Using Arts Integration to Bridge African American Vernacular English

and Academic English in High Poverty Schools

By
Lisa Ekrem and Faiza Holmes
A final paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Teaching.
Hamline University
Saint Paul, Minnesota
July 30, 2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract 3
Chapter One: Introduction 4
What is Arts Integration? .. 5
Background of Researchers ... 6
Background of Our School and Students ... 8
Chapter Overviews. 10

Chapter Two: Literature Review 12

AAVE . 12
Defining SAE and AAVE .. 15
Students, Language, and Achievement .. 19
Perceptions and Consequences of AAVE in the Classroom .. 20
Low Socioeconomic Status and Academic Achievement .. 22
Brain-Based Learning and Arts Integration 23
Benefits of Arts Integration . 26
Gaps in the Research 28
Summary/Conclusion ... 29

Chapter Three: Results and Reflection 30

Method: Spoken Word Poetry and Self-Expression 33
Participants and Setting 34
Data Collection 34
Procedure . 35
Theories of Learning 36
Summary ... 36
Conclusion 37
References ..41
Appendix A 44

Abstract:

Arts Integration is defined as an approach to teaching in which students construct and

demonstrate their understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process,
which connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both
(Silverstein & Layne, 2010). Arts Integration has shown positive effects in students
reading and math proficiency scores, participation, behavior, critical thinking skills,
graduation rates, and naturally increases motivation. This paper gives rationale for how arts
integration works in the brain. It also provides an arts integration spoken-word poetry unit
plan to help increase Standard English skills in students who speak African American
Vernacular English (AAVE).

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

Your students life experiences are a rich source of background knowledge and potential
narrative strategy for you to tap into your classroom.
-Eric Jensen

Instructional best practices have intentions of empowering, engaging, and

celebrating each students unique gifts. Generally, teachers are taught to cultivate each
student to become the best versions of themselves, both academically and socially. This
fuels an active investment into each student, encouraging academic, social, and emotional
growth. Endless opportunities for students to realize their own potential, engage in new life
experiences, and become leaders in their community are some of the most prized outcomes
instructors hope for within their classroom communities. Due to this thought, there is a
deep-rooted, interdisciplinary outcome that each child is entitled to learn and develop in a
positive, academically-rich environment, which promotes self-determination, and high
levels of success. It is inherently in this belief that we formulate the expectation for learners
to have the ability to achieve high academic and social standards.
Despite having the best of intentions, many inner-city teachers and schools fall
short of reaching a learners academic needs. Explanations range from varying socioeconomic status, lack of motivation, academically lower functioning learners, learners who
experience high levels of trauma or learners that have inconsistencies in receiving their

daily necessities. In taking these aspects into account in our diverse learning communities,
it is the unique task of teachers to address issues that hinder learning well before the learner
fully engages in high levels of academic engagement. This directly impacts student success.
Significant social and academic needs should both be addressed, which is no small task.
What Is Arts Integration?
Imagine: A classroom finishes reading a story, as a whole class. Within typical
instructional practices across the country, the teacher may finish reading the story and will
likely assess comprehension of that story with a short discussion, activity, or worksheet. In
an arts integration classroom, the teacher may use one or multiple formats of artistic
expression that would not only help create understanding of the academic content, but
would also give the learner autonomy in expressing how they came to understand the
content. Further, it allows the learner to show how they feel about the content. Allowing
students to express themselves in both formats reinforces the social and academic
components that are constantly discussed in best practices pedagogy. Arts integration is
defined as an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate their
understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process, which connects
an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both (Silverstein &
Layne, 2010). It is a teaching tool that provides multiple avenues for students to express
how they understand the content through many creative means. It is defined as an
interdisciplinary partner with other subjects (Rabkin & Redmond, 2004, p. 8)
In reference to the basic literary strategy of reading text, an arts integration
classroom community may use alternative strategies to create literary understanding.

Furthermore, the demonstration of that understanding would be an alternate and in-depth

model of assessment. For example, the instructor may choose to hide the pictures and insist
students close their eyes and visualize the scenes instead. Also, the instructor may facilitate
small groups of students to create a tableau of poses to share with the rest of the class, who
in turn would do the same with the remainder of the story. In combination, students
inevitably present a stop-motion scene of each the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
The tableau exercise may likely be followed by having the audience identify a phrase to
describe the scene, as well as provide evidence to support their thinking, introducing state
standards of main idea and supporting evidence to the lesson. An exercise such as the
tableau described above is an example of how arts integration might look in a typical
classroom.
Our school community is one of the recipients of a national arts integration grant,
which helped fund such experiences in our classrooms. The funds of this grant acted as a
promotion of partnership between the school and local artists. The goal of using artists in
the classroom is to increase student engagement and enthusiasm for learning, thereby,
increasing academic achievement. Consequently, students in our classes have been exposed
to a variety of opportunities they may not have been exposed to elsewhere. For example,
our students have cooked using fresh, organic vegetables, met a local author who connected
their cultural heritage with significant historical events, written poetry, created chalkboard
art and beat-boxed. By using these artistic modalities, students and teachers were able to
engage in academics in ways that reinforced key social and academic norms. Furthermore,
two nationally-recognized actors visited our school. Both celebrities read and engaged with
classrooms. They also participated in giving motivational speeches and watched numerous

students and classrooms display their current artistic, academic projects during our
communal school assemblies. As mainstream, district-oriented teachers, these are not
experiences that we could have provided on our own. However, these experiences proved
engaging and helped students to feel confident in acquiring knowledge to master state
standards and learning goals.
Background of Researchers
Both researchers teach in the same nationally recognized, high priority, urban,
public school. Through our time teaching within our urban school we have developed
extensive experience in working with students who lack community, family and monetary
resources. Although, teaching in a school in which teacher retention rates are
predominantly low, and the frequency of inappropriate student behaviors are high, it
becomes challenging to navigate a school system that, at times, feels it is built to stifle
student understanding and success. Although both researchers come from different cultural
backgrounds, and have lives that may not mimic one another, it has been established that
our philosophies and practices align.
Researcher A is a female of Caucasian decent and grew up in a middle class family
in a small town. For a majority of her life, her interaction with people of lower
socioeconomic status and people of color were limited and rare. Researcher B is a female
of East Indian decent, and grew up in a family that has experienced all spectrums of
socioeconomic status, but whose family stabilized in a middle class socioeconomic status.
For a majority of her life her interaction with people of lower socioeconomic status was
only through volunteer work. Her interaction with people of color was frequent, however,

