The Inspired Classroom

4 Steps to Creating an Arts Integrated Lesson

Elizabeth Peterson — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:23:35 +0000

The other day, while presenting to a group of teachers in Michigan via Skype, I was asked, “How can a teacher get started on creating an arts integrated lesson?” My presentation was on this topic, but there seemed to be a need for more of a step by step approach. So, for those of you who are just getting started or need a jolt to add more arts integration into your repertoire, here are the four steps I recommend.

Think about what lessons, projects or units of study you teach. (content vocabulary, science or social studies unit, literary devices, math concepts) What lessons are getting tired and need more life? What do you do well and want to make even better? What is something new that would lend itself well to the arts?
Brainstorm art forms that may work for this particular lesson. Look for the “elegant fit”. In other words, don’t force it. Sometimes an idea just comes to me, other times I have to think things through or bounce ideas off of someone else. Is there a song that can be composed? (Think lyrics, instruments, or sounds.) Is there a visual piece of art that could be created? (Think illustration, diagram, 3 dimensional figure, etc.) Could your students tell a story or act out a concept? Could your students move in a way that would deepen their understanding of what they are learning? (Consider movement in science or interpreting vocabulary.) Think about your own interests/talents and those of other teachers you can work with. If there is an art form with which you are more comfortable, start there. Otherwise you can experiment a little bit with another art form.
Check out the art’s standards. See what speaks to you in terms of what may work and fit with your lesson. The language of the standard may lead you in the right direction. Also check in with an arts teacher to see what your students are learning with them. If, for example your art teacher is teaching your students about shading, maybe your students could create a still life of something you are learning in science. If your music teacher is teaching your students how to play the xylophone, allow them to use that musical instrument to create an ostinato of a song to express their understanding of concepts. Remember to place both the content standard and the art standard at an equal level. When I create arts integrated lessons, the two standards are displayed side by side. Here is an example:
Go for it! Just do it. Implement the lesson and allow yourself (and your students) time for reflection on how things went. Make a few mistakes if you need to. It’s no biggy. It’s all part of the process.

Two real life examples:

Erosion Blues – This is a lesson I have already done. For a full explanation of it, please go to this post. Basically, my students learned the form of the blues and wrote original lyrics containing science vocabulary from our unit on land and water. Want to hear our recording? Go HERE!

Erosion Art – This is a lesson in the making. Again, I would be integrating with the concepts learned during our land and water unit, but the art form would be visual art instead of music. I recently learned about a British artist named Andy Goldsworthy who, “is interested in the ‘movement, light, growth and decay’ of nature. He exploits its vital impermanence: changes in season, weather and terrain.” (Source) I know there is an elegant fit here – a great lesson that needs to be created, a wonderful experience that my students should have. I am still in the research and standard finding stage with this one. I’m not sure if I want my students to study his work, create their own artwork or do both. There will be more to come with this one.

In my next post, I will discuss much more about arts standards and how to choose ones that will work for you. (Consider this part 1 of 2.) For many more articles on the topic of getting started (or staying the course), please click the “Getting Started w Arts Int” tag.

In the meantime, please share how your ideas on how to start creating your own arts integrated lesson.

~EMP

Reigniting Your Love of Teaching through Arts Integration

Elizabeth Peterson — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:40:33 +0000

I so very much believe in the power of the arts in education, but not just for the students who are learning. It’s also very much for the teachers who are teaching! I have seen first hand how arts integration has reignited teachers’ love of teaching, rekindled a flame that was starting to die. In recent years, I have been able to do one of my favorite things in education: provide professional development for teachers in arts integration.

Later today I am Skyping in with a group of teachers at the Concord Montessori and Community School in Mancelona, Michigan. (I am in Hampton, NH.) I am excited to present ideas to these teachers and lead a discussion on how to reintroduce arts integration into their school community. I have put together this outline of resources and links for them and thought it would be nice to share it with all The Inspired Classroom’s readers. So please, take advantage and if you are ever interested in having me speak to your school’s staff or small group of teachers in person or via Skype, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

Outline and Links – Reigniting Your Love of Teaching through Arts Integration

Part ONE – The Arts and Arts Integration

Arts and Curriculum (AS, ENRICHED by, INTEGRATED with)

WHAT IS TRUE ARTS INTEGRATION?

Arts Integration Isn’t…

An afterthought
A filler
Something nice

Arts Integration Is…

Making the arts part of your classroom culture.
Intertwining the intellect with creativity.
Creating a safe learning environment for students to collaborate and share.
Keeping to the integrity of the art form.
Arts’ Standards AND Content Standards taught simultaneously.

Part TWO – GETTING STARTED (or Starting Again) WITH ARTS INTEGRATION

Follow Your Interests and Passions

Creating community through the Arts – Building relationships
Effects of Quality Community Building
Creating a Safe Learning Environment

Feed Your Flame

Collaborate to Integrate
- Colleagues – Teacher Talents
- The Artist-Teacher Partnership
- PLN

Take a class (art or teaching), workshop, or course!
Feed What You Do

Don’t Be Afraid!

Face Your Fears of Arts Integration
Grasp the Opportunity
AI is authentic learning!
- Example – Erosion Blues
Be equipped with resources and advocacy.

Arts Integration

Getting Started and Staying the Course

Join our Arts Integration online PLC PLaiC
kick stART to arts integration
5 Keys to Teaching with Arts Integration
Check out our BOOK STORE for arts integration books and ebooks

If you have any questions or needs, please don’t hesitate to contact me!!!

~EMP

The Arts and Curriculum

Elizabeth Peterson — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:24:40 +0000

My journey learning about the arts and their valuable uses in my classroom and in our schools is ongoing. Just as with great learning in the classroom, this professional learning never ends. Instead, my understanding of things is deepened the more I read, discuss, write, and teach both children and adults.

Just yesterday, one of our readers and fellow integrated arts specialists, Dr. Rosiland Flynn, let me know about the Kennedy Center’s newly launched arts integration site. If you are new to arts integration or a veteran, this is a great site to have in your book marks. It contains so much great information not only in arts integration but also in arts education. It is the site I go to when researching arts stand ards to integrate with other content standards. The Kennedy Center also created the arts integration definition I refer to in my arts int courses, classes and workshops. You shouldn’t reinvent the wheel. It is all right here!

One thing that the foundation set out to clarify as they began their work is what arts integration really is. This is part of any good integration teacher’s or arts int school’s journey. We all must, as I have stated before, “rip off the band-aid” and realize what true arts integration is. In the past I have put it as, “The arts are not an afterthought or an add-on” or “Arts integration is not about singing to memorize the 50 States and Capitals.”

I always wait for teachers to give me the look when I mention an example that hits home to what they do in their classroom as I’m preaching what arts integration isn’t. And I’m quick to let them know that I do “those things” in my classroom too. “And it’s ok,” I state, “but it’s just not true arts integration.”

This topic was always addressed in an excusatory way. It was almost like we dismissed the idea that we may use the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Start to learn the alphabet. The feeling was more like, “Ok, we do it, but don’t tell anyone.” And then it was not really addressed again. That’s not quite what we’re going for here.

As I perused the Kennedy Center’s site, and read the background of how their definition came to be, I was please to see them describe how the arts are used in schools in this variety of ways. They did a wonderful job and I’d like to share it with you now. (And from now on I will share it with my colleagues this way.)

Arts AS Curriculum – This would be arts being taught for arts’ sake: arts education – education about the arts. This is not to be overlooked once teachers and/or schools dive into arts integration. It is crucial for a well-rounded education. For example, in music class, students learn about note values and use what they learn to create rhythms that are further used in compositions and in performance.

