This practical resource emphasizes the special contribution that visual art, drama, music, and dance can make to student literacy and understanding of content-area reading assignments. Focusing on those areas where students tend to struggle, this book helps K-5 teachers provide an age-appropriate curriculum that is accessible to an increasingly…

This book presents ground-breaking research on the ways the Arts fosters motivation and engagement in both academic and non-academic domains. It reports on mixed method, international research that investigated how the Arts make a difference in the lives of young people. Drawing on the findings of a longitudinal quantitative study led by the…

Research documents that the arts boost learning, build confidence, and motivate students to participate in class. How do we keep the performing arts alive in this era of increased accountability and decreased funding? Rekha S. Rajan sets the stage for a creative and practical solution with detailed, concrete examples of how to integrate the…

Accessible and hands-on yet grounded in research, this book addresses the "whats," "whys," and "how-tos" of integrating literacy instruction and the arts in grades K-8. Even teachers without any arts background will gain the skills they need to bring music, drama, visual arts, and dance into their classrooms. Provided are a wealth of specific…

This book, which is geared toward K-6 classroom teachers with little or no experience in movement education, emphasizes the integration of movement with the academic subjects taught in the classroom. Movement experiences are presented through specific problems that children can solve by using their bodies in a variety of ways. The problems can be…

This book takes a detailed look at current knowledge as basis for assessment policy; describes arts education assessment currently being developed or implemented; and proposes policy directions. The book is organized in 7 chapters: (1) "What Standards and Assessment Can Do for Arts Education" brings together statements advocating standards and…

Appropriate for elementary methods courses in Arts and Language Arts, this book extends traditional language arts content by offering multiple communicative channels for expressing, representing, and responding to ideas. It equips teachers with ways to maximize children's creative potential and critical literacy through activities involving "the…

This collection of speeches focuses on arts advocacy from perspectives ranging from arts education to the role of government and business in the arts. The book contains an introduction by Milton Rhodes and includes eight speeches: (1) "To Answer the Hunger Within" (Thomas H. Kean); (2) "It is the Dark We Have to Fear" (Edward Albee); (3) "Making…

This book is written for teachers, caregivers, and family child care providers who are working with children from birth to five. It presents research on child development and on effective teaching practices to foster very young children's ability to become literate. The book also provides practical suggestions for implementing research-informed…