it was still segregated to those of East Indian decent. Although both researchers personal
experiences vary, it is important to note, that due to our similar professional experiences,
we have commonalities in our strategies, interventions, and pedagogical philosophies.
Our commonalities in philosophy stem from some basic core beliefs and practices
surrounding positively reinforced behavior management practices. More specifically, this
comes with an understanding that a successful classroom community revolves around a
positive and responsive classroom environment that sets clear expectations and goals.
Moreover, we facilitate the same district-assigned curriculum, and are required to
differentiate a range of social and academic skill-sets. This parallels our practices of
ongoing assessment and includes the incorporation of multiple modalities of learning. Our
core intention for our students, despite whatever life circumstance they may have, is to
provide knowledge and strategies to acquire knowledge in order to support selfimprovement through the ability of demonstrating perseverance in self-improvement
through lifelong learning.
Background of Our School and Students
Our school serves a school population who services a student population that is
about 98% African-American, 1% Caucasian, and 1% Latino or Asian. We service students
in grades Kindergarten through fifth grade. Of the students who attend our school, 100%
qualify for free or reduced lunch rates, 35% experience housing transitions throughout the
year, and 30% qualify for special education services. In 2014, student proficiency scores
ranked lower than 99.4% of elementary schools in Minnesota. Consequently, there are
many factors that exist within the community and educational institutions that have created

10

our high priority status. In an effort to consider the background of our students, the need
to engage our community of students and create learning that aligns with state standards
and sincere student buy-in becomes paramount.
One pervasive issue that we have observed within our school community that
hinders the learning process is low socioeconomic status (SES) amongst families. The
spectrum of SES within the families in our school community range widely. Some students
reside with two parents who have full-time employment. Other students reside in single
parent homes in which the adults are employed with three or more jobs in order to make
ends meet, and there are many students who reside in single-parent homes without any
means of income. Unfortunately, it is also common for many students in our community to
be homeless and residing in local shelters or other means they may be privy to. Inevitably
for our students, school is a safe place where most students receive two meals, two snacks,
and food for the weekend or even month through our in-school food shelf. Most students
also receive their uniforms, medical, dental, and vision care through our school. In our
observations, students with lower SES have a tendency to lack the type of daily
consistencies that are pivotal to learning. It is important to note that students in our school
still demonstrate varying social and academic abilities and backgrounds, despite some
commonalities in race and SES.
One commonality many students share, even those that are not African-American, is
their chosen spoken dialect of English. Much of the language our students use when they
speak or write is the language considered African-American Vernacular English (AAVE).
Depending on which linguist you ask, AAVE is either a language itself or a dialect of the

11

English language. Wheeler, Cartwright, Swords (2012) define AAVE as a stigmatized

variety of English, a variety differing in sound, word, and syntactic patterning from the
variety expected in academic contexts. It has been referred to as Black English or Ebonics
and is used by many African Americans, particularly those from working-class or inner-city
areas (Baron, 2005). By exploring this commonality, we have made pivotal connections
between our students achievement and their use and choice of language. In keeping with
our new school philosophy of delivering key pedagogy through arts integration, we were
lead to exploring one particular guiding question to lead our research and develop our own
thinking with our classroom communities. This paper will investigate the guiding question:
How can teachers use arts integration in high poverty schools to increase student
performance and motivation?
Chapter Overviews
In Chapter One, we introduced our research by explaining the arts integration
concept and provided tableau as an example of a standards-based lesson which included
arts integration. We, the researchers, also provided our backgrounds, and information
regarding the students we teach.
In Chapter Two, we provide a literature review that discusses arts integration in
schools, strategies that make it successful, challenges and benefits to implementing it, as
well as brain-based evidence of student growth. We connect this information to students
who use African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and provide the arts-integrated
example of Spoken Word as a means of increasing Standard American English skills
among a population that speaks and culturally stems from AAVE. Finally, in Chapter

12

Three, we discuss and provide a potential unit plan incorporating spoken-word poetry as an
arts strategy to teach poetry and increase proficiency in Standard American English (SAE),
for a third grade classroom. This unit plan was developed after pilot arts integration lesson
plans were conducted alongside resident artists. In this chapter we will not only discuss the
unit plan, but the possible methodology one may use to collect data, and assess student
achievement.
Through this research, we hope to provide teachers with realistic and usable arts
integration strategies that can be successfully used in the classroom. Ultimately, it is our
hope that these strategies will help increase academic achievement in all students despite
their social privileges or hindrances.

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CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

The arts and humanities define who we are as a people. That is their power to remind
us of what we each have to offer, and what we all have in common.
-Michelle Obama

The purpose of this research is to provide information to educators regarding the

use of an arts integration program in a high-poverty school in order to increase student
performance and motivation. This chapter includes a definition and identification of the
features of AAVE and SAE, and the correlation with the African American population.
Additionally, the chapter discusses strategies that center around the use of AAVE, in the
classroom, that may foster student success in SAE, while fostering respect for the varieties
of language spoken at home. In this section, it will begin by discussing the implications of
AAVE, including the relationship between the language and the society in which it occurs.
Following this is the discussion on brain-based research evidence on how children learn
naturally, both implicitly and explicitly. Furthermore, this area addresses the relationship
between brain-based research and an Arts Integration program, which helps students create
deeper learning across the curriculum. The chapter then discusses how Arts Integration
positively increases test scores, particularly in inner-city schools, where students are in the
most need of further assistance. Lastly, the discussion includes the gaps in literature and
information surrounding this topic. Ultimately, it is our goal to use this research to
encourage instructors to embrace instructional strategies as a way to use their students first
language (L1) and their home culture (C1) as a bridge into the use of SAE in proper
settings and opportunities.

