A little intro to my favorite hobby, art, as well a few examples of how it can be used in the classroom.

1. ART! CarlyNeun TE 922

2. I love art: I draw it, I collect it, and I try and learn from it. Chances are some of our students will love art too, and that can be a powerful tool for understanding!

3. Why? Illustrate a scene. This was drawn for me by my friend Kathleen Finn. It’s from a Battlestar Galactica story I wrote. A Secret Santa gift from a member of an online community. It was a nice way to give a gift without spending money. Visualize characters in stories. This one is Hana, a character of mine drawn by Yoo-min Lee.

4. EXAMPLE: This was draw for a class in which we were asked to draw/create something to reflect the theme or characters of a story. This happens to be for Wuthering Heights. I chose to portray the differences between Heathcliff and Edgar Linton, and how that effects Cathrine.

5. Art also teachers patience and practice. Also, you have to look closely at details to improve! That’s a good skill in literature too!

6. See? Practice! 2004 2010

7. Art Ideas for Class A short comic– This is mentioned in The English Teacher’s Companion (Burke). Students make a comic of an important scene, thinking about why it is important and give themselves a visual to refer back to while studying! I imagine this would also work well in a History class. A picture—Not just a doodle. Like my example for Wuthering Heights, students can create a picture incorporating important characters and thematic elements. You could ask students to write an explanation to go along with their art. Maps/Timelines—These and other projects can use student-drawn images to illustrate a historical, literary, or personal timeline. Maps of a journey, such as the traditional heroic journey, can help clarify difficult concepts. Even math and other core content areas can benefit from images!