Literacy Development and the Visual Arts

The Integrated Curriculum

-Interdisciplinary curriculum can increase cognitive ability, student's literacy and math skills.
-There must be authentic connections between content areas.
How Does Art Support Literacy?
-Based on Vygotskian theories, many believe that image creation can lead to high order thinking.
Art creation is another form of semiotic relationship which can serve as a bridge from the non-
verbal to the verbal.
-Students who used words and images interchangeable were able to create higher level writings.
-ELLs can benefit from an arts integrated program since images are often more recognizable than
the written language. They can find alternative ways to express themselves and communicate.
The Framing Student Success study
-This study included 6 NYC elementary schools over a three year period. All the schools served
pollutions were there were large amounts of ELL students, students with special needs, and
economically disadvantaged students.
-Teachers made explicit connections between the art, literacy, and math so that learning would
best transfer between the content.
-Literacy development was done through emphasizing descriptive and academic language with
all the art projects. Students were required to write and reflect on their work.
-At the end of the three years the treatment group maintained an overall higher average than the
control group.
Hard and Soft Skills from using art to teach literacy
Data showed that hard skills were improved, such as...
-vocabulary acquisition
-improved syntax usage
-improved reading comprehension
Other soft skills were improved as well through the process such as
Some of these skills are...
-higher self-confidence
-increased lesson engagement
-reduced behavioral problems
Improving these soft skills can lead to overall higher school achievement since the remedy many
underlying issues.
Rocking your Writing Program Study
-This study focused on one classroom, where art, science, and language arts were integrated
together. The unit was called 'Rocks tell a Story', students had to turn their close observations of
rocks into watercolor paintings then write a riddle talking about their art and rock.
-Students were given lessons about the rocks from a museum and then they were given
magnifying glasses and paints. They met standards in art for watercolors, science for learning
about the different types of rocks, and ELA since they had to use academic and descriptive
language in their riddles.
-Here is a picture of the lesson plan and an example of a students work.

Art and Critical Literacy

-Art can also be used to foster critical literacy skills in students.
-The arts are very important for understanding culture, for both educators and students.
-Millman (2009) noted that for art to help cultivate critical literacy it must be part of an
integrated curriculum that allows for community participation. This would include museum trips
and collaboration between different content areas in the classroom.
-This would allow students to engage and react to the community and current political
environment, then and integrated classroom pedagogy can help students express themselves in
relation to the issues they observe.
Critical Literacy in a South Korean Classroom
-An EFL teacher used art to help his students engage with English texts. The students usually
found the required newspaper reading irrelevant and boring.
-He taught them about Nancy Chunn and her marking up the front pages of newspapers. The
students were then assigned to imitate her critical artwork on the pages of their required readings.
-In order for students to do they had to understand the text, think about it, and react. So students
with limited English skills were able to react critically through an artistic and linguistic means to
the newspaper.
Conclusion
Overall the research and evidence suggests that incorporating art into the curriculum can...
-improve interest and engagement
-Literacy skills and learning across content areas
-cognitive function
-self-esteem
-and create a more diverse learning environment.