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AAVE
Use of AAVE is studied as a distinctly African American common language;
however, its influences are most often addressed in research regarding the economically
disadvantaged. The number of African Americans in this population are below that of the
Hispanic race, which is widely recognized as bilingual, and therefore in need of additional
English assistance in schools. However, AAVE is not as often recognized and is, to this
date, not addressed in the same manner as the challenges facing other bilingual students.
While AAVE is believed to be a direct relationship to poverty, the related history is
said to be African in origin. It has been glaringly clear in recent decades that AfricanAmerican students are not achieving academic success in comparison amongst other racial
groups, which increases the perceptions that AAVE is a language resulting from poor
academic achievement. According to the 2011 census, 25.8% of African Americans are at
poverty level or below (Income, Poverty and Health, 2011, Table B). While there has been
a decrease in the percentage of African Americans in poverty, the problems of poverty and
educational decline continue to be demonstrative of educational difficulties. In addition,
African American graduation rates have not improved, and actually decreased by
approximately 5%, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) fouryear data, which found for the school year 2012-13, only 70.7% of African Americans
graduated, and only 73.3% of economically disadvantaged students (Common Core Data,
2013). These statistics have increased the awareness in regards to factors that may limit
15

African American achievement in our school systems. However, this has not resulted in
solutions to alleviate these barriers.
AAVE may not be race-exclusive, but rather location-specific, occurring most often
in high poverty areas or inner-city schools. Terry, Connor, Thomas-Tate, and Love (2010)
did not find a race relationship, rather they found a relationship between dialect variation
(DVAR) and literacy outcomes in relationship to SES. These demonstrated that students,
school SES, DVAR, and literacy achievement were connected and resulted in challenges
for students to achieve their literacy goals. In addition, Terry, et al., (2010) suggests that
nonmainstream American English dialects have an influence on reading skills of children.
Furthermore, Mullen and Schooling (2010) found that Hispanics were more likely to be
identified as having speech problems or qualifying for IDEA related assistance in regards to
the areas of speech and language developed, than were African Americans, and
disproportionally versus that of whites. This data creates concerns in regards to the
definition of language understanding and the concern regarding where speech disabilities
are interrelated to that of nonmainstream American English.
According to William Labov, despite the growing middle class, the gap between
whites and blacks in America is growing further apart, with language being the most
obvious indicator of the disparity (Quinn, 1985, p. 480). This trend causes an increased
separation of blacks and whites from those that have social privilege and those who do not.
Varieties of English recognized in the classroom are not a representation of the home
languages students use, and they typically deviate from SAE. Educators must sit with the
uncomfortable realization that African American students are performing much lower on

16

standardized assessments and have much lower high school and college graduation rates.
Educators must also face the overwhelming realization that we must put in place a new
mindset and new strategies to overcome these disparities in equity and education.
Fram, Miller-Cribbs, and Van Horn (2007) identify the concerns as both race and
socioeconomic status gaps, specifically addressing the implications regarding decades of
reform failing to amount in overcoming these problems and continuing to result in a weak
system of services and supports to shore up family well-being for those who are left behind
in school (p. 309). Many of the areas of concern are specifically in the continued
connections found in research between economically and academically disadvantaged
students. This concern is especially important to address due the larger percentages of
minorities, both African American and Hispanic, in these school systems. Burchinal, et al.,
(2011) state that Black children in the U.S. start school about one half of a standard
deviation behind their White peers on standardized reading and mathematics tests based
on the results of studies conducted in 2004, 2005, and 2006 (p. 1404). Additionally, the
disparities in the family socio-economic circumstances appear to contribute to this
dilemma, and increase the likelihood that children will struggle during school and remain
behind in academic achievement. Burchinal et al., (2011) suggests that the solution begins
in the home, prior to the beginning of childrens education. These concerns may well be
linked to a language barrier that further disrupts the progress of academic achievement, and
could be considered in regards to assisting these students by incorporating the learners
home language into the lessons and education.

17

In order to think further about this gap in student achievement and its link to
varieties of language that are employed or not employed in the classroom, I would like to
ask the pivotal question: What are some strategies I can use to incorporate African
American English Vernacular in the classroom, in order to increase use and proficiency of
Standard, or mainstream, American English?
Defining SAE and AAVE
In an effort to define key concepts before exploring them, it is imperative that an
understanding of the terminology be developed. The following definitions are found to be
available in contemporary literature, and include a caveat that opinions of those that use
and study these varieties of English may vary. However, according to the reflection and
research, these definitions suffice in creating understanding of the topic and research
question at hand. Standard American English, or SAE, is the term coined to denote the
most recognized form of English, in America. This is also referred to as Mainstream
American English or MAE. The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes SAE asthe
English that with respect to spelling, grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary is
substantially uniform though not devoid of regional differences, that is well established by
usage in the formal and informal speech and writing of the education, and that is widely
recognized as acceptable wherever English is spoken and understood (Standard English,
n.d.).
African American Vernacular English, also known as AAVE, Black English, Black
Vernacular English, or Ebonics, is defined by Tinajero II (2008) as consisting of a dialect
with roots in English and African languages, which is believed to have been coined by

