Integrating Visual and Performing Arts into Social Studies
The relationship of the arts to cultural history present a perfect opportunity to teach social studies and multicultural themes. The the historical and cultural values of a particular time and place in history are reflected through artistic expression. The needs of current society dictate educational goals, objectives, and standards. Now that we have high academic performance standards that we expect all students to achieve in all subject matter, the arts often fall to the wayside. Although it would be wonderful to dedicate time to the arts as we have in past eras, the reality is that we often have to slip the arts in through the back door! One way to make sure our students still receive instruction in the arts is to integrate the arts into other parts of the core curriculum. This may not be ideal for those of us who view arts as central to life. But, the reality of classroom with its emphasis on test preparation and limited amount of time for teaching anything but the basics - or what is being tested - presents a real challenge for the elementary teacher!
Student Examples of 4th Grade Social Studies Artwork on Missions and Indian Villages
California Subject Matter Content Standards for Elementary Students - http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci
A useful website for quick standards search is at: http://www.history.ctaponline.org/center/index.cfm?main=tools/standards.cfm-and-subj=2.
Themes by Grade Level: California Frameworks
Kindergarten through Grade Five: Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills
· Kindergarten: Learning and Working Now and Long Ago
· Grade One: A Child's Place in Time and Space
· Grade Two: People Who Make Difference
· Grade Three: Continuity and Change
· Grade Four: California: A Changing State
· Grade Five: United States History and Geography: Making a New Nation
Grades Six through Eight: Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills
· Grade Six: World History and Geography: Ancient Civilizations
· Grade Seven: World History and Geography: Medieval and Early Modern Times
· Grade Eight: United States History and Geography: Growth and Conflict
One of the easiest areas in which to integrate the arts is through social studies. In fact, the arts are an important part of the national and state social studies and history curriculum standards. The visual and performing arts standards and the history/social science standards overlap throughout each grade level. The framework for History/Social Sciences is at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/pn/fd/documents/hist-social-sci-frame.pdf. The areas of the California History Social Science frameworks that emphasize the arts are:
What are the historical and cultural influences of the visual and performing arts in history?
Understanding history involves much more than politics and government. Understanding how people lived day to day and how they expressed themselves creatively through the arts is an important part of social studies
Historical Literacy
Cultural History
National Identity
"America, as a nation, unites as one people the descendants of many cultures, races, religions, and ethnic groups. The American story is unfinished, and the outcome rests in the students’ hands."