ESL Strategies in the Fine Arts Classroom

Please review these resources and feel free to comment on their use in your classroom. If you have additional sites/resources that you have found useful, please share.



Everything ESL

Illinois State Standards- ESL
Integrated Art Lesson

Learning Online

Here are some resources on technology use for classroom and teachers professional development. Please share other ways you have found technology useful in your instructional practice.

Teacher testimonials of Technology use in classroom - Teacher stories of their technology use in the classroom.

Online Tutorials - Tutorials for the following available on this site- PowerPoint, Word, Inspiration, Dreamweaver, and Excel to name a few.

Teacher Tackle Box- Links to sites for arts areas.

Concert and Art Exhibit Preparation

We are coming upon a typically busy time of year. There are festivals, fine arts weeks, concerts, competitions.. a multitude of opportunities for our young people to take part in. Here are some helpful websites that provide hints and strategies to help prepare our young artists and musicians for these amazing artistic adventures. Thank you again for shaping our students’ educational paths through the arts.
Stage Fright Management
Concert Ettiquette
Gallery Ettiquette

Virtual Fieldtrip Sites to:
New York Philharmonic Kids Zone
Art Site Gallery

Arts Standards Based Instruction Ideas

There are some wonderful ideas for standards based instruction in the arts available online. A few out of state examples have slightly different standards listed than the Illinois Learning Standards for the arts. The examples however closely align with our pursuit of providing a comprehensive arts experience for our students. Enjoy and please share your ideas and comments about these resources.

New York State Research Article- This provides several lesson activities that closely align with the New York State art and music standards. These lesson ideas share the resource information and assessment choices to determine level of student understanding of the skills being explored.

Arts Edge- This site allows the visitor to find resources by grade level and content area.

Artsworks- Miscellaneous listing of lesson plan ideas for review.

The Wisconsin Academic Standards-
Dance

Music

Theater

Visual Arts

Gifted and Talented Resources for the Arts

The Rockford Public Schools District #205 through its current programming in the arts is able to meet the needs of many.  For students who exhibit skills and knowledge in the arts slightly beyond grade level, there are many opportunities to help build a program that meets the students’ needs.  The Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) program provides in-depth arts opportunities at two sites- Ellis Academy for the Arts and Auburn High School.  Click on the school site for additional information about the CAPA programs.


Suggestions to assist students in the arts include:
*Enrichment activities
*Arts classwork integrated into other content areas
*Cluster or flexible grouping
*Independent study (genre, composer/artist, and/or career studies)
*Mentoring
*Acceleration
*Differentiation of instruction


Many students will thrive in nurturing educational environments utilizing these strategies. Here are additional resources to investigate and consider for use with students.
10 Big Ideas in Visual Arts for GT
10 Big Ideas in the Arts for GT
10 Big Ideas in Various Content Areas for GT
Gifted and Talented Resource Guide - WSMA and WI DPI

Serving Students with Special Needs

Providing age and level appropriate educational experiences for all students is a goal that comes with some preparation. Understanding our students overall needs, the tools/resources that will best enhance their development, and ways we can best connect activities and these elements together are important to investigate.

Here are a few resources which may help in your instructional plans working with students with special needs. If you have additional resources to share, please post with this information. Thank you again for helping all students thrive in the arts.

Student with Special Needs Resources-

Art Lesson Ideas

General Special Education Information

Disability Awareness Guide- VSA publication

Very Special Arts- Wisconsin