The Art of Integrating the Arts: An Examination of Integrating the Fine Arts into Reading and Writing Instruction

This inquiry was motivated by my student teaching experiences during which I integrated the arts into the curriculum on a daily basis. The following questions were explored: 1) What does art integration look like in a third grade classroom? 2) How can I incorporate the arts into the teaching of all curricular areas? 3) How can the arts be used to promote literacy in the classroom? I adopted a self-study model of inquity, supplemented by lesson plans, student work, video tapes of my lessons, and field notes. My self-study involved developing and teaching a series of lessons focused on art integration. Through my study I concluded that the most effective way to use art integration is through a co-equal cognitive integration approach whereby students actively engage in the arts to deepen their understanding of the curriculum