Rivera self-portrait, detail, Detroit Industry north wall. Click the image for more information.

When I saw the murals at the DIA, I became fascinated with Rivera and ended up reading a lot about his interesting, event-filled life. I think I was able to share some of my enthusiasm with my students. While we were at the DIA, the students said, "Mr. Robinson, we saw this on the slides you showed us!" They remembered the Rouge Plant, Henry Ford, and the tiny self-portrait of Rivera we had talked about in class, so I know they connected the project to their visit.

This project also helped me to see the value in detailed planning to create organization and a postive outcome. Next year I plan to outline the steps for students in hand outs and allow an extra day for the project.

This project will have a lasting influence on my teaching because it helped me to see the value in actively involving students in lessons. This is especially true for middle school students, who are more concrete and less theoretical in their approach to learning. They enjoy doing things with their hands, and this helps students to have more ownership of their work.