also by example. These are the lessons Tiya hopes her students will carry with them long after they have forgotten which bugs have zero wings and which have four.

“I want them to remember the importance of working together,” she said. “And I want them to look for ways to learn, in any way they can.”

Watch the second graders perform their original skit, “The Very Impatient Honey Bee”:

Academics