Arts Integrated Lessons for Your Grade 7-12 Classroom

ARTrageous Online! supports core curriculum learning for 7-12th grade students by introducing students to passionate and accomplished "thought leaders" in our community. They are artists, scientists, authors, activists, mathematicians, engineers, teachers, and creatives who have ideas and experience worth  sharing. Vibrant video presentations, activities, and lesson plans support arts integration in English, Science, and Social Studies.
Our hope is that the passion of these leaders will inspire students and enhance their online learning experience.

Current ARTrageous Online Units

Bonnie Baxter: The Great Salt Lake

Microbiologist Bonnie Baxter teaches us about the WHOLE Great Salt Lake, starting from small and going large. Having studied the microbialite-strewn lakebed for decades, she describes two distinct food chains, brine shrimp and brine flies, that are tiny but essential players in the larger world arena.  Her ‘small lives matter’ message is a shout out for all of us to pay attention and nurture our regional oasis whose waters we depend upon.

Atem Aleu: The Lost Boys of Sudan

It is estimated that more than 30,000 Sudanese boys were orphaned or separated from their homes and families by the civil war that tore apart South Sudan between 1984 and 2005. Atem Aleu, from the Dinka tribe, was seven years old when his village was attacked. When Atem, out in the fields tending the cows with the other Dinka village boys heard the gunshots, they fled and began the one thousand mile walk, barefoot from Sudan to Ethiopia and finally to the Kenyan refugee camp in Kakuma.  The survivors of this tragic escape became known  as the ‘Lost Boys of Sudan.’

Rob Davies: Climate Crisis

Dr. Rob Davies’ is a physicist whose work focuses on global change, human vibrancy, and the science of systems. He has delivered hundreds of public lectures ― to policymakers, business leaders, civic organizations and faith communities ― and his “performance science” theatrical collaboration The Crossroads Project | Rising Tide, co-created with the Fry Street Quartet, has been performed across the U.S. and in three countries.  He has served as a scientific liaison for NASA; as a project scientist with Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory; and an officer and meteorologist in the United States Air Force.  Dr. Davies has served on the faculty of three universities, is a past Associate of the Utah Climate Center, and is currently Associate Professor of Professional Practice with Utah State University, where he holds a joint appointment in the Dep’t of Physics, USU’s Ecology Center, and the Caine College of the Arts.

Jorge Fierro: The Journey of An Entrepreneur 

Jorge Fierro was born in Chihuahua, Mexico to a family who valued education and wanted Jorge to become a success: either a lawyer or a doctor.  But Jorge soon realized that he would follow his own path. In this unit, Jorge tells his story of how he became one of Salt Lake’s most beloved entrepreneurs. His lessons are as informative as they are inspiring as he teaches us what true success really means: about finding your journey, being yourself, paying it forward and caring for family. ​

Lorin Hansen: Samba in Utah

Lorin Hansen is a passionate instructor, performer, and lifelong student of Brasilian Samba dance and percussion. She is a two-time international samba champion, and is currently the only American invited to teach Samba at the International Samba Congress. In this Unit, Lorin Hansen introduces us to the rich beauty, culture and history  of Afro-Brazilian Samba through drums and dance.  She shares stories of this earthbound tradition, weaving folklore and mythology together with Brazil’s contemporary street scene, Rio Carnival, and her own personal journey that brings it full circle and all the way home to Utah. ​

Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin: Finding Her Voice

Born in Baltimore, Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin has been delighting audiences as a singer since she was a young girl belting out songs to please her grandmother and lady friends.  In this unit, Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin talks about how her career as an artist took shape. She had always been told to ‘stay in your lane, and just entertain.’ Once she defined what success was to her, she began to cross lanes, overcome fear, and gracefully speak her mind. 

Marian Howe-Taylor: The Beloved Community Project

Marian Howe-Taylor grew up in Boston, and raised in a family that was active in the Black civil rights movement, starting in the early 1960’s. In the following three modules, students will learn how Marian uses storytelling, film, and poetry in her activism.  Her stories of black heroes round out our history books. With love and humor, she finds allies, and starts important conversations in her effort to build a “beloved community”– one that is civil, equitable, and harmonious.

Scott Hampton: Kite Making

​Utah kitemaker Scott Hampton shares his passion and skill for kite making– a true nexus of art, science and math. Raised as an “army brat” and moving from school to school, he recounts how he rose in the ranks from a checked out student doodling in class to becoming a visual arts teacher and kite maker, wowing festival crowds with his unique and colorful life-like figure kites. 

Noemi Hernandez-Balcazar: Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead

Noemi Hernandez-Balcazar grew up in Mexico City where she developed a lifelong love for art and celebrations, such as Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos. Now an artist and educator in Salt Lake City, she shares her insights into this iconic Mexican celebration. Her first-hand knowledge provides a pathway to appreciating art, food, folklore, music, history, and Mexican cultural values.

Pilar Pobil: Art, Culture and Identity

Spanish artist Pilar Pobil shares how her unique works of art reflect her life journey from her birth in Mallorca, Spain where she endured the Spanish Civil War, to Salt Lake City, where she married and raised her family. At 94 years old, Pilar continues to create art, write, and encourage others to follow their passions in life.

Zach Frankel: Utah's Waterways

Water conservationist Zach Frankel grew up paddling rivers. His love for water and nature evolved into his lifelong dedication to protecting the health of Utah rivers, lakes and streams. For 20+ years now, Frankel has been working to increase public awareness about water use, overconsumption and projects that dry up our lands; and encouraging all of use to get out into nature and enjoy the adventures our waterways offer.

Nalini Nadkarni: Treetop Canopy Science and Conservation 

Salt Lake biologist Nalini Nadkarni shares her personal journey of becoming a treetop canopy biologist. At a young age she faced a career crossroads. Her decision led her out of Paris and deep into the tropical rain forests. In this unit, Nalini reflects on how she makes big decisions, when to take the leap, and how she found her life's work, up in the treetops, the vantage point where she sees the world, big and small.

Have you used ARTrageous Online? Let us know what you think!

Please let us know how you are using our online units. Your responses will be used to improve our future ARTrageous units.

ARTrageous is funded in part by: