In this teaching tip, we--a literacy professor and two K-12 teachers--encourage a rethinking of the baseline writing assessment by sharing our experiences with "The Paper Selfie," an activity that juxtaposes the arts and young people's personal writing. By centering students' identities, their hopes, beliefs, dreams, and realities,…

"What is Literature? A Critical Anthology" explores the most fundamental question in literary studies. 'What is literature?' is the name of a problem that emerges with the idea of literature in European modernity. This volume offers a cross-section of modern literary theory and reflects on the history of thinking about literature as a…

One of the most effective methods for teaching social studies events, concepts, and issues incorporates the fine arts into lesson plans. The fine arts, such as photography, architecture, paintings, tapestries, and sculptures reflect the core cultural values, political ideals, and religious beliefs of a civilization and offer excellent…

In this article, we explore whether or not arts-based research engages different ideas and processes--different nouns and verbs--when the art form is understood as design, craft, or "fine" art. We propose that the fine, craft, and design arts each provide opportunities for conducting research, that their identities are built upon mutual support…

It should come as no surprise that digital video technology is of particular interest to English language learners; students are drawn to its visual appeal and vibrant creative potential. The seven original case studies in this book demonstrate how video can be an effective and powerful tool to create fluid, fun, interactive, and collaborative…

While many people with disabilities are becoming and remaining employed, recent studies show that employment rates for people with disabilities continue to be substantially lower than rates for those without disabilities. In a subset of youth with disabilities, the National Longitudinal Transition Study found that 40 percent of these younger…

What are the benefits of a Fine Arts education? With the advent of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2000, extreme pressure has been put on schools to concentrate the majority of their efforts and resources on reading, math and science skills. Yet, NCLB also states that every child should be well-versed in the arts. Some research has shown that when…

This volume introduces an experimental method for teaching creative movement and choreography. The method requires both a framework of conceptual structure, and freedom to explore ideas and imaginative transformation of experience through movement and external form. An opening discussion of creativity explains how dance performance has been…

This framework is designed to help classroom teachers and other educators develop curriculum and instruction in the arts so that all students will meet or exceed the content standards in dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts. In chapter 1, the framework presents guiding principles for instruction in dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts.…

Discusses the use of fine arts as sources to enrich the study of history. Suggests that such works will serve as barometers of change, examples of cross-cultural influences, and political messages. Includes suggestions of works and artists from different historic periods. (DK)

This kit provides information on campaigning to increase the study of music in local schools and communities. The kit includes: (1) a "how-to" manual with worksheets, sample letters, and reproducible materials; (2) videotapes to help present your case to different audiences - "Let's Make Music" and "School Music and 'Reverse Economics'"; (3)…

This paper describes a model education program in art education. The goals of the program are to: (1) encourage higher levels of thinking; (2) increase knowledge of arts terminology, style, and concepts; and (3) develop the characteristics of creative thinking, in students from kindergarten through high school. The teaching focus requires the…

Maintains that artists seldom take an educated interest in any artistic discipline apart from their own. Suggests that students need to be allowed to confront each other with regard to the aesthetic quality of a work and suggests an interdisciplinary form like performance art could be a good starting point. (KM)

Elementary teachers can use music as the springboard for across-the-curriculum activities. The article presents strategies for introducing elementary students to music and integrating the arts into other subjects. It also explains how to select the right pieces and suggests various helpful products for integrating music into the curriculum. (SM)

This resource guide is designed to provide a starting place for planning and implementing programs in arts education. A short introductory section outlines the publication's purpose and describes sponsoring organizations. A section entitled "Program Planning for Arts Education" is divided into four subsections which provide a rationale…