English Language Arts - Reading

 

• Students receiving arts and arts integrated literacy instruction outperform peers without such instruction on standardized reading assessments (Corbett, Wilson & Morse, 2002; Keehn, Harmon & Shoho, 2008; Catterall & Chapleau, et al., 1999; Ingram & Meath, 2007).

 

• Students receiving drama and drama integrated instruction improve their reading comprehension and fluency, and increase their understanding of complex plots and vocabulary (Keehn, Harmon & Shoho, 2008; Podlozny, 2000).

 

• Instruction in music and the visual arts is linked to increased phonological awareness and is linked with deeper, more active engagement in reading and increased reading fluency (Wandell et al., 2008; Wilhelm, 1995).  

 

 

English Language Arts - Writing

 

• Students receiving arts integrated English language arts instruction outperform other peers on standardized measures of persuasive and speculative writing (Walker et al., 2011).

 

• Drama instruction and role play activities aid students’ understanding of setting, character, and events, which is associated with enhanced use of detail, imagination, and persuasive use of argument in student writing (Cremin, et al., 2006; Wagner, 1986). 

 

• Students receiving drama-integrated foreign language arts instruction demonstrate greater gains in several measures of writing ability—including overall quality, genre, and cultural content—than peers receiving non-integrated instruction (Bournot-Trites et al, 2007). 

 

• Participation in media arts programming promotes digital literacy while at the same time building writing skills, a finding that holds true for all students, including those with special needs (Peppler, 2010).

 

 

English Language Arts - Speaking and Listening

 

• During arts and arts integrated lessons, students are more motivated to contribute to class discussions, develop communication skills, and learn to understand multiple perspectives (Holloway & LeCompte, 2001; Imms, Jeanneret & Stevens-Ballenger, 2011; Gervais, 2006; Lin, 2010).

 

• Music training is associated with improved verbal memory and retention of spoken words (Ho et al., 2003).

 

• Students who participate in arts programming take more positive risks and collaborate more with other students than those who do not participate in the arts (Burton, Horowitz & Abeles, 2000).

 

• Arts integrated instruction helps students with special needs communicate their understanding and express themselves in appropriate ways (Mason, Steedly & Thormann, 2008).

 

 

English Language Arts - Language

 

• Arts and arts integrated programming promotes English language arts proficiencies such as language development, vocabulary acquisition, grammar, and plot comprehension (Keehn, Harmon & Shoho, 2008; Podlozny, 2000; Betts, 2006). 

 

• Students participating in drama-integrated English language (ELA) instruction perform better on language assessments than peers receiving standard ELA instruction (Keehn, Harmon & Shoho, 2008; Podlozny, 2000; Walker et al., 2011).

 

English Language Arts - Skills and Competencies

 

• Arts and arts integrated programming helps students master many of the skills needed to excel in their ELA studies, such as critical and analytical thinking skills, understanding of others’ perspectives and cultures, focus, and persistence,(Bresler et al, 2000; Cremin et al., 2006; DeMoss & Morris, 2002; Heath, Soep & Roach, 1998; Morris, 2001; Corbett, Wilson & Morse, 2002; Belisario & Donovan, 2012; Bournot-Trites et al, 2007; Schiller, 2005).

 

• Students in arts integrated programming develop a sense of ownership and independence in their studies, gain the confidence needed to put ideas into action, and increase their ability to assess their own learning (DeMoss & Morris, 2002; Imms, Jeanneret & Stevens-Ballenger, 2011; Keehn, Harmon & Shoho, 2008; Lin, Y, 2010; Stevenson & Deasy, 2005). 

 

• Through multimedia arts programming students acquire digital and computer literacy skills, abilities that are essential for school, work, and life in the 21st century (Betts, 2006; Peppler, 2010).