First, I want to point out how great of a tool cross content connections can be for you as an art educator. We all know (because we do it every day) how rich the arts are and how they are already embedded with other subjects. Whether it is literacy, math, science, history, foreign language, or something else, many of the lessons we teach in art already connect to another subject. The problem is, we don't always help our students to make those connections and our fellow teachers and administrators don't always know it either. Taking the core standards that your students are learning in their regular classrooms and using them to inspire you as you plan your art lessons can create wonderful learning experiences in your classroom; not to mention advocate the importance of arts education. Advocating the importance of what you do, now more than ever, is so important! In fact, Laura Reichert shared a great idea that she does every year. She compiles an end of year report that lists all the cross content connections she taught in her art classes, exhibition opportunities that she provided her students, and other accomplishments she had during the school year. At the end of the year, she passes this on to her administrator to put on file so that if anybody ever approaches her school and asks, "why are the arts important?" there is already a response on file. Ok, I think I am going to step off of my soap box now and share more of the ideas discussed at our meeting!
Suzy Harris, Associate Curator of Education at the Birmingham Museum of Art, got the opportunity to spend a week at the Kennedy Center last spring. Staci Jacks, who serves as the Visual Arts Supervisor for Jefferson County Schools, also went. This has resulted in a partnership between the museum and Jefferson County. They have been working hard to bring a lot of what they learned back to us! They have planned workshops for teachers (from any school system). That begins with a Poetry focused event Thursday, January 10th, from 4:00-7:00 pm. When they surveyed administrators, the consensus was to focus on literacy. The January 10th visit will be led by Glenis Redmond and combines poetry and performance! There are two more workshops planned for Thursday, February 7th from 4:00-7:00 pm and Saturday, March 9th from 8:30-11:30 and 12:30-3:30. This year they are focusing on elementary with hopes of continuing this project next year with an emphasis on the secondary level. For more information or to enroll in one of the workshops visit their website at www.artsbma.org/teachers.
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| Glenis Redmond is an award-winning performance poet |
The Kennedy Center's Definition for Arts Integration:
"Arts Integration is an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both."
Mary Jane Coker, art teacher at Shades Cahaba Elementary, shared an art lesson she has taught to her elementary students. She spoke about wanting to focus on literacy. She approached the regular classroom teachers at her school and asked what they would like her to incorporate into her art lessons. Their response was adjectives and nouns! So, she placed word cubes at each table. The lesson was introduced by asking students to roll the word cubes like dice to come up with a noun and an adjective. Then, they had to draw a picture demonstrating the nouns and adjectives without actually adding any words to the image. For example,"Pretty, Yellow, Apple" or "Crazy, Ugly, Lion." She brought examples of the completed projects and they were wonderful!
Shelly Bailey, art teacher at McAdory Elementary, shared what she and her fellow resource teachers are doing at her school. They have created an excel document outlining all of the Alabama Course of Study Objectives in Reading and Math. They also refer to the standards for other subjects (science, social studies) online. Then, they use these as inspiration when planning their lessons in art, music, library, and P.E. Individually, they each create cross content connections in several lessons throughout the year. They also try and collaborate a few times throughout the school year to do a unit together at the same time. For example, Shelly shared how they did a collaborative unit on Japan. The regular classroom teachers, for a certain grade level, were focusing on Japan for their reading unit. Shelly did an art lesson on Japanese temples, the librarian read stories about Japanese culture and taught a little of the native language, the music teacher did a lesson on Japanese music, and I believe the coach focused on popular sports from Japan. As you see, this creates a more holistic learning experience for the students!
Casey Williamson, art teacher at Rudd Middle School, shared some ideas about how she addresses the growing needs of ESL learners in her art classroom. She shared graphic organizers, a sample SIOP lesson plan, and more. This was based on the workshop she taught at the recent AAEA fall conference in Orange Beach, AL. My favorite idea that she shared is called the "hot onion." What you do is write vocabulary words on pieces of paper. You crumble one up, then crumble another wrapping it around the first, and then keep repeating with the rest of the vocabulary words. What you end up with is a big ball. Students get together and toss the "hot onion" ball around. They "peel" off a vocabulary word and try to tell the definition. If they get it right, they can toss the ball to somebody else. This is a great way to assess your students. Having the word in front of them is much better than just saying it aloud and calling on somebody to answer. It helps not just your ESL learners, but everybody to see the word and it's spelling.
Lindsay Mouyal, art teacher at two elementary schools in Jefferson county (Adamsville and Brookville) shared some planning 
documents that she got from the SAIL conference she attended in Montgomery this summer that focused on arts integration. She also shared some lessons she has taught in her classroom that incorporated other contents. For example, she taught a lesson on outer space to her second graders and started the lesson out by asking them to share with her what they had already learned about outer space. They had previously read a story with their reading series titled, "Exploring Outer Space with an Astronaut." Then, she taught them the art technique of shading and they completed a drawing of the planets. They were so excited to share what they knew! She also shared an art resource request form she created and gave to the other teachers at her schools. It gives them an opportunity to request help with incorporating the arts into their lessons, team teaching, and more. She also received a grant to have the "Hooked on Art" program visit her schools. They will be coming this month and presenting a lesson that incorporates science concepts involving weather and tying it to artists who represent weather and the effects it has on surroundings in their art. If you would like to have them come visit your school, you can email Becky Guinn for more information at bwguinn.guinn@gmail.com.
documents that she got from the SAIL conference she attended in Montgomery this summer that focused on arts integration. She also shared some lessons she has taught in her classroom that incorporated other contents. For example, she taught a lesson on outer space to her second graders and started the lesson out by asking them to share with her what they had already learned about outer space. They had previously read a story with their reading series titled, "Exploring Outer Space with an Astronaut." Then, she taught them the art technique of shading and they completed a drawing of the planets. They were so excited to share what they knew! She also shared an art resource request form she created and gave to the other teachers at her schools. It gives them an opportunity to request help with incorporating the arts into their lessons, team teaching, and more. She also received a grant to have the "Hooked on Art" program visit her schools. They will be coming this month and presenting a lesson that incorporates science concepts involving weather and tying it to artists who represent weather and the effects it has on surroundings in their art. If you would like to have them come visit your school, you can email Becky Guinn for more information at bwguinn.guinn@gmail.com.
Kim Brodie, art teacher at Center Point Elementary, shared some fabulous arts integration lessons she has taught to her students. One example is called “Who Works Here?” and uses actual people working in her community as inspiration. Then students do self-portraits showing themselves as employees of somewhere in the community.
I have added document attachments of some of the resources that were shared. If you have problems opening them email me! If you want more information or have some arts integration ideas you would like to share with us please email me at artlindsay@yahoo.com or post a comment to this blog post!
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