18

social psychologist Robert Williams (p. 244). Tinajero II (2008) further identifies that some
controversy exists over the linguistics, the source, and the acknowledgment of it as a
separate language. The terms Ebonics and AAVE have a long standing history in the US,
including recognition by Federal Judge Charles Joiner in the U.S. District Court, in 1979
(Baugh, 2012; Hopkins, 2008). Since 1933, some researchers and linguists have suggested
that this is a version of nonstandard English, which is identified as representing the
impoverished, and thus uneducated, populations in the U.S. (Baugh, 2012).
As regions and cultures have continued to diversify, a major part of the American
population, African Americans, have adopted its own variety of English. Historically
known as Ebonics, African American Vernacular English, or AAVE, has been the term
embraced by linguists in recent years (Rickford, 1997; Hopkins, 2008). It refers to the
speech used, predominantly, by African Americans; however, AAVE is a product of
generations of linguistic evolution that cannot be summed up in what most of the populace
has been only privy to since the Oakland School Board Controversy in 1996. AAVE has
shown roots in West African languages, to Pidgin English, and then to Creole.
Off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina, an African creole language called Gullah can
be heard spoken by some of the people living there. Gullah, which is the basis for modern
AAVE, developed in West Africa during the time of the American slave trade. British and
American slave traders would hold slaves in forts along West Africas rivers until they
could be shipped. In the forts, they would mix people who spoke different African
languages to make planning revolts harder (PBS, 1986). Despite these efforts, the slaves
being held there, over time, would adopt English as a uniform language so they could talk

19

to one another. Nevertheless, they spoke a simpler form of English, since they were
learning quickly and only by listening to their captors, called Pidgin English. Pidgin
English was what they used to communicate when they landed in America (PBS, 1986).
When the Pidgin speaking slaves had children, their kids added complexities to the
language they were raised with, using more specific vocabulary and grammar. It was with
the steps taken by the next generation of American slaves that their Pidgin English became
the Creole language "Gullah" (Rickford, 1997, p. 3). Consequently, the language used by
slaves progressed from several different West African languages to Pidgin English, the
common means of communication among the captives, and from there became a Creole
language in the United States, and Caribbean as the next generations expanded on the rules
already present in the Pidgin language.
Furthermore, as time and pop culture progressed, specifically within the African
American culture, the term Ebonics was coined. The term Ebonics was a point of much
controversy, and brought attention to the language differences and inadequacies in our
school system when it was introduced by the Oakland School Board controversy in 1996.
The Oakland School Board recognized it as the primary language of its majority African
American students and resolved to consider it in teaching them standard or academic
English (Rickford, 1997).
It is also important to note that what counts as Standard English will depend on
both the region and culture one chooses to live. For example, how one interprets and hears
English spoken in rural Georgia may find that it sounds different when hearing English
being spoken by an urban Midwesterner. Furthermore, writing an email to a friend in SAE

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would differ from writing a formal letter in SAE, which is also demonstrated by Fisher and
Lapp (2013) in communication between peer groups. No matter how it is interpreted,
Standard English, in this sense, should not be regarded as being necessarily correct or
unexceptionable. As communities and populations continue to diversify, it becomes
paramount to provide continuing context for situations in which SAE is being used and
spoken, and when it is not. It also become paramount that as the C1s and L1s in
classrooms, continue to differ from that of their instructors, they must remain aware of the
varieties of language that incorporate their learning communities. This facilitates a way to
help students better understand SAE, and its place in educational, professional, and social
settings, despite region or culture.

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Students, Language, and Achievement

According to Fisher and Lapp (2013), failing students in English courses are often
failing due to the fact that their first language is not the traditional English being tested,
whether because of their language at home being African American Vernacular English or
any other language. In addition, their research suggests that different registers are not a
challenge for students when they want to communicate, such as with peers and in this way
adapting to the proper English should not be a challenge for many students. In Hill
(2010), the argument remains that the use of AAVE is essential to the history of the U.S.
and focuses on oppression as a source of its ease of transfer and a distinguishing aspect of
the country that addresses the White virtue and the power that is granted based on color
of skin (p. 42). Additionally, the white racism is identified as prevailing against the
ability of AAVE to be used in schools and recognized as a language within itself, as this
culture is found to be dominating every nook and cranny of our institutions and
discourses (p. 45).
In Mitri and Terry (2014), AAVE was explored in relationship to childrens
knowledge of phonological awareness and reading skills. The results of this study, which
included 119 African American kindergarteners, found that students who spoke more
African American English (AAE) were more likely to match sounds based on those wordsounds than students that spoke SAE. These results indicated that the language itself is
different enough to create a different phonological representation, but not a failure in the
part of the students to understand the phonological representations themselves. Another
researcher, Compton-Lily (2005) indicated that challenges to learning could be overcome

22

by educators by not focusing on the miscues the students use during their reading practice
and instead focusing on the growing skills in book language that occur through practice
and individualized lessons (p. 54). Two other researchers focused on the speech patterns
associated with AAVE, and phonological areas of speech for children, finding that over
generalization of the linguistic demographic profiles resulted in a monolithic approach to
education, which is not an accurate definition of the language and results in failure to
recognize the elements that researchers have indicated are representative of a completely
new language (Andres & Votta, 2009; Rickford, 2014). However, Guptas (2010) study of
teacher beliefs identified a major concern with teacher perceptions of their ability to teach
students whose linguistic background and home language was AAVE. This raises the
question of if teachers are prepared to address the needs of students using AAVE.
Perceptions and Consequences of AAVE in the Classroom
Perceptions of AAVE influence many areas of life in the US, from the workforce
through education. Negative connotations of AAVE include thinking of the speech as
English but with mistakes, or slang English or even sloppy English. (Pullum, 1999)
said Speakers of Standard English think that AAVE is just a badly spoken version of their
language, marred by a lot of ignorant mistakes in grammar and pronunciation, or worse
than that, an unimportant and mostly abusive repertoire of street slang used by an ignorant
urban underclass (p. 40). Even in classrooms where teachers agree that AAVE is a
language or dialect that is a part of culture and history, their ability to address it as other
than a mistake is limited, due to the requirements of SAE in high-stakes standardized

