Data are storied, often with rich histories and powerful stories to tell, yet often presented in a format that belies these stories. The arts can help put the body back into seemingly disembodied data. Arts-based approaches can help students embrace the storied nature of data and leverage the power of stories to affect change. Rahul Bhargava et…

Just for a change, would it not be nice to hear talk about keeping and/or expanding full-time art specialists' presence in schools and maintaining strong art education programs at the college and university level? That conversation could result from the positive arguments we are providing in this article. The purpose of this article is to clarify…

The ecological realities of many communities are desperate but not determined. As teachers inevitably encounter these realities in their communities, they can respond by activating students' imaginations to conceive of better alternatives. Greene (1995) outlined how the imagination has the power to envision alternative realities and better…

In a recent article, Russell and Hutzel, two of the authors of this article, proposed a framework for teaching social and emotional learning (SEL) in art education through collaborative service-learning. As defined in that article, SEL is a "process through which children and adults develop the skills, attitudes, and values necessary to…

The author has been deeply committed to shaping an art curriculum that offers students a more meaningful and authentic experience. In addition, she has been interested in the notion of students as victims of their popular culture. She questioned the ways in which cultural sources might impact their aesthetic choices with regard to personal…

Making the visual arts program meaningful in public education can be a challenge when one considers how little instructional time is devoted to the visual arts. A challenge for art educators is to seek opportunities outside the classroom for real-life inquiry-based projects. This form of systematic inquiry done by teachers for themselves is called…

Uses Gerald Murphy's painting "Watch" to encourage students in grades 7-9 to recognize design elements and principles in everyday objects and discover how shapes from such objects were combined in overlapping arrangements in the painting. Provides student objectives, background information on the artist and the paining, instructional strategies,…

Uses a print of Bonheur's "Studies of a Fawn" to introduce students in grades 7-9 to the artist's working method and to examine the subject matter of the sketch from a contemporary point of view. Includes student learning objectives, background information on the artist, and instructional strategies. (GEA)

Presents a lesson plan which introduces students in grades 7-9 to Willem de Kooning and the qualities that make his oil painting "Marilyn Monroe," an example of abstract expressionist style. Includes background information on the artist and the painting as well as instructional strategies, studio activities, and evaluation procedures.…

Based on Jean-Francois Millet's 1869 painting, "The Knitting Lesson," this lesson's goal is to introduce students in grades seven through nine to genre (everyday life) painting the nineteenth century. The lesson is also designed to show that some aspects of genre may be timeless. (BSR)

Using William M. Harnett's 1884 oil painting "After the Hunt," this lesson introduces students in grades seven through nine to the style of realism popular in the late nineteenth century. The lesson is also designed to show how art reflects the values of the society in which it was created. (JDH)

Describes an adobe conservation project used with seventh- and eighth-grade students at the Zuni Pueblo (New Mexico). States that the project motivates students as they participate in experiential learning. Addresses the objectives in a traditional architecture curriculum and contends that the adobe conservation project demonstrates the place of…

Addresses the teaching of color symbolism and asserts that racism is embodied and perpetuated through conventional notions of black and white symbolism. Discusses a project with two eighth grade classes, focusing on the discussion of color symbolism in school and popular culture. Considers the importance of analyzing contemporary languages of…

In this paper, the author offers lesson plan ideas that are designed to guide teachers of art and science to encourage their students to see connections between art images and physics principles. The four works of art discussed are examples that can be linked visually and conceptually to physics properties in mathematics, space, energy, and light.…

Describes the use of role play as a means to teaching aesthetics. Discusses the benefits of role play, sources of inspiration for aesthetics activities, learning goals for students, and four steps to include in lesson plans using role play. Provides an example and includes guidelines for successful role play activities. (CMK)