Articles Supporting Building Academic Communities Through the Arts
The articles in this section were selected for their specific relevance to using the arts to engage learners and build community. We bring you:
Articles ‘from the field’ written by experienced teachers, administrators, and Origins consultants Research supporting the approaches in our workshops and on-site school services
Please send us school stories if you think others could learn from your work with arts-integration. You do not need to submit a story in finished form; we have writers that can help develop your submission for publication.
Use the drop-down list to view articles by theme, or browse alphabetically by title.
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Academic Choice for All: Not Just for Some Kids, or Later On, or Certain Subjects
Renae Kiser
My focus this fall has been on implementing all the components of Academic Choice, especially representing, throughout my curriculum. My goals are 1) to have students engaged in at least one Academic Choice experience each day, optimally in each of the subject areas; and 2) to see students using time wisely and choosing challenging activities during their work time.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Winter 2003-2004 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Arts and Academics: Drawing Closer to Science Through Art
Ruth Currie
Six-year-old children can’t help but express themselves. They say what they think, whether it’s the topic everyone else is on or not. They paint great messes,...
What better prerequisite for the arts than such multi-faceted enthusiasm and energy? What an obvious starting point for journeys into academics! My own education in the arts was so weak and my talent so average that it has rarely been a way to look at and understand the world. I see this now as narrow, a narrowness encouraged by a marginalization and segregation of arts education.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Fall 2002 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Arts and Academics: You Can't Say "I Can't Draw"
Maggie Cords
At Building Academic Communities Through the Arts (BACTA) last summer, participants were advised to say, "I’m learning to draw," to empower both themselves and their students. Maggie Cords, a first-grade teacher in North St. Paul, MN, participated in BACTA last summer. She writes about her experience: The most powerful thing for me during the week was the emphasis on VISUAL LEARNING.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Fall 1999 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Arts Leverage Learning
Linda Crawford
Although we are rarely asked to explain why children should learn to read or do math, we are often called upon to defend time spent teaching them to draw or make music or dramatize. The simple and compelling reason why they need to learn and apply these art forms is that the arts provide a doorway into all learning.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Fall 2007 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Guiding Discovery in the Art Room
Sarah Pfahl
Modeling and exploring in an art room lead to greater expressiveness, community, better art, and a neater room.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Fall 2004 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Helping Children Find Ways for Healthy Emotional Expression through the Arts
Michelle Olson
I set out to work with some of our identified EB/BD students to explore the notion that art can provide a means towards healthy emotional expression.
During their scheduled time with me, the children spent time listening to music, trying yoga poses, drawing, and writing poetry. Our focus word was happiness as we explored the arts.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Spring 2004 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Poetry in Motion: First-graders learn English and a lot more by writing poems
Kris Hilgert
Because I wanted my first grade students to be exposed to the genre of poetry—hearing it read, reading it, seeing it written and writing it themselves—I decided to weave different types of poetry into my thematic curriculum units. My goal was to have two different types of child-created poetry in each child’s portfolio by the November conferences.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Spring 2004 VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
RESEARCH Connecting Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development
Origins
Links to research supporting the use of arts-integration to boost academic and social learning VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE
Thoughts from an Adult Learner in an Arts-integration Workshop
Articles ‘from the field’ written by experienced teachers, administrators, and Origins consultants 