23

testing. Teachers need new strategies that embrace the language and encourage students to
learn both of the languages as part of their education (Hopkins, 2008).
In order to be successful in the classroom, Baron (2005) argues it is important for
students to master Standard English while maintaining their informal social dialect of
AAVE. Furthermore, best practice in teaching is to consistently hold high standards for all
students. There is debate, however, surrounding best practices regarding how best to handle
AAVE in the classroom. On one side of the debate, teachers should encourage only
academic English and correct grammatical errors in speech, thus preparing scholars for
future employment in a world that praises academic English as the only acceptable variety
of English. On the other side of the debate, it is argued that accepting grammar errors as
suitable and acceptable ways of speaking, students may begin to believe there is no need
for any other way of speaking. In some research, encouragement to identify both languages
as correct but in serving different purposes, has managed to create better results in
achievement (Fisher and Lapp, 2013).
A person does not use the same language in the local bar on a Saturday night that
they do in church the following morning. It is necessary to change language choice in
accordance to who and what the social situation is, or code-switch. Students may approach
their use of AAVE in the classroom in much the same way, using SAE in some
circumstances and AAVE in others, and switching between the two varieties fluently based
on the need. According to Baron (2005), Many people - African American or not look
down on Black English as an undesirable or ignorant form of the language. Others see it as
a proud and positive symbol of the African-American experience. This difference in views

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regarding AAVE, coupled with insecurities about low writing skills, could explain why my
students are often hesitant to write about themselves.
Teachers may be directly responsible for the insecurities of students in regards to
English curriculums or other areas of reading and writing. For example, in a study of
teachers attitudes towards AAVE, responses included Speakers of African American
English do not express complete thoughts and African American English has a place at
the home of its speakers, which represents the thoughts of influencers on the children,
which can negatively impact their success in learning SAE (Bndgens-Kosten, 2010, p.
26). Newkirk-Turner, Williams, Harris and McDaniels (2013) found a substantial body of
scholarship has documented the strong relationships between teachers negative attitudes
about stigmatized nonmainstream dialects such as the AAE, teachers lower expectations
for the student, and lower student achievement (p. 50). Furthermore, Gupta (2010)
identified a challenge in teacher perceptions due to the overwhelmingly number of teachers
that identified AAE as an inadequate language system that adversely affects various
aspects of education (Newkirk-Turner, et al., 2013, p. 50). These are problems that cannot
be ignored and are current in todays school systems.
Low Socioeconomic Status and Academic Achievement
SES directly correlates to student achievement. There are a multitude of reasons
why children of poverty consistently underachieve, according to the research. First,
economically disadvantaged children have poorer health due to lack of preventative
medical care and are more likely to be absent from school (Fram, et al., 2007). Secondly,
financial uncertainty increases family stress, forcing them to change living locations often,

25

thus creating a transient lifestyle that leads holes in the students overall education (Smith,
Fien, & Paine, 2008). Next, families of poor children have fewer resources to provide
stimulating experiences at home through interactive toys, books, or musical instruments.
(Fram, et al., 2007).
Additionally, children with low SES are not read to as often as children with more
means, creating additional challenges in creating language systems and vocabularies. As a
result, children of poverty often enter schools not knowing how to read or other primary
needs, especially in the case where they do not have mandatory preschool in their states
(Rothstein, 2008). Finally, not all research indicates that SES is a direct result in the use of
AAVE or the need to apply specific language impairment solutions to the needs of AAVE
students (Pruitt & Oetting, 2009). However, addressing the needs of students most at risk of
failing to accomplish their goals in education, or to achieve the goals of the high-standard
testing, should include new methods for inviting students to contribute to their learning
without ignoring their AAVE or their culture.
Brain-Based Learning and Arts Integration
If an old favorite song that you have not heard in a very long time suddenly plays
on the radio, you are likely to remember the lyrics well enough to sing along to it. If you
had not ridden a bike in many years but had the opportunity again, you probably could if
you were physically able to. These kinds of memories are examples of implicit learning.
Implicit learning is defined as essentially learning without awareness. Implicit learning can
occur during specific windows of opportunity; however, brain-based learning can be
inspired at different ages as well (Freeman & Wash, 2013). Knowledge that has been

26

acquired implicitly is knowledge that has been acquired and held largely without conscious
effort (Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science, 2005). It is the reason language is learned and
spoken fluently without knowing the rules of the language.
The opposite of implicit learning is explicit learning. This if often the kind of
learning that happens in schools teachers lecture, students study information from
textbooks, or a student reads a capstone on brain research. A student may remember the
name of the longest river in the world for his upcoming test, but he may not remember it 20
years later. Degen (2014) suggests that student learning is accomplished through actorcentered adaptive decision making, guided experiences in real-world projects, and
embedded and consolidated by the students processing of the experiences (p. 21).
The mind and bodywork in concert, according to Jensen (2005; 2008), and one
cannot instruct the mind without involving the whole person, physically, emotionally, and
intellectually. Physiological activity occurs in the brain during learning and a result of
practicing something, through increased neuron firing, synapses organizing neurons,
changes in the synaptic connections, increases synaptic responses due to emotions, and
exposure to both complex and new thinking (Thompson, 2005, p. 1). Brain-compatible
learning calls for educators to weave math, geography, social skills, role-play, science and
physical education together, along with movement, drama, and the arts (Jensen, 2005,
p.66). The goal in an arts integration program is to connect a content area with an artsbased approach, therefore creating a deeper understanding of that content in the students
brain.

