Methods and Materials for Teaching Fine Arts in Elementary Schools
Choose a movie as the starting point for the country, region, or culture to be discussed during the arts integration unit.
Aladdin (Middle East)
Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Ratatouille (France)
Brave (Scotland)
Coco (Mexico)
Finding Nemo (Australia)
Frozen (Sweden or Norway)
Hercules (Greece)
Jungle Book (India)
Kung Fu Panda, Mulan (China)
The Lion King (Africa) choose a country or tribe
Madagascar (Madagascar)
The Little Mermaid (Caribbean) choose a country or island
Moana (Polynesian Island) choose a country or island
Pocahontas (Native American)
The Prince of Egypt (Egypt) polytheism, religion, Arab Spring
The Princess and the Frog (New Orleans)
Rango (American Southwest)
Rio (Brazil)
Choose what aspect of the culture from the region or country you would like to focus on. Examples include animals, holidays, celebrations, history, geography, sports, etc.
Brainstorm on ways to expand your topic to include each of the subject areas and fine arts areas. The grid below may be helpful in brainstorming.
Visual Art
Social Studies
Math
Language Arts
[Your Topic Goes Here] Drama/Theater
Music
Movement/Dance
Science
Create an arts integration unit to address your topic of study. Include at least three classroom subjects (language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies) and at least three fine arts (art, music, drama/theater, and movement/dance).
Write up your arts integration unit to span five days. It does not have to be a lesson plan. Explain what you will do on each day and weave the fine arts and classroom subjects together into a cohesive whole. Upload it to the Assignments in Canvas.
Present your project to your peers on the date and time we choose to present for the final exam. Your presentation may include a PowerPoint or a pdf for us to look at during your presentation. The presentation will take 5-7 minutes.
Note: This assignment will require you to do a little bit of research. Refer to previous arts integration units on art, music, drama/theater, and movement/dance for ideas. Do not be afraid to bring in outside resources. Literally, think outside the box for this assignment. Make it fun and interactive as well as education for you and your students. Remember: Arts Education is a Whole-Brained, Student-Centered, Active, Exploratory, and Creative Process. Focus on the process and not the product.