Writing and the Arts
2014 Catholic Educators’ Convention: Leading the Learning
Friday, October 10th, 2014
Session designed and facilitated by:
Laci Coppins, Milwaukee Art Museum Manager of School and Teacher
Programs; laci.coppins@mam.org
Julia Magnasco, First Stage Education Director; jmagnasco@firststage.org
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Definition of Arts Integration
The Kennedy Center’s Changing Education Through the Arts (CETA) Program defines arts integration
as:
Arts Integration is
an APPROACH to TEACHING
in which students construct and demonstrate
UNDERSTANDING
through an ART FORM.
Students engage in a
CREATIVE PROCESS which
CONNECTS an art form and another subject area
and meets EVOLVING OBJECTIVES in both.
Identifying connections is the first and most critical step in planning arts-integrated instruction.
A connection is created by identifying your specific ARTS FOCUS (e.g.: creative drama, creative movement,
rhythm, storytelling, collage art, etc.) and connecting to a specific:
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CURRICULUM AREA—a required subject
(e.g.: science, social studies, ELA, math, etc.)
OR…
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CONCERN/NEED—an issue educators consider important
(e.g.: second language learners, character education, anti-bullying, etc.)
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ELA Instructional Shifts and the Arts
ELA Instructional Shifts
Demands 50% Informational
Text
Artistic Connection
Use Informational Text in the Arts;
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Deep Reading of Text
Value Domain Language
Text is considered: original wording, written
wording; the process of becoming proficient in an
art form or artistic episode requires deep reading
and mastering of the text being studied and
explored;
The arts are rich in content language:
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Speaking and Listening
Emphasis on Academic
Language
Reading music; learning about historical and
cultural context of musical styles and dance styles;
Dramaturgy (character biographies, settings, time
periods and cultures where plays are set); scientific,
cultural and historical events shape the stories told;
Art history; the reading of pieces of art and what
they tell us about the materials used, the process in
which they were created by, the culture and time
period they were created;
The Creative Process;
The arts have their own specific language that
deepens their understanding and mastery of that art
form and can be shifted into other subjects for a
more meaningful, multidisciplinary understanding;
Theater: characterization, neutral standing balance,
projection, ensemble;
Music: allegro, tempo, modulation, mezzo-piano;
Dance: dance, balance, kinesthetic, pathways;
Visual Art: abstract, asymmetry, complementary
colors, focal point;
The core of Dramatic Arts is speaking and
listening;
The arts embody academic language in the Artistic
Process:
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Analyze
Apply
Character
Compare/contrast
Devise
Demonstrate
Genre
Illustrate
Foreshadow
Point of view
Narrator
Structure
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PICTURE, PICTURE ON THE WALL: THE STORY IN THE PAINTING
Developed by the First Stage Education Department
Materials: Thought Bubble
1. Share with students one of the paintings from the exhibit, OF HEAVEN AND EARTH: 500 YEARS OF
ITALIAN PAINTING FROM GLASGOW MUSEUMS, that clearly depicts a scene, such as The Anunciation
by Sandro Botticelli. Discuss with students the story depicted in this painting:
a. Who are the character; where are they; what are they doing; how are they feeling towards
the action going on; what happened the moment before; how do they interact with the
setting?
2. After making these inferences, bring the thought bubble out. Share with students that they will be
taking this knowledge of the story to speak from the perspective of Mary and the Angel.
a. Holding the thought bubble above Mary’s head, students will use “I feel…” and “I think…”
statements to share the thoughts the character Mary may be thinking at that specific
moment in the story depicted in the painting.
3. Next, place students into small groups of four or five. Each group will be given a different OF
HEAVEN AND EARTH picture illustrating a specific scene. In their group, they must first explore the
story of their picture, by answering the following:
a. Who are the characters in this picture, who is the main subject, and what are the characters’
relationships with one another?
b. What is the setting of this story, what is the main action occurring, and what happened the
moment before.
4. Once the groups have successfully deliberated over their painting, they must create a tableau, or
frozen picture, of their painting. In these pictures, the audience should be able to distinguish who
the main character is, the relationship between characters, and the main action based on each
actor’s physicality and facial expressions.
a. Portraits include:
Adoration of the Magi, by Master of the Glasgow Adoration (5 subjects – not including the
Baby Jesus)
Archangel Michael and the Rebel Angels, by Cavaliere d'Arpino (Giuseppe Cesari)
(5 subjects)
Justice and Peace Embracing, by Antonio Balestra (3 subjects)
Death of Julius Caesar, by Vincenzo Camuccini (9 subjects)
Overlooking a Canal, Venice, by Luigi da Rios (5 subjects)
b. Allow groups 3-4 minutes to create their tableau.
5. Once tableaux are ready to be presented, groups will share their pictures with the class.
a. As each is sharing, coach the audience through a discussion based on what they see depicted
in the picture, and what they can infer based on this picture. Use the Thought Bubble to
elicit inferences, encourage students to think from a character’s perspective, and develop
students’ empathy—using “I think…” and “I feel…” statements.
b. After each group has shared their tableau, share the painting with the class and read the
brief summary of the scene depicted in the painting. What inferences were correct, and
which may have been misread.