27

Instruction in the arts contributes significantly to student growth and cognitive

development (Wolfe, 2001). Teaching using the arts engages attention, allows students to
express emotions, and strengthens neural pathways that are used in future learning in each
area of curriculum (Jensen, 2008). A growing body of research supports the notion that art
is not just helpful for learning, but is an essential component to it specifically for reading
(Barnett, 2013). While Nixon (2012) developed a study, which concluded that Brain-based
learning was unnecessary because the mind learns in many different ways, and is adaptive
in nature; however, no everyone agrees with these conclusions.
The brain builds pathways based on experiences. For example, if a student has
played a musical instrument for years, that musical pathway has been well developed.
Future experiences that student has will likely form connections to that well developed path
already existing in the brain (Jensen, 2008). Aziz-Ur-Rehman, et. al. (2012) identified the
innate faculties (IF) as including thinking, emotions, and memory (p. 113). Engaging these
areas improves on the learning abilities of students. Integrating the arts uses these
connections to strengthen those paths as well as to build new ones. It gives students the
opportunity to see patterns, make new associations, and learn through real-life experiences.
Researchers at Stanford University conducted a three-year study investigating a
correlation between arts education and childrens reading ability. They developed an
analysis tool to identify likely connections in different brain regions that would occur when
students were exposed to visual arts when working on reading skills. Their findings
indicated a relationship between early visual arts experience and phonological awareness
(attention to patterns of speech sounds). Strong student readers have more growth in the

28

bundles of nerves connecting these areas of the brain. Arts activities activate these different
brain regions (Wandell, Dougherty, Ben-Shachar, Deutsch, & Tsang, 2008). In addition,
brain-based learning methods were used in a study to determine if motivation and attitude
towards a subject could be modified, and found that students were influenced by these
methods of learning (Akyrek & Afacan, 2013). It is likely that integrating arts can provide
additional experiences that can increase the network and contribute to further learning in
students.
Benefits of Arts Integration
Schools such as Bates Middle School in Maryland have experienced an increase in
academic achievement as a result of arts integration programs (Snyder, Klos, & GreyHawkins, 2014). Art can be integrated into any subject in a school, creating opportunities
for students to explore the subjects in a new way, one that invites the students to create a
new understanding of the materials (Snyder, et al., 2014). Marshall (2014) identifies art
integration as being in the form of simplistic addition of illustration to academic subjects or
as in more thorough methods that involve metacognitive skills. Additionally, Marshall
(2014) identified numerous other researchers who noted positive difference in critical
thinking skills, where art integration was applied to the big ideas of life and learning (p.
105). Integration of AAVE into the classroom is not new, and has been being done for years
now (Wheeler, Cartwright, & Swords, 2012). However, many of the researchers have not
tried methods involving art.
Arts Integration teaching has been demonstrated to lead to positive effects in
student achievement with the greatest effect being among students who qualify as poverty

29

level (Deasy, 2002; Rabkin & Redmond, 2006). Further, evidence from National Education
Longitudinal Studies (NELS) and suggests that the arts have positive long-term impact on
college access, academic success, and greater civic involvement later in life (Catterall,
2009). These results are not exclusive and research across the country has begun
implementing arts into various subject areas, in both an attempt to increase interactive
learning and as a method to improve upon the access to art in the classroom and the school.
Many arts integration lessons involve learning in an engaging manner: kinesthetic
movement, visuals, and oral language. An example of integrating arts in the classroom
would be students re-creating important parts of short story they read in class by
performing a scene from the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Another example
might include students crafting a picture out of recycled materials to reinforce an
environmental lesson. Students who typically struggle with assessments might prove they
know a characters motivations by acting it out to the teacher instead of answering a
question on an exam. Teachers can find advantages of teaching two subjects at once. While
there are many ways to introduce art into the classroom, introducing art as a source of
AAVE related education may be more challenging.
Spoken Word Poetry as Arts Integration
Spoken word poetry is a means to reaching through the barriers of language and
culture to explore both each culture and each word in a new way, with new vision,
providing a new method of communicating with others (Desai & Marsh, 2005). Research
indicates that communication is one of the most powerful tools humans have in educating
the masses, including children and adults, in nearly any social situation from education

30

through organizational training. Biggs-El (2012) concluded that both rap music and spoken
word poetry shared a similar place in general public opinions in regards to its place in the
schools, in which it has none. However, poetry and rhyming are an essential part of
learning throughout the pre and elementary grades. Additionally, poetry provides insights
into history and creates a relationship in the same way as art does with the individual.
Implementing spoken word programs into the school system is less common than
that of the visual, illustrated arts. Authors such as Fisher (2007) and Jocson (2008) have
demonstrated the importance of Spoken Word Poetry in building literacy in the classroom,
including in areas where academic achievement is considerably lower than federal or state
expectations. Implementing Spoken Word Poetry is a form of arts integration that enables
teachers to explore AAVE in a way that invites students to understand the language, build
on the relationships with SAE, and continue to develop their bilingual culture.
Gaps in the Research
While numerous studies have explored AAVE and Brain-Based learning as a means
to address achievement gaps, few researchers have made these a focal point of arts
integration programs. Educators must identify methods in which arts can be utilized in the
classroom to improve upon the education of students in need of additional assistance,
particularly in the areas of English learning and culture appreciation. Additionally, in the
US numerous schools are beginning to remove art and music programs from their schools,
in favor of courses that promote learning for students struggling to meet the standards of
high-stakes testing. This removal from the school detracts from the experiences that are
critical to student learning. Teachers can apply these concepts and learning directly into

31

their classrooms, which can enhance the experiences of their students and still address the
achievement gaps and high-stakes testing.
Use of an arts integration program is essential to the growing success of students
and may contribute to the ability of SES schools to meet both budget and high-stakes
testing requirements. The implementation of an arts program does not have to involve
extremely high costs and many items can be donated by families. Implementing this
concept requires that all teachers learn more about language barriers and how to address
them in the younger years. Finally, this research addresses this gap by integrating arts and
providing valuable insight into the controversy around AAVE, SAE, and Brain-based
learning. Finally, Spoken Word Poetry is not explored in the context of an arts integration
program that addresses the needs of teachers to have methods of educating student
populations speaking, as a first language, AAVE. This research will contribute to this body
of knowledge by providing both insight into this need and solutions that can be utilized in
urban classrooms across the US.
Summary/Conclusion
In conclusion, integrating the arts into the classroom benefits students, particularly
students who live in poverty. It provides an opportunity to improve upon student learning
and potentially increase success on high-stakes testing. Using arts to teach lessons
stimulates intrinsic learning in students, creating longer lasting memories of the curriculum.
Intrinsic learning is a window of opportunity for employees. Benefits of integrating arts
into lessons include increased participation with lower rates of behavior infractions, higher
proficiency scores in math and reading, increased attendance, and a positive correlation in

