Three tried and true activities for arts based literacy instruction

Recognizing that students benefit from having interdisciplinary (Beane, 1997) and, specifically, disciplinary literacy experiences has been a focus of recent professional literature (e.g. Shanahan & Shanahan, 2012). The increasing need to integrate the arts is also necessary when limited school budgets are limiting arts programs. Integrating the arts with literacy benefits students’ engagement, motivation, and achievement (Donahue & Stuart, 2010; Fiske, 1999). Integrating the arts can enhance the content that is taught and provide opportunities for students to express themselves in creative ways. Educators need to be discriminating in how they choose and use art activities to support discipline-appropriate ways of thinking and acting. Under the guidance of university lecturer Dr. Michelle A. Vanderburg, two pre-service teachers, Charlotte Logan and Birgit Sambell, have recently explored using arts-based literacy activities (creating recipes, visual dictation, and music writing prompts) in various year level practicum classrooms. In this presentation, the teachers will share their experiences and how these activities helped to develop their students’ reading and writing skills. Using graphic organizers, models, and step-by-step instructions, the presenters will explain how and why the activities could be used in various year level classrooms. Attendees will also be invited to participate in an arts-based activity.