6. Finish by discussing with students: What did you realize or learn about these painting and/or this
artist by seeing the tableaux that you did not recognize when you first saw the paintings?
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WRITE AROUND
Developed by the Milwaukee Art Museum Education Department
Writing + Art Docent Guided Tour
Available September-March
This tour, inspired by the National Writing Project at Carroll University and grounded in the Six Traits
of Writing framework, introduces the Museum as a place of inspiration for writing. After receiving
their own Museum journals/sketchbooks, students look closely at works of art, using a variety of
writing skills, a developing descriptive word bank, and practicing “low stakes” writing. Listed below is
an example of one type of activity your students can experience as a participant on this tour.
Write Around
Select a work of art from the Milwaukee Art Museum. The piece can be a painting, sculpture, or
photograph. Works that depict an action or multiple people tend to work best for this activity.
Regardless, the work of art should draw you in.
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Work in small groups of 4 to 5 students.
Take 1 minute to examine the work in silence.
When signaled, students briefly free write, in narrative form, the action taking place.
When signaled, each student passes the journal to the right or clockwise.
Read what the previous student has recorded. Read the text in its entirety.
Add to the narrative about the work of art in your colleague's journal, after reading his/her
entry.
Repeat this four or five times (based on the number of students in the group), each time
reading the entries before adding to the writing.
Continue the rotation until each student has their own journal again.
Once the journal is returned to its original owner read all of the entries.
Write a final conclusion based on the previous narrative entries entered in the journal.
As a small group determine 1 story to share with the class.
Extension
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Remember every group used the same image to write a narrative. Discuss the differences
between each group’s completed narratives. Include the response to adding thoughts to
another’s writing.
Try the same activity; however, this time each group uses a different image in the same
genre or by the same artist.
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CHARACTER AND SETTING: IMAGERY IN WRITING
Developed by the First Stage Education Department
1. Share the painting of The Sulky Boy, 1875 by Antonio Mancini from OF HEAVEN AND EARTH with
students.
a. Ask students to describe the main character in this painting: Who is the main character?
How old is he? What do his clothes tell you about where he is? What does his expression
and body language tell you about how he is feeling? What do you think happened the
moment before this picture was captured?
i. Write student responses on the board.
b. Next, ask students to describe the setting of this painting: What are the objects in this
setting and what do they tell us about the space? What time of day is it? What do people do
in this setting, and what happened in this setting the moment before this picture was
captured?
i. Again, write student responses on the board.
2. Write the following sentence on the board: The boy walked into the room.
3. Ask the students to define ADJECTIVES, which describe a noun, and decide where they would put an
adjective in this sentence.
4. Have the students suggest three adjectives to be added to describe the boy and make this sentence
more interesting. This can be prompted by reviewing the lists generated on the board, and
reminding students to consider, “What kind of boy is this? What may have happened to the boy the
moment before?”
a. After you have listed three adjectives to describe the boy, have three students come up to
the front of the classroom. Give each student a different adjective to embody and instruct
them to walk across the front of the room one at a time embodying that adjective – or
character trait given to the boy.
5. Repeat this process by now adding ADJECTIVES to best describe the room. Elicit three adjectives to
be added to describe the room and make this sentence more interesting. This can be prompted by
reviewing the lists generated on the board, and reminding students to consider, “What kind of room
is this? What may have happened to the room the moment before?”
a. After you have listed three adjectives to describe the room, have three new students come
up to the front of the classroom. Give each students a different adjective describing the
room – they must walk across the front of the room one at a time reacting to the room
description and how that adjective may affect the way a character moves through a setting.
6. Next, move to adding ADVERBS, which describe the verb or action, to the sentence. This can be
prompted by asking students to consider “How did the boy walk?”
a. After you have listed three adverbs to describe the action of walking, have volunteer
students come up and walk across the “stage,” each embodying a different description of
“the walk.”
7. At this point, place students into small groups of 2 – 4 students per group, and provide each group
with a copy of The Sulky Boy. In these small groups, have them come up with one adjective to
describe the boy, one adjective to describe the room, and one adverb to describe the action.
a. Once the small groups have determined the best adjectives and adverbs to describe the
picture, they should begin rehearsing how they can embody these adjectives and adverbs
and bring this imagery to life. The Sentence Scene should include all members of the group,
either walking together and embodying these key details, or having each group member
walk one at a time embodying these key details – they may wish to conclude the scene by
having them sit in a chair, similar to in the painting. Adding the prop will reinforce students
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to consider how character traits, actions and environment impact how a character interacts
with their surroundings.
b. Allow groups 3 – 5 minutes to complete their task.
8. Bring the class back together and have each group present their Sentence Scene, one at a time.
Immediately afterwards, ask the audience to assume what the group’s sentence may be. Come up
with a few options before having the group share their completed sentence.
9. Conclude the activity with a reflective discussion of the purpose and importance of descriptive
words in our writing.
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PRINT OUT AND CUT OUT YOUR VERY OWN THOUGHT BUBBLE. PRINT ON CARD STOCK AND
ATTACH A WODDEN DOWEL.
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