32

graduation rates and positive difference in critical thinking skills. Designing lessons for art
integration programs can vary in design, from group through a single parent at the
computer, which promotes the success of poverty-stricken individuals.This literature
review defined the terms found within the pages and sought to understand what literature
has been developed related to AAVE and Brain-based learning.
Additionally, arts integration has taken the country by storm, in some cases in order
to address the decrease in access to art courses in schools; however, Spoken Word Poetry is
less implemented and less researched than these other illustrated versions of the art
integration methods. Research is substantial in some of these areas; however,
knowledgeable and experienced teachers may not be guiding classrooms. Finally, teachers
must become more aware of the role of AAVE in US culture and heritage. These are all
addressed in the plan developments for brain-based, art integration into the classroom.

33

Chapter 3: Results and Reflection

Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.
- Robert Frost
Teachers and students are required to submit to the high-stakes testing that are used
to provide accountability to communities, parents, and governing bodies. These tests are a
challenge to many students; however, they are a benefit in that they provide researchers
methods in which to identify types of educational programs and curriculum that are most
effective at meeting the needs of both students and accountability. This research will
examine how Spoken Word Poetry and Arts Integration can influence the success of
students in regards to high-stakes testing and individual reading levels.
Across the country, there are many arts-based integration programs being
implemented to help struggling learners. A quick and simple internet search will easily
identify schools boasting higher test scores and testify to the deeper levels of learning that
their students have experienced as a result of integrating fine arts into daily teaching
practices. Nationally, President Obama spearheaded the Turnaround for the Arts Grant, a
public-private partnership that uses the arts to help narrow the achievement gap, increase
student engagement and improve the culture and climate in the countrys highest poverty
schools according to the Turnaround for the Arts official website.Programs such as
Turnaround for the Arts bring high-quality arts education resources to a group of the
lowest-performing elementary and middle schools in the country, and helps them use those
resources to improve attendance, parent engagement, student motivation and more.

34

Meeting the expectations of creativity and high-stakes testing is within reach,

through the use of arts integration into the curriculum. This method is found to be
successful in a number of implementations across the US (Barnett, 2013; Catteral, 2009;
Deasy, 2002; Desai & Marsh, 2005; et al). Art integration can be dance, poetry, painting,
music, and more. These methods of teaching are not necessarily new, as many adults recall
teachers who played classical music during class in order to assist in the learning process.
Regardless of the academic area, the implementation of art can provide a hands-on
relationship with the content being taught, which improves upon the number of learning
opportunities for the student.
Self Expression and Spoken Word Poetry
In the field of education, we aim to prepare students for 21 century careers. Much
st

of what teachers do at school is to coach and refine academic and Standard English dialects
to reflect the Standard English recognized internationally and in the business world.
However, this is not the only English spoken, and English is spoken in many different
dialects with many changes in the language. The dialects of English vary in English
speaking countries such as United Kingdom, Australian, or Canada. These different dialects
of English represent the cultures that embody them, and while each of these countries work
to educate students in the Standard English recognized internationally, they have nuances
that remain unlike that of the U.S. or their other fellow English speaking countries.
Ultimately, we want our students to ace their interviews and gain meaningful
employment. Furthermore, we want to ensure their success at these jobs. As educators, we
35

have been guilty of thinking that the academic or the standard English is the right way of
speaking, not considering any other option, and directing our teaching practices to reflect
this thinking. However, we can all embrace the nuances of language that make each culture
unique and independent, which preserves their rich histories. The use of Spoken Word
Poetry as self-expression and art integration presents an opportunity to embrace the culture
of these students while still improving upon their knowledge and use of Standard English.
In addition, this method of teaching presents an opportunity to demonstrate the differences
in language and engage students in a deeper understanding of English. Creating these
opportunities can increase the achievement levels of students in both reading and writing,
which improves other areas as well.
Method: Spoken Word Poetry and Self-Expression
The methodology employed in this study includes curriculum that embraces AAVE
using Spoken Word Poetry and self-expression. Students engage in developing the poetry
with AAVE, in which they can create long or short poems. Furthermore, music, including
rap, embodies the poetic nature of words in play or placement in the spoken language. The
researcher hopes to find that this methodology increases the knowledge of students in the
areas in which spoken language becomes both music and interest.
The curriculum designed for this study included numerous poetry lesson plans that
were previously used in cohesion with a resident artist. The resident artist worked with
students to gain interest and complete a series of poems to be collected into a portfolio.
During the piloted lessons, students worked with a second resident artist who taught them
to beat-box and present their poetry to self-created beats. The summative work was

36

presented during an all-school assembly via live performance or i-movie. The unit plan
presented in the appendix reflects these lessons, align them to standards, and identifies the
process in which to complete lessons.
State achievement tests provide assessment results to be compared with the prior
years results in testing. This method of comparison identifies if the designed curriculum
successfully addressed the needs required to increase the success of students in the
achievement of state core competencies.
Participants and Setting
The participants of this study are students in grade three. The sample population is
approximately 50 students and three teachers. Classrooms selected for this study include
the third grade classrooms at our school. The school district in which this study was
conducted was an urban public school system.
Data Collection
Test scores will be collected for two different school years, using the reading
achievement tests and comparison between the two. This data will be collected with the
permission of the school and signed consent forms from the parents. No personally
identifiable information will be obtained from these scores and all scores will be
documented with numbers that are unique, not matching their student identification
numbers.

