Art is Back in the Class! How to Bring Literacy and Art together in the

Classroom!

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Did you know? For thousands of years,

early societies passed on knowledge through dance,

movement, drama, music, and the visual arts!

Even today, tribal dances and sand-painting ceremonies, besides their dramatic symbolism, exist as reminders of generations past. 

Only in recent history, with formalized education employing letter and number symbols, has the use of the arts to pass on knowledge begun to disappear. 

Multiple IntelligencesEducators must employ strategies that

promote growth and development in our students and use methodologies that take into consideration various ways of learning.

Combining intelligences in a lesson means better learning overall! (not just one of the eight intelligences Gardner defines)

How do you make art beyond a motivator or a response to reading?

5 Basic Principles of Teaching Through the Arts1. TARGETED OUTCOMES MUST BE

CLEAR. THEY CANNOT CHANGE BECAUSE THE TEACHING OR ASSESSMENT IS NONTRADITIONAL.

2. ALL POSSIBLE ARTS (AND INTELLIGENCES) MUST BE INCLUDED, AS LONG AS THIS INCLUSION DOES NOT SEEM CONTRIVED

3. THE LEARNING MUST BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH THE ARTS, SUPPORTED BY TEACHING THROUGH THE ARTS

5 Basic Principles of Teaching Through the Arts5. ALL INTELLIGENCES SHOULD BE

FOSTERED WHILE STUDENTS CONTINUE TO USE READING, WRITING, AND MATH SKILLS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ARTS

6. THE ASSESSMENT MUST FIT THE MODE OF PRESENTATION

Putting it all together… It's not teaching everything at once, but

blending the unit of study to include areas of the arts. 

Not every intelligence or art can be included into a lesson, but the more there are the more effective the lesson!

Use your own judgment to decide whether the art you’ve chosen suits the class or not. (Don’t want to make things too complex for a class that has little art experience!)

Example Lesson: High School English

LORD OF THE FLIESBy

William Golding

Example: High School EnglishNovel: Lord of the Flies by William GoldingSummary: Boys are stranded on an island alone

with no adults. As the novel progresses, they become more primitive eventually destroying each other and the island showing the true nature of humanity.

Arts: Dramatic Arts, Visual Arts, Spatial Arts, and Music

Intelligences: Linguistic, Visual, Spatial, MusicalThroughout the novel, each of these are used in

conjunction to events that parallel each art/intelligence!

Example: High School English Assessments:

1. Dramatic Arts – Act out scenes from the novel (small groups, predetermined scenes)

2. Visual Arts – Drawing the setting and answering questions about it. (what kind of island is it?)

3. Spatial Arts – Make a map of the island and note places where important events take place. (progressive map of the island)

Example: High School English Assessments:

4. Music – Bringing in a replica “conch” the boys used both literally and symbolically during the novel. (Makes a distinct sound, may require audio recording)

Art is Back in the Class! How to Bring Literacy and Art together in the

Classroom! Works Cited

Witherell, N. L. . Educational Horizons v. 78 no. 4 (Summer 2000) p. 179-83 

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