Over the last few days I have shared Picturing America a few times with colleagues. It’s funny how resources float in and out of your mind. I don’t think I had thought about Picturing America for months. But, yesterday I asked a friend “do you ever using art to teach history?”
Today I have literacy on my brain and it got me thinking about all the resources out there for teaching literacy through art. There is a narrative behind every work of art. Every piece of art can become a story too.
Art is an engaging tool to teach reading and it can bridge the gap for students struggling with inference, summarizing, and many other reading strategies.
When you observe a work of art you are using many of the same skills and strategies you use as a reader. Instead of readers working to understand written language they are learning to understand visual language.
Here are some of my favorite resources for using art in a literacy classroom:
J. Paul Getty Museum: Telling Stories Lessons
Using Art to Teach Reading Comprehension Strategies by Jennifer Klein and Elizabeth Stuart
Teaching Literacy Through the Arts by Nan L. McDonlad and Douglas Fisher
Guggenheim Learning Through Art Curriculum
I would love to hear about other resources for using art across all content areas. Comment below or connect with me at @JCrossEdu.
Jill Cross 