Western Washington University Students

Integrating Art, Creative Writing, Music, and Theater in the Classroom by using the children's book
Tofu Ling Sets Sail

2010 Fall Quarter book for Dr. Green's Art Education Classes

Integration is an extraordinary method for instruction. It has the possibility to make learning more relevant and meaningful by showing the connections between all acquired information. Providing a context for content encourages cohesion and a deeper processing and internalization of information. Moreover, with an emphasis on the “basics” in education, integration is a methodology that provides time to teach the arts in ways that stimulate an interest in learning, foster creativity, encourage engagement and reduce the need for classroom management. Kids love to learn when you include art!

There are many ways to integrate information. Some suggested approaches are:

1. Themes: such as man’s inhumanity to man or human conflict. Example: Study the Civil War in conjunction with the paintings and sketches of artist Winslow Homer and the photographs of Mathew Brady.

2. Subject matter: such as skies and clouds. Example: After studying the scientific composition of clouds and classifying the types of cloud formations, learn how to paint skies using watercolor techniques such as washes and dry brush.

3. Processes: such as analysis, prediction, and synthesis. Analyze the historical period during 17th century France and then, examine examples of Impressionist art works to compare the artists’ representations of culture to the writings of historians.

4. Concepts: such as the use of symmetry. In mathematics, study how geometric shapes can be symmetrical and in science, how many natural forms such as butterflies and sea shells are symmetrical. Then, study how artists use the principle of design called balance which employs symmetry to create effective compositions.

Tofu Ling Sets Sail is a children's literature book that integrates, literature, art, music, and theater. To order your book: Tofu Ling Sets Sail click on the following link: