"The new imperative is creativity. We don't need our schools to inculcate the habits of menial labor; the new economy needs a workforce that is trained in creativity. And that fundamentally implies a new and unprecedented attention to the arts."

James Bau Graves, Cultural Democracy: The Arts Community and Public Purpose
From exploring the four forces of flight with paint to telling the story of a river through drama, this video showcases arts integration at Two Rivers. 

What is arts integration?
Arts integration goes beyond doing art projects on topics relating to the content being taught in class.

True arts integration means providing opportunities for students to construct and demonstrate understanding of curricular content by creating art.  In fact, students deepen their understanding by exploring concepts from different content areas through the arts.  

For example, when performing a dramatic scene related to history, students portray individuals who were integral to the historical event, creating a deeper connection and understanding of the time period.  This also offers opportunities to explore multiple perspectives. Students are better able to envision what life was like for the historical individuals, imagine the emotions they may have felt, and understand their motivations.  Students are also able to demonstrate core performance skills, such as characterization, vocalization, imagination, and collaboration.  
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True arts integration involves students translating and transforming information into rich, creative, artistic expressions that they will remember for a lifetime.

​Learn More
         
Learn about what students learn through arts integration, why arts integration is important, and more here.
Download the above slides in the Additional Resources section.

Additional Resources

How do you plan for integrating the arts?
Arts Integration: The Kennedy Center's Perspective from The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Using Arts Integration to Improve Common Core from Edutopia
The Qualities of Quality: Understanding Excellence in Arts Education from The Wallace Foundation
Beyond Engagement: Changing How Our Students Express Learning from Teaching Channel
Want to learn more about arts integration? Read the deep dive.

Do you have a question on arts integration or feedback to share about what's here? We'd love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@learnwithtworivers.org.