Integrating the Arts (w/ Peppy Zesty Teacherista)

Despite what some public schools have decided due to budget cuts, art is a powerful class that should be taken by all students while in school. When a teacher is struggling to teach the core subjects, it can be easy to move those a class like social studies to the bottom. Notice how I didn't even mention art, because that is a luxury that not all teachers have. 

Art allows kids to express themselves better than they could in say math or science. If we can get our kids to think creatively now, imagine what they can do as the years push into their adult years. 

This simple lesson will integrate vocabulary as well as the arts. I hope this inspires you or sparks another ideas that you could try in your classroom! 

Each week a new vocabulary words is presented on a poster. I showed the vocabulary post, read it in a sentence, and invited the kids to create their own sentences using the word. All week, we challenged each other to use the words in our daily language. 

The posters looked like this: 

Vocabulary Parade:

At the end of the year, I laid out all of the words that we have learned that year and told the kids to pick their favorite word. The kids were given a sentence strip, and a bunch of art supplies. The could be as creative as they wanted as they created a hat that symbolized their chosen word. This activity took some time. We worked on it when we had extra time for a little bit a day. 

We involved other grade levels by blocking out a part of our afternoon to have a vocabulary parade. The kids walked down the hallway wearing their hats, showcasing their knowledge and hard work.

This was a quick way to strengthen their knowledge of important vocabulary skills. Yes, even kindergarten was exposed to the same words so I firmly believe that all grade levels can use the posters provided. The kids had so much fun decorating their hats! 

To read more about the parade {CLICK HERE}

If you want to see more of these vocabulary posters {CLICK HERE}