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Tracie Spinale

Learning Programs Manager
Smithsonian Institution
Middle School (13 to 15 years old), High School (16 to 18 years old), Post-Secondary
Teacher/Educator, Curriculum Coordinator, Parent, Museum Staff
Language Arts And English, Science, Social Studies, Arts, Special Education, Career and Tech Ed, Other : Museum Studies
Smithsonian Staff

Hi there! I am the Learning Programs Manager at the Office of the Under Secretary for Education (OUSE) where I focus on positive youth development programs.

Enjoy!

Tracie Spinale's collections

 

Access Series: Photo Quest in a Sculpture Garden

<p>Get out on a sunny day and enjoy an art sculpture garden with friends...Wander with a purpose. In this teen group quest, teams use close-up photo prompts to find artworks in a sculpture garden, and then use tablet devices to take team photos with the sculptures. This activity was originally used in the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. with the All Access Digital Arts Program as a photo scavenger hunt. Example PDFs of photo details are provided. To turn the photo hunt into a more formal learning experience, the answer section shows the entire sculpture with information and discussion prompts to elicit questions about teen identity and self-expression.</p> <p>With some prep work, this activity could be adapted to other sculpture gardens settings, or permanent collection galleries in a museum. Make sure to confirm the sculpture locations prior to your groups visit--Even heavy sculptures sometimes get relocated or go out for conservation and cleaning.</p> <p>Tags: decision-making, self-determination, student empowerment, disability, All Access Digital Arts Program, teens in museums, teens, teenagers, after school, out of school learning, informal learning, emotions, socio-emotional</p>
Tracie Spinale
34
 

Color Series - Blue

<p>This topical collection of the color blue is part of a color series and was originally used in a collage art activity (printed out; using paper, glue, and art materials) with a group of teens with cognitive disabilities during a summer camp program. I was inspired to create the series after a few of our students mentioned their passionate interest in specific colors, and how they thought in colors.</p> <p>Tags: color series, decision-making, self-determination, student empowerment, disability, All Access Digital Arts Program</p>
Tracie Spinale
30
 

Color Series - Purple

<p>This topical collection of the color purple is part of a color series and was originally used in a collage art activity (printed out; using paper, glue, and art materials) with a group of teens with cognitive disabilities during a summer camp program. I was inspired to create the series after a few of our students mentioned their passionate interest in specific colors, and how they thought in colors.</p> <p>Tags: color series, decision-making, self-determination, student empowerment, disability, All Access Digital Arts Program</p>
Tracie Spinale
30
 

Senses Series - Touch

<p>How do we experience the sense of touch? This collection explores the variety of human and animal touch experiences. From the characteristics of a variety of objects, to a video which examines the touch experience of tortoises and pandas... we all experience touch differently. Background information from the website Neuroscience for Kids provides touch experiments; an examination of pain and why it hurts, and the functionality of the body's largest organ—the skin. The collection concludes with a cross-cultural examination of touch from Tibetan monks' Buddhist perspective. How might their experience of touch differ from your own?<br /><br />Based on exhibition project work through <a href="http://scienceformonks.org/">Science for Monks</a> and <a href="http://scienceformonks.org/world-of-your-senses-web-tour/" target="_blank">The World of Your Senses</a> Exhibition (2010).<span class="apple-converted-space"></span></p>
Tracie Spinale
19
 

Senses Series - Smell

<p>How do we experience the sense of smell? This collection explores the variety of human and animal smell experiences. Videos examine ants that use smell to communicate, orchid bee perfumery, and the unique smell adaptation of the maned wolf. Background information from the website Neuroscience for Kids provides the structure and function of the nose, as well as olfaction experiments. The collection concludes with a cross-cultural examination of touch from a Tibetan monastic Buddhist perspective. How might their experience of smell differ from your own?<br /><br />Based on exhibition project work through <a href="http://scienceformonks.org/">Science for Monks</a> and <a href="http://scienceformonks.org/world-of-your-senses-web-tour/" target="_blank">The World of Your Senses</a> Exhibition (2010).</p>
Tracie Spinale
9
 

Senses Series - Taste

<p>How do we taste what we taste? This collection is about the kinds of tastes that the human tongue experiences. Background information from the website Neuroscience for Kids provides an overview of how the tongue and taste function. Included are experiments to try, as well as examples of the kinds of tastes: sweet, salty, sour, hot and bitter. The collection closes with a cross-cultural examination of tongue function and tastes from Tibetan monastics—who recognize thirty-six different tastes!<br /><br />Based on exhibition project work through <a href="http://scienceformonks.org/">Science for Monks</a> and <a href="http://scienceformonks.org/world-of-your-senses-web-tour/" target="_blank">The World of Your Senses</a> Exhibition (2010).</p>
Tracie Spinale
14