Interdisciplinary Art

Art is said to be one of the most accessible subjects across the curriculum, yet very rarely do we
see it being used in creating cross-curricular rich classrooms. There is a stigma behind cross-
curricular art and that is that it exists just to make other subjects more appealing. Although that
is true in many cases, we wanted to share a few ideas that we can use in our classroom that hold
artistic values just as high as the other subjects. Our focus was high school but that idea can be
applied in elementary classrooms, or any classroom for that matter.

Social Studies
Use art history! Since art dates backs tens of thousands of years, there is artwork for almost every
time period or culture that your students will study. Since art is a reflection of the time period and
culture it is created in, there are countless opportunities for students to be able to learn how to
make inferences through artwork. Another quick example is to reach through art when talking
about social identity. Get students to make a personalized logo that represents all that they
consider to be a part of their identity, whether its their heritage, hobbies, or other symbols that
may be important to them.

PE
The arts are often incorporated into PE, through mediums such as dance. However, incorporating
visual art and some of its values through PE can be difficult. Try doing a ball mural with your
class to get everyone moving and involved. Take various sized balls, get students to dip them in
paint and actively throw them against a large sheet of paper or canvas on the wall. You may not
be hitting a specific sport skill, but youre getting a ton of body movement.

Math
Not only can math be used to produce art, but interpreting artwork can also be used to highlight
certain mathematic characteristics. You can get your students to create a class mural by scaling a
smaller image or you can look through patterns in architecture and digital technology to
understand math concepts such as symmetry and pattern.

English
English can be used to connect the verbal to the visual. Allow students to express their ideas
using words and pictures to explore emotions and reflections. You can also get students to search
for a deeper understanding of literature pieces, character development, and symbolism through
creating storyboards!

Science
The art activity that Jacqui led is a great way to incorporate art, biology AND chemistry. Here are
the details;
Materials:
- Black construction paper
- Leaves /other vegetation
- Bleach and water solution 50/50
- Vinegar and water solution 50/50
- Water bath
- Gloves
- Paper towel
- Table covering
For the biology component of this activity, a teacher could get the class to go into nature and
collect a leaf or two. You can then get them to identify the plant it came from, the species, etc.
There are two approaches to making leaf prints; take the selected leaf and spray it with the bleach
solution, then turn it over onto the construction paper, put a piece of blotting paper on top, press,
count to 30 minimum or leave up to a few minutes, process in vinegar bath, rinse in water bath,
blot with paper towel and hang to dry. The second approach is to place the leaf on construction
paper and spray with the bleach solution, continue with counting and the rest of the processing
procedures. Leaving the bleach solution on the paper for a longer amount of time will result in a
lighter, higher contrasting print. Here is where chemistry comes in - bleach is an acid and if it is
not neutralized by the vinegar bath, it will eventually degrade the paper until it crumbles!



That being said, art is inclusive to everyone - all disabilities and all exceptionalities. It is not
dependent on any ability level and at a basic level, it is about enjoyment of expression and
exploration of media. The idea of interdisciplinary art is this - do some research on how two
different subjects may share the same properties. Then, turn those qualities into practice. The
resulting curriculum will be richer, more exciting and definitely more accessible. Happy
planning!

Here are some great resources for lesson plans that encourage learning through the arts;
http://educationcloset.com/arts-integration-lessons/
http://learning.rcmusic.ca/learning-through-arts/lesson-plans
http://www.curriculum.org/projects/learning-through-the-arts



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