Discusses five guiding principles (from scholars' work in semiotics) for helping teachers explore the arts and literacy instruction, intended as a framework for understanding representation of meaning, in whatever sign system or art form. Discusses why understanding semiotic systems is important to language arts instruction that represents meaning…

Challenges educators to consider the meaning-making potential of art. Explores how this was done in a middle school art classroom by examining the role of the teacher, students' enculturation in art, art as process, and reflection in art. Notes the risks involved when students sometimes create visual meanings that are racist, homophobic, or…