Arts INTEGRATED Curriculum – This occurs when teachers take the time to find an elegant fit between the content and an art form and then teach and assess standards in both. For example taking those same standards of learning note values in music composition and applying the understanding of fractions (and money) in math. Students can create rhythms, show fractional (and monetary) values and be assessed in both musical and mathematical understanding.

Arts ENHANCED Curriculum – An example of this would be when a teacher uses a rhythmic rap to help students learn their multiplication facts. I have some of these types of CDs in my classroom and they assist some students in drilling and learning the facts. The rhythms of the rap help them to memorize the patterns and I find some students reciting the rap under their breath when they need to recall information.

I’d like to emphasize here that this type of learning is NOT bad! The arts have been used like this for ages and there is a place for it in certain situations. The important thing to understand is that it’s not arts integration because little to nothing is being learned about the art form here. It is simply a vehicle to gain understanding.

With each lesson you create, you must consider what your focus is between the arts and the curriculum. If your goal is to truly integrate the arts, then, with a bit of work you will need to start finding those natural connections. Like any educator who works to integrate the arts, you will find that this work is not only worth it, but vital to deepening students’ understanding of content.

Over the next few weeks, I will be focusing on other things educators need to consider when integrating the arts into their curriculum. Please join me by commenting and adding your own thoughts and ideas!

~EMP

Teachers Working and Learning Together through Arts Integration

Elizabeth Peterson — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:36:38 +0000

I love working with other teachers, and I was so fortunate to do so for the past three weekends in my own district. 14 teachers in Amesbury, MA signed up for and took my Arts Integration course. It was yet another amazing experience where I was able to work with great teachers in grades Pre-K through 12!

Yes, the first point I want to make is that there were teachers spanning the entire breadth of public education. We were also wide spread including general ed and special ed, library, technology, music and guidance. Some may say we were a Motley Crue, but boy did it work!

I broke the course into three main sections:

1. Our first week end together we focused on ourselves as we worked through the creative process. I think this is the most important piece to great PD in the arts. If we are to go and use these valuable tools in our own teaching, we first need to experience it first hand. (Actually, that should be true for all PD!)

I think I really personalized this course. Maybe overpersonalized it. “It’s all about me!” Not really – but I sort of had to stretch myself in order to expect my students to take leaps into creativity and the arts.”

I just thoroughly enjoyed it. I feel as though I learned more about myself through this course and as a result that will help me in becoming a better teacher.” ~MEU

2. The second week end was focused on what true arts integration is and how to create arts integration lesson plans.

The best “take away” from this class is that it has allowed me to slow down and really think about my planning. I think it is important when thinking about Arts Integration that you look at it as a philosophy and overall feeling in your classroom in order to be successful at it.” ~MEU

I think what I will take away the most is that arts integration is different than just including an art project. By giving the integration process the time it deserves and connecting to the content area, both the arts and the content will be more meaningful. It gives me the foundation for valuing the arts.” ~PB

That you don’t have to be an artist to teach using arts integration. I don’t feel entirely comfortable in all art areas but I realize that there are some I can do now and others I can learn more about.” ~JM

3. Finally, we put some focus on advocacy and how to continue having this renewed feeling of purpose even after our time together has ended.

I absolutely loved this class. As you know I feel inspired and energized. It has helped me as a teacher to be able to articulate the learning process while integrating the arts into the curriculum.”

The best take away? Being with teachers at all the different grade levels who have the same goal. I’ll also always think about the “elegant fit” as I use it to direct me. My happy bubble will go on!!:) Thanks a bunch!!” ~MAC

The really powerful part about our experience is that our time together really hasn’t ended. Because we all work in the same district, we can continue to work together in various forms. Plans are already in the works!

The teachers in this course are all so very inspiring. I will, without a doubt, continue to collaborate with these amazing women. Not only do I feel more confident about integrating the Arts into the curriculum, but, I also feel less intimidated about asking for help. The resources that I have been exposed to just from the connections made these past three weeks are positively priceless.” ~MLK

I hope that these wonderful teachers will share some of their experiences with you in the coming weeks and months as they post as guest bloggers. It is, after all, through others’ experiences that we can find support and motivation to do the work we know is so important.

