Art and Literacy: Five Ways Educators can Support Literacy with Art
Like peanut butter and jelly or salt and pepper, art and literacy just go together, and here are five ways educators can support literacy with art in the early years.
Concordia University says educators can promote literacy in various ways in nearly every subject. For instance, to encourage reading, an article by the organization, Art of Education suggests these ways:
#1 – Assign projects connected or based on great books.
One teacher in the article said that more than 50 percent of her lessons from pre-school to the third grade relate to a book. She works in a district with lower literacy rates and believes the more she can do to promote the love of reading, the better.
#2 – Create a literacy-rich classroom.
Keep a basket of colorful, art-themed books in the classroom, rotate them periodically and allow early finishers to read on the carpet.
#3 – Promote “Read Across America Day” at your school.
Organize activities. Create banners. Make props of book characters and have them dress up as their favorite ones.
#4 – To incorporate theater into a classroom, the article “Reading through the Arts” suggests acting out book scenes.
For instance, either silently or out loud, have kids read a dramatic part of a story. Then, organize them into groups and have them act out what they read. One can have a narrator and actors, another where each student has a speaking role and another that just mimes a scene.
#5 – Encourage parents to start an at-home reading program with their kids.
All children benefit when parents get involved with their learning. For the kids who struggle more than the average, such as lower-income or bilingual students, a family reading routine could especially improve their reading skills.
One outreach program that’s doing big things in the country for Hispanic families, the second largest segment of society, is The Latino Family Literacy Project. The Project travels throughout the US guiding teachers in helping parents establish an at-home reading routine using colorful, art-themed, picture books. Teachers can attend a one-day, program training at a workshop near them or via an online webinar.