Visual Arts Matter in Elementary School Curriculum

Consistent inclusion of visual arts in elementary school curriculum positively benefits students’ learning; however, many teachers find it challenging to integrate visual arts into other content areas. For this capstone project, the researcher investigated local teachers’ perspectives regarding the impact and obstacles of inclusion of visual arts activities in the classroom, and their suggested approaches to integrating visual arts into the curriculum. Based on an analysis of the data and the relevant research literature, findings revealed that visual arts do, in fact, positively impact students’ behavior, engagement, creativity, and academic performance. These findings were used to formulate lesson plans that included visual arts with other subjects. Student surveys, engagement, and behavior showed that inclusion of visual arts enhanced students’ learning experiences