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Center Stage: Arts‐Based Read‐Alouds
Author(s) -
Cornett Claudia E.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the reading teacher
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.642
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1936-2714
pISSN - 0034-0561
DOI - 10.1598/rt.60.3.3
Subject(s) - the arts , drama , dance , arts in education , literacy , language arts , psychology , reading (process) , performing arts education , pedagogy , visual arts education , unit (ring theory) , mathematics education , visual arts , sociology , linguistics , art , philosophy
Arts‐based literacy instruction can qualitatively change teaching and learning. This article opens with vignettes of two classroom teachers who use music and drama as core strategies to introduce, develop, and follow‐up on a reading lesson during an integrated social studies unit. These examples introduce an expanded definition of literacy that includes use of language and the arts as equal communication partners. A case is presented for arts‐based literacy, and the author cites a significant research base that connects arts integration to academic, personal, and social gains. She goes on to explain the process of collaborative arts‐based literacy planning, showing how a team of teachers selects specific music, visual art, drama, and dance strategies to develop a book's “big ideas” or themes. Arts strategies are then used as processes to help students make meaning before, during, and after reading.