37

Finally, students will complete tests during the school year, which will be analyzed
in a portfolio method to identify the different levels of achievement and determine if
additional areas of the lesson could be improved upon. This will be an ongoing process
during the school year of implementation. Portfolio methods of measuring achievement are
not currently accepted in most states in the US; however, many teachers over the years
have recommended portfolio measurements as being more personal and informational
(Chi-Cheng Chang & Bing-Hong Wu, 2012; Cruz & Zambo, 2013; Ziegler & Montplaisir,
2012).
Procedure
The procedure for this research included identifying the gaps in literature in regard
to the application or understanding of AAVE in the classroom. In addition, the research
included developing an understanding of both arts integration and spoken word poetry,
including definitions in these areas in order to better understand their meaning in the
context of this research. Following this, a curriculum and lesson plans were developed for
the students participating in this study. These were developed using the learning theories
currently recommended as best practices in the school, including focusing on
constructivism to provide students with the ability to explore and engage in content.
Finally, the curriculum was used in a years course for the participants of the study, where
the state achievement testing scores were compared between the prior and the current year,
in order to identify the success of the curriculum.
Theories of Learning

38

Constructivism is one of many theories of learning. This theory of learning is the

theory of knowing, with roots in psychology, from both cognitive and
sociocultural/sociohistorical perspectives; philosophy; and biology (Kinnucan-Welsch,
2010, p. 216). Having a background in behaviorism, this philosophy in learning places a
strong focus on students constructing their beliefs and knowledge from experiences with
the world around them, in effect, creating their individual understanding. In one method of
applying constructivism to teaching, metacognition strategies include the use of mnemonic
code, such as ordered and matching items, one-bun, two-shoe (Prawat, 2008, p. 183).
This research design, specifically the curriculum, is inherently constructivism in design, in
that it provides opportunities for students to create their individual understanding of the
materials and learning, using their inherent knowledge and experiences to create their
individual growth and learning in the subject materials that are covered to achieve the goals
of state assessments.
Summary
Research has found that students engaged in interaction, arts integration,
curriculums are able to achieve the goals identified in the student achievement
requirements of both states and federal requirements, No Child Left Behind. These
improvements in learning invite us to take a new look at how art is used in the classroom,
knowing that it is not exclusively the painted canvas, poster boards of dates and events, or
creating a short play to reenact the works of Shakespeare. Art in the classroom is more than
this; it is engaging children in the culture in which they live every day. It is a constant
engagement of the culture they are embedded in, and allowing this to guide their

39

understanding of academic topics, ideas and feelings. As identified in this paper, by

incoporating a learners home language with the intended academic language we are more
likely to produce educated, well-rounded adults that are productive in society.
This research engages students in an arts integration program that involves AAVE
and Spoken Word Poetry. The goal of the research is to increase interest and success in
English skills that meet the requirements of achievement testing, while building knowledge
and understand of the intricacies of language, the history of the languages, and the culture
in which these languages were developed. In addition, the goal will be to introduce students
to how language has changed over the centuries and how they can use Spoken Word Poetry
to demonstrate, or redefine, the world they live in.
Conclusion
Artsintegrationgoesbeyondincludingartprojectsinclass;itisateachingstrategy
thatunifiesartisticmodalitieswithcorecurriculatobuildconnectionsandprovide
engagingcontext.Thiswasoururban,publicschoolspilotyearofartsintegration.
Studentachievementwasdifficulttogaugeduetotheinconsistenciesandlackthereofin
preandpostassessments,andwithinadequacieswithresidentartists.Aswithanynew
initiative,thereareanumberoffactorsthatmustbeinplaceforittosucceed.Although,
thereweresomethingsthathinderedstudentandteachersuccess,wedidseebenefitsin
implementingartsintegrationintoourclassrooms.
Whatwesawinourclassroomswerestudentswhowereenthusiastically
participatinginthelearningprocess,andenjoyingit.Studentengagementinmanycases

40

wasusedasmotivationtoincreaseanddeepenacademicgrowthanddecreaseinstancesof
negativebehaviors.Ourobservationsofstudentengagementcamefromwatchinglearners
embraceacademicconceptsandvocabulary,hearthemtellhowthehighlightedartistic
modalityhelpedthemrememberconceptsbetter,andlearnabouttheimprovementswe
notedinstudentunderstandingandretention.AsdiscussedinourLiteratureReview,arts
integrationusesteachingpracticesthathavebeenshowninbrainbasedresearchto
improvecomprehensionandlongtermretention.Forexample,whenstudentsusetheir
imaginationtocreatestories,reflectontheirownunderstandingtodrawpictures,orengage
inothernonverbalexpressionstodemonstrateknowledgeandunderstandingofthecontent
theyarelearning,theyarealsohelpingtobettersolidifytheinformation.
Itisimportanttonote,thatmanyteachersfeelapprehensioninaddinganother
systemicchangetotheircorecurricula.Therearethoughtsandpreconceptionsthat
learningiscompromisedwhenmakingwayforartsactivities,orsomebecomeintimidated
withtheideaofneedingtobeextremelyartisticorcreative.Inconsiderationofour
experience,teachersdon'tneedtobeeitherofthosethingstobeabletouseartsintegration;
theyjustneedtolearnsomeofthefundamentalssotheywillbebetterabletothinkofways
tomergeartconceptswithothercontent.Nevertheless,therestillappearstobesecretsof
successthatstillneedtoberevealedinordertostreamlinetheconnectionsbetweenarts
integrationactivitiesandcoreacademiclearning.Ourschoolisintentionallyattemptingto
revealthesesecretsinthiscomingschoolyearthroughspecifiedopportunitiesfor
professionaldevelopment,andduringourweeklyProfessionalLearningCommunities.

41

Ourfindingsalsorevealedinformationthatwillbeusefulinselectingand
sustainingeffectiveresidentartistsintheclassroom.Ouridealinemployingresident
artistsintotheclassroomwastorelayinformationtheclassroomteachermaynotbeableto
deliveraseffectivelyandasknowledgably.Afterourinteractionswithresidentartists,we
wereleftfeelingenthusedbysomeanddisheartenedbyothers.Residencyprogram
characterandqualityvariesdramaticallyasaconsequenceoffactorssuchasthenatureof
theresidencysetting,gradelevel,artform,residencystