Glued to a painted wooden board are an old earring, a feather, a book-shaped gift card holder, and a broken pencil in what looks like a simple collage. Looks can be deceiving.

Inspired by the artist Robert Rauschenberg, Orton-Gillingham practitioner Ann Bible designed a cross-curricular project for Carroll’s fifth graders that invites students to lean into uncertainty and trust their creative instincts. The project, supported by the Maureen McGuire Myers Endowment Fund, brings together language instruction and visual art in a collaborative exploration of art and storytelling.

Rauschenberg, an American painter and graphic artist of the 20th century, was known for breaking artistic rules. His works were characterized by unexpected combinations of everyday objects with traditional materials to create bold new forms of expression.

Rauschenberg was also dyslexic and described school as a “nightmare” before discovering his creative voice. His struggle paired with extraordinary achievement made his story particularly resonant for Carroll students.

“Rauschenberg dared to think differently,” Ann explains. “He asked questions like, ‘Why is paint more valuable than an old sock as an art material?’ That spirit of curiosity and playfulness felt like a perfect match for our students.”

The project comes to life during QuadUp (a flexible block dedicated to community learning in the 5th grade) in a series of four rotating sessions that combine vocabulary study, storytelling, and artmaking. In language sessions, educators Justine Hanretty and Valerie Nygren lead students in an exploration of words like captivating, peculiar, and random. In art sessions with Julie Siftar, they create Rauschenberg-inspired compositions using painted wooden boards and unexpected materials.

The project culminates in collaborative storytelling circles where students weave vocabulary into imaginative stories. Ann hopes the work will ultimately become a published children’s book featuring student art and writing.

Throughout the process, students discover something powerful: creativity often begins with uncertainty. “I didn’t know what I was going to do,” one student reflected about their artwork. “I started with straw, then added a shell, then it became a beach.”

For Ann, that moment captures the deeper purpose of the project. “If you just start with something, it leads you somewhere,” she says. “That’s the lesson I hope students take with them… even when the path isn’t clear, curiosity and perseverance will carry you forward.”

The Myers Fund provided the time, resources, and institutional support needed to bring the interdisciplinary project to life. And for the students who helped create it, the experience offers something lasting: the pride of seeing their ideas, voices, and creativity transformed into a work of art.
 

PROJECT SEQUENCE

Session 1: Discovery

Students learn about Robert Rauschenberg’s life and artistic approach. Language teachers introduce new vocabulary to deepen word knowledge.

Session 2: Creativity

Students begin their own Rauschenberg-inspired artwork. Using painted wooden boards as a base, they add found objects and materials to build layered visual art. View the Art Gallery here.

Session 3: Story Circles

Students collaborate to create imaginative oral stories using their new vocabulary words. Each student contributes a line, building a shared narrative.

Session 4: Reflections Students revisit their artwork, adding final elements inspired by the storytelling session. They also reflect on their creative process.

Read the full magazine here: Carroll Connection 2026-2027