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Integrating the Arts Across the Content Areas (Professional Books) by Lisa Donovan, Louise Pascale (2012) Perfect Paperback
Bring the arts back into the classroom with arts-based activities and strategies to use in language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies instruction. Developed in conjunction with Lesley University, this resource helps teachers to gain a better understanding of why and how to use the arts to reach and engage students. Developed to help motivate disengaged students, this professional resource provides activities, concrete examples, and stories from teachers already implementing art-based curriculum. The strategies are presented in categories that dramatic movement, storytelling, poetry, music/rhythm, and visual arts. This resource supports the Common Core State Standards. 232pp.
- GenresArtEducationNonfiction
Perfect Paperback
First published July 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 27, 2018
I read this for an Expressive Arts class, so this is my formal review of it. I realize that this book was not meant for EXA necessarily, but I firmly think that EXA principals should be included with any art making.
As most people with basic knowledge of public school systems’ structures know, the arts often take a backseat to other curriculum. For teachers desiring to implement more arts into their content, they are frequently met with administrators demanding research-based rational for how the activity will contribute to learning standards (Common Core) and how the activity is more meaningful than other practices that have already been used. Luckily, this book provides rational that not only can connect to Common Core standards, but also attempts to explain how arts activities support readiness for the 21st century.
Unfortunately, Common Core has been rejected and rebranded in several states and, as this book was published in 2004, the standards have undoubtedly changed; however, no text on curriculum is meant to be a complete “script” for a teacher, which means that teachers are accustomed to reading about practices and considering how to adapt them for their own classes. The “21st century skills” are also loosely-defined as “creativity, collaboration, and communication” (Donovan & Pascale, 2004, p. 16). Again, being published in 2004, perhaps 21st century skills were ideas that were not fully formed, but more research about the need for entrepreneurship, critical thinking, and group-based practices could have been included. A reader might wonder why these skills were “21st century” and why they are specifically needed for the current world more so than in the past.
This book is structured into an overall rational for arts integration, activities, and reflections. The activities fall into the categories of “poetry, music, storytelling, drama, visual art, and creative movement,” which provides a well-rounded introduction into some expressive arts categories (Donovan & Pascale, 2004, p. 6). One of the most interesting aspects of the activities was the way the arts could be connected to math, which is usually the subject that seems to include the least amount of creativity and multimodal work, especially by the high school level. In the poetry section, students were asked to write from the point of view of a number for a specific skill (Donovan & Pascale, 2004, p. 39).
Though expressive arts terms are not addressed and outlined for the reader (unfortunately), the rationale for the arts and activities align with expressive arts theory and practices. Donovan and Pascale (2004) tell readers in the beginning that “there are activities for you to experience for yourself the cognitive awakening that the arts can provide for your students,” which addresses that this creative process does not have an age or skill limit/requirement (p. 6); any person engaging in the practice can glean something from the experience. Moreover, the authors connect arts-based learning to cognition, explaining that these activities develop “divergent thinking skills” where students can become creators, meaning-makers, and empathizers (Donovan & Pascale, 2004, p. 6 & 15). Through this deepening of learning, students not only express more of themselves, but reveal more about the content of the subject (Donovan & Pascale, 2004, p. 15). It is clear that there are multiple ways to construct and demonstrate understanding (Donovan & Pascale, 2004, p. 16). Additionally, the activities utilize art as a way of knowing through the translation of information into new forms for the creators and the audience (Donovan & Pascale, 2004, p. 18). The authors also desire for these activities to be “culturally responsive,” which aligns with eco practices of connectivity (Donovan & Pascale, 2004, p. 19).
In terms of assessment, there are rubrics, but the rubric-based grading does not include the process involved in the art making. Granted, if the art was more of a category itself, it would be less low skill/high sensitivity, but students should get points for the time invested in the product more. Even if students do not fully master the skill/information, the active learning would be reflected. The included rubrics at least identify creative thought as a category in the product, but more could be included to help struggling learners.
As a teacher, I appreciated that a learner-centered classroom was emphasized with the teacher as a facilitator/learner and students driving their own projects, but there was not much encouragement from the authors or description of how it would look in a classroom (Donovan & Pascale, 2004, p. 26). With this lack of development, some teachers may feel too intimidated to try some of the activities. Also, with any new practice, it is important that teachers are enthusiastic and knowledgeable, but there is limited encouragement for them to complete the activities themselves. My students have really enjoyed seeing my EXA work before I assign a project.
