Art and Literacy:“Bringing Words and Pictures Together”

By Megan Germ, Megan Roney, Brittany Meshberg, and Heather Schmitt

“Description is in effect word painting…” Rebecca McClanahan

Pictures can serve the function of telling or speaking

Words can serve the function of creating a picture

Picture Citation:

Vincent Van Gogh, Café Terrace at Night (1888)

Equal Languages

Story Time-What’s the Weatherhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtHFZYx-vvM

Reading/ Writing and Pictures as Two

Complementary Languages…

Right side of the brain: “holistic, intuitive, virtually untapped” (pg. 21)

Left Side of the brain: “logical, analytical, verbal thinking” (pg. 21)

Most classrooms today are still consumed by the left side of the brain activities

Pictures as a Universal Language…

Do not need any translation-different cultures can look at the same picture and still gather meaning

Helps to build classroom community

Brain-Based Learning

Theory that students need to be interested to be engaged

Engagement increases motivation, and therefore learning

Vocabulary Terms

Zone of Proximal Development: a range of skills that students have that allows them to do certain activities with guidance

Self Efficacy: belief in your own capabilities

Transmediation: creating meaning across various sign systems

Artist’s/Writer’s Workshop

4 Steps:1. Literature share/discussion: pick a piece of

quality literature to share which leads to discussion (i.e. picture book)

2. Modeling: shows the art or writing process

3. Work Session: independent practice to develop art or writing

4. Group Share: individuals share and display work with the class

ACTIVITY

Take Home Message

Using both art and literacy in the classroom is extremely effective!

When students can see themselves both as an artist and a writer they can “engage, analyze, and create” in their work