CMS Partnership
| School Tours/D.I.G.S. – The Mint Museum Auxiliary Partners with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools |
| D.I.G.S.: Deciphering & Investigating Great Societies In 1994-96 the Mint Museum of Art planned, piloted, evaluated and implemented a pioneering program in partnership with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Schools (CMS). D.I.G.S.: Deciphering & Investigating Great Societies successfully teaches about ancient Latin American history, geography, culture and art through our exceptional collections of pre-Columbian art. This Mint Museum Auxiliary funded program, serves about 9,000 students including all CMS fifth graders, D.I.G.S. integrates art education with the social studies curriculum, supporting state Standards of Performance in both subjects, and improving End-of-Grade test scores. The program engages students in creative thinking and problem solving through the Mint’s website and an interactive in-museum lesson, provides extensive resources and professional development for art and classroom teachers, fosters a long-term relationship with the local Latin American community and encourages more family involvement in children’s learning. Two years of planning and implementation were supported by Museum Leadership Initiative grants from the Institute of Museum Services, a Federal agency now part of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Statewide access was supported by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources and the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of North Carolina and the National Endowment for the Arts. There are several levels of meaning in the title D.I.G.S.: Deciphering & Investigating Great Societies. “Dig” is an archaeological term referring to an excavation site where archaeologists work like detectives, gathering information from ancient objects, deciphering clues, and developing and testing theories to explain their discoveries. Fifth grade classroom and art teachers participate in professional development workshops and receive teacher guides, slides and other resources from the Mint. Before visiting the Mint, students access an interactive Website (www.mintmuseum.org/digit) that uses text, audio, maps, animation and digitized images of pre-Columbian objects in the collection to reinforce classroom lessons on the Maya, the Aztecs, and the Inca. They “dig” into the real objects at the Mint in a 90-minute interactive exploration of archaeology and art history using treasure maps and clues and “puzzle pots.” Students receive a free family pass to return to the Mint and discover new “finds” through other hands-on activities in the pre-Columbian galleries and the Latin American Resource Center. Based on the success of D.I.G.S., a second online learning program called Crafting North Carolina was launched for fourth graders. Crafting (www.mintmuseum.org/craftingnc) is an interactive exploration of North Carolina’s history, geography and natural resources through crafts in the Mint’s collection. It was underwritten with major funding from First Union National Bank, with additional support from Alcoa Foundation, Cannon Foundation, Inc., Metropolitan Life Foundation and the North Carolina Arts Council. For additional information, contact: Joel Smeltzer, School Programs Coordinator Cheryl Palmer |
