Karie Lasson and Professor Donna Kay Beattie, Art Education

Art is secondary in many elementary schools. However, when integrated into the core curriculum, art has power to enhance children’s critical thinking and expressing skills. As stated at the Ann Arbor Street Fair, “Children who have no aesthetic education may not be able to write, not because they can’t spell, but because they have nothing to say.” This project explored a sound way for elementary generalists to integrate art into the curriculum to help children have meaningful aesthetic experiences with multicultural art and express those experiences through writing and art production.

I planned to develop a unit of four upper-elementary level lesson plans integrating the literature, art, and aesthetics of Thailand, Cambodia, Australia, and New Zealand. Just before I graduated, during Summer term 2004 I joined the Art Education study abroad group in visiting each country to study their cultures, aesthetics, and art. From my experiences and collected materials, I wrote lesson plans to inspire American children to have aesthetic experiences that they can express through indigenous writing and art styles of each country. Aesthetic experiences can be defined as positive emotional and academic responses that come from viewing, studying, and creating art. Writing about their aesthetic experiences helps children enjoy writing more because it leads them to see and encounter the world through more observant eyes.

I could not have been more pleased with the results of my research. As I traveled through each country experiencing first-hand the magnificence of the art and aesthetic of each culture I could not wait to share the wonder of these experiences with students. I wandered in awe around the grounds of ornately decorated Thai temples. I explored ruins of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat. I interviewed middle-school aged Aboriginal artists who instilled in me a better understanding of the beauty of Aboriginal Dreamtime paintings. I examined Maori artifacts displaying traditional Maori honor for their progenitors. After having my own meaningful aesthetic experiences with each of these cultures, I designed each unit of lesson plans to mimic my adventures. Each unit covers one country’s culture, art, literature, and aesthetic. The first day of each unit students are immersed in the culture through viewing PowerPoint presentations of pictures from that country and through participating in activities indigenous to that country. Day two students are introduced to the literature, art, and aesthetics of that culture. Day three students begin their own art production and writing in the styles indigenous to that culture. Day four students continue or complete their art and writing. Day five students set up their exhibition and celebrate a job well done.

Soon after returning home from my journeys I obtained a position as an Art and Music Specialist at Vineyard Elementary in Orem. With the opportunity to develop an art and music curriculum for grades four through sixth I integrated my lesson plans when applicable to the Utah State Core Curriculum. During my first month of teaching I taught Aboriginal art to fourth graders. The results were captivating. Students had meaningful aesthetic experiences as they became familiar with Aboriginal culture, art, and storytelling. They carefully planned and designed their paintings to achieve styles similar to the indigenous work of the Aboriginals but applicable to their own lives. Students willingly spent spare time in and out of class putting finishing touches on their Aboriginal Dreamtime stories. The format of this unit lead students to become educated and edified. Integrating art with the writing curriculum opened children’s minds to new possibilities of thinking and communicating. Studying and creating art taught children to brainstorm, visualize, express, communicate, and articulate their thoughts and emotions. Giving children these tools for writing helped them have meaningful experiences, become effective writers, and, thus, enjoy writing.