For me, teaching this course is always rejuvenating. I too need that time to rekindle my flame. I feed off of other teachers’ excitement and enthusiasm to teach and teach well.

I encourage you to find that someone in your district: that teacher or group that helps you to sustain a sense of purpose and drive in your teaching. We need that. Our kids need that.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

~EMP

To learn more about how the arts can be integrated into your teaching, or to learn about professional development opportunities available in your area, contact Elizabeth through the “Contact Us” tab at the top of this page.

5 Book Covers That Speak Volumes

Maria Rainier — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:30:46 +0000

As the saying goes, don’t judge a book by its cover. While this is no doubt sound advice for choosing literature and making friends, there is something to say for a well-constructed, intelligent book cover. Just as a novel’s sentence structure and diction can be analyzed for themes, motifs, and meaning, a book’s cover can reveal something about the story. There are some book covers so carefully crafted and tailored to their story that the book itself would be incomplete without it. Teachers can use this idea to create a fun and unique school project for kids of almost any age. Have students make a snap judgment about a book based off of the cover and write about that judgment. Next, have your students read the story and reevaluate their initial judgment. This is a wonderful exercise in literary and thematic evaluation. These five book covers are some of the most captivating and illuminating covers in literary history.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

As one of the most iconic novels of all time, The Great Gatsby can’t seem to be left off of any list concerning books. As the novel of the 1920s, Fitzgerald presents a story of wealth and beauty during the roaring twenties. The original cover art for the novel was done by Francis Cugat, a largely unknown artist commissioned to illustrate the cover while the novel was still in the making. The dark blue cover pictures a lit cityscape with large sad eyes looming over the scene. It is these sad eyes that make prolific appearances throughout the entire narrative.

All The Sad Young Literary Men by Keith Gessen

Centered on the lives of three friends enamored by literature and the written word, All the Sad Young Literary Men provides a modern depiction of dreams and aspirations of the young generation. Referencing F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story collection All the Sad Young Men, Gessen plays with the classic themes and storylines. Gessen depicts young men with reaching dreams of literary greatness. They are passionate and excited, but not young and naive with their expectations from life. The cover of this striking novel takes a very literal approach, depicting the shadow of a man literally holding up a book on his shoulders. The cover immediately asks readers to feel the burden of the book.

The Theory of Light and Matter by Andrew Porter

This collection of short stories is lesser known than some of the others on this list, but none-the-less important to the literary world. Presenting ten stories about American life, suburbia, and childhood, The Theory of Light and Matter is a striking debut collection for Andrew Porter. The cover of this collection speaks to the voice the author portrays throughout the narratives. With a quiet scene of clear blue skies and suburban rooftops, there is a delicate silence to the cover that speaks volumes about the content of the book.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Another literary classic, Brave New World explores the future of our society. As one of the most well known dystopian novels, Huxley creates commentary on the industrial revolution, politics, “the man”, and war. The original cover of this novel depicts a dark scene of a contorted and misarranged earth. Seemingly representing, the waves of change and disorder that have taken over our world, this dark cover communicates some of the central themes of the novel.

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

This novel presents a series of short stories that all interrelate in one way or another. Each story explores a different character, but throughout each story other characters crop up from time to time. The cover of this novel features various bodies in disarray. There’s no real order or sense to these bodies that are in the middle of different movements. This cover seems to communicate the fragmented narration that is present with the different voices throughout the stories. Each image on the page represents a different fragmented person and yet they are all together, overlapping. There’s a layering affect with the various poses and bodies on the cover that mimics the layered voices of the narrative.

Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where she writes about education, online colleges, online degrees etc. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

Click one of the tags from this post to find related posts.

