Lessons For Teachers Integrating Visual And Performing Arts Into Kindergarten English Language Arts Common Core Standards

The purpose of this project was to create kindergarten curriculum that integrates art-based language arts instruction that is focused on the Common Core and Visual and Performing Arts Standards. The curriculum includes twelve 15- 20-minute lessons. Each lesson addresses one of the four main areas of visual and performing arts; music, visual art, dance, or theater. Each lesson contains an objective, standards, assessment, instructional steps and the teaching resources for implementation. The literature reviewed for this curriculum project included three main areas: how visual and performing arts can increase learning, strategies for integrating the arts, and strategies to support teacher to use arts in curriculum and instruction. The literature was reviewed with the intention to identify best practices for integrating arts into kindergarten language arts curriculum. Each strategy identified was strategically used in one or more of the lessons. And the best practice list was used as a tool to evaluate the curriculum before completion. The curriculum provides educators a tool to integrate the arts as well as a model of how educators can integrate the arts for their students. It is crucial for educators to integrate visual and performing arts for students??? academic success and holistic development. Although this curriculum is complete, it is a supplement, and adaption is key to meet each student???s needs.School of Educatio