Lastly, I noticed that many of the collaborators only have an M.Ed. or M.F.A. and there is little mention of arts training. Unfortunately, the stigma of M.Ed.s, especially, is that they are less reputable Master’s degrees and people from those programs have less knowledge of content. I would have appreciated more people collaborating who had Master’s (or even higher degrees) in their content areas or the arts.
As most people with basic knowledge of public school systems’ structures know, the arts often take a backseat to other curriculum. For teachers desiring to implement more arts into their content, they are frequently met with administrators demanding research-based rational for how the activity will contribute to learning standards (Common Core) and how the activity is more meaningful than other practices that have already been used. Luckily, this book provides rational that not only can connect to Common Core standards, but also attempts to explain how arts activities support readiness for the 21st century.
Unfortunately, Common Core has been rejected and rebranded in several states and, as this book was published in 2004, the standards have undoubtedly changed; however, no text on curriculum is meant to be a complete “script” for a teacher, which means that teachers are accustomed to reading about practices and considering how to adapt them for their own classes. The “21st century skills” are also loosely-defined as “creativity, collaboration, and communication” (Donovan & Pascale, 2004, p. 16). Again, being published in 2004, perhaps 21st century skills were ideas that were not fully formed, but more research about the need for entrepreneurship, critical thinking, and group-based practices could have been included. A reader might wonder why these skills were “21st century” and why they are specifically needed for the current world more so than in the past.
This book is structured into an overall rational for arts integration, activities, and reflections. The activities fall into the categories of “poetry, music, storytelling, drama, visual art, and creative movement,” which provides a well-rounded introduction into some expressive arts categories (Donovan & Pascale, 2004, p. 6). One of the most interesting aspects of the activities was the way the arts could be connected to math, which is usually the subject that seems to include the least amount of creativity and multimodal work, especially by the high school level. In the poetry section, students were asked to write from the point of view of a number for a specific skill (Donovan & Pascale, 2004, p. 39).
Though expressive arts terms are not addressed and outlined for the reader (unfortunately), the rationale for the arts and activities align with expressive arts theory and practices. Donovan and Pascale (2004) tell readers in the beginning that “there are activities for you to experience for yourself the cognitive awakening that the arts can provide for your students,” which addresses that this creative process does not have an age or skill limit/requirement (p. 6); any person engaging in the practice can glean something from the experience. Moreover, the authors connect arts-based learning to cognition, explaining that these activities develop “divergent thinking skills” where students can become creators, meaning-makers, and empathizers (Donovan & Pascale, 2004, p. 6 & 15). Through this deepening of learning, students not only express more of themselves, but reveal more about the content of the subject (Donovan & Pascale, 2004, p. 15). It is clear that there are multiple ways to construct and demonstrate understanding (Donovan & Pascale, 2004, p. 16). Additionally, the activities utilize art as a way of knowing through the translation of information into new forms for the creators and the audience (Donovan & Pascale, 2004, p. 18). The authors also desire for these activities to be “culturally responsive,” which aligns with eco practices of connectivity (Donovan & Pascale, 2004, p. 19).
In terms of assessment, there are rubrics, but the rubric-based grading does not include the process involved in the art making. Granted, if the art was more of a category itself, it would be less low skill/high sensitivity, but students should get points for the time invested in the product more. Even if students do not fully master the skill/information, the active learning would be reflected. The included rubrics at least identify creative thought as a category in the product, but more could be included to help struggling learners.
As a teacher, I appreciated that a learner-centered classroom was emphasized with the teacher as a facilitator/learner and students driving their own projects, but there was not much encouragement from the authors or description of how it would look in a classroom (Donovan & Pascale, 2004, p. 26). With this lack of development, some teachers may feel too intimidated to try some of the activities. Also, with any new practice, it is important that teachers are enthusiastic and knowledgeable, but there is limited encouragement for them to complete the activities themselves. My students have really enjoyed seeing my EXA work before I assign a project.
Lastly, I noticed that many of the collaborators only have an M.Ed. or M.F.A. and there is little mention of arts training. Unfortunately, the stigma of M.Ed.s, especially, is that they are less reputable Master’s degrees and people from those programs have less knowledge of content. I would have appreciated more people collaborating who had Master’s (or even higher degrees) in their content areas or the arts.
December 5, 2023
So many great ideas for integrating the arts through drama, visual art, dance, poetry, and music! My favorite part is that there are so many lesson plan ideas to go through! I own the physical copy of this one and will hold onto it to use in my future classroom.
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