Norman Rockwell and Black History

Elizabeth Peterson — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:56:36 +0000

A picture is worth 1,000 words and as far as I’m concerned, I could talk about the works of Norman Rockwell all day! I love his work: his ability to capture reality, innocence, truth, humor and the overall American spirit. This year, I’ve been reaching into my collection of Norman Rockwell prints (most in the form of old calendars) and showcasing a select few each month or season. He has a collection of paintings that fit with Thanksgiving, winter, and love (for Valentine’s Day) and even some for football and baseball season.

As I was looking through my pile of his works, I came across some interesting resources to turn to during Black History month which I would like to share with you today. There are only a handful of these, but they can spark some interesting conversation as they already have in my own classroom.

Here are links to what I have found:

Boy in a Dining Car, 1947

This is an innocent enough painting to display in your classroom. A young boy fidgets in his wallet to pay a bill as a waiter looks on with a smile. Drawing conclusions about what each character is doing and thinking is a fun activity to use in the classroom.

New Kids in the Neighborhood, 1967

A sign of the times, for sure and probably a brave statement from Norman Rockwell, these new kids are moving into the neighborhood and, well, it’s interesting to ponder what the white kids are thinking. A great lesson in point of view, acceptance and friendship lay in this image for today’s children.

The Problem We All Live With, 1964

This image is of Ruby Bridges as she walks to her first day of school at the William Franz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana. At the time it was a newly desegregated school. Ruby’s mother (and reluctantly, her father) decided to send her there. Depicted here is the 6-year-old girl – the first black student to walk into the school, being marched in and protected by federal marshals. In the background of the painting you can see result of only some of the bigotry that occurred in those moments. One can only imagine the other sights and sounds that surround this image. To hear the full story in Ruby Bridge’s own words, follow this link to her website. You will be moved by this story. (For an interesting and in-depth history and analysis of Rockwell and this painting, read this post.)

I guess I took a bit of a risk showing the painting of Ruby Bridges to my students. While some were fixated on the tomato splattered on the wall and ground, others noticed the “very bad word” on the wall. But I was glad I did show it to them. This led to some great discussion about ignorance, tolerance and bravery.

Southern Justice, (AKA Murder in Mississippi), 1965

Yes, this too is a Norman Rockwell. It’s interesting to note that when Rockwell was employed by the Saturday Evening Post (from 1916-1963), he was not allowed to depict blacks in a form other than in a subservient role. Rockwell eventually quit his job and took employment elsewhere so that he could have more artistic freedom to express the times. I did not, nor do I plan to use this particular painting with my fourth graders, however, it is a powerful image and may fit the age appropriateness of yours.

For more in depth analysis on these paintings, please see this post where an artist can speak far better than I on each painting. Another very interesting post I came across was one called “Contrasting Views on Norman Rockwell.” It is an interesting look at varying viewpoints on many of his paintings including the ones above.

Although I will not go into my own interpretations of each painting, I can tell you how I have started to use these illustrations in my classroom to elicit discussion around Civil Rights (which of course we started with last month for Martin Luther King Jr. Day) and black history.

Just yesterday I pulled out a couple of images and asked students, without explaining anything about the paintings to them yet, to simply and carefully observe, sharing statements of observation only. They then wrote down their observations on a white board in the classroom. From here, we will discuss further and start to draw conclusions about the images. My plan is to share my interpretations as well as give some history to each painting.

My students are already hooked on the images I have shared with them. It’s exciting to watch them try to understand more of our American history through the eyes of art. What a powerful medium to use. I encourage you to try this in your own classrooms and let me know how it goes.

~EMP

BIRTHDAY ALERT – It was Norman Rockwell’s birthday on February 3rd! To celebrate this great man, I have put my ebook, Integrating the Works of Norman Rockwell into Reading Instruction on SALE for this week only (ending February 10th). Go – Get your copy today!

There is so much you can do with a Norman Rockwell painting (or other well selected painting or photo) that directly relates to many reading skills. My ebook, Integrating the Works of Norman Rockwell into Reading Instruction explains more and gives activities to teach many of them including drawing conclusions, deciphering fact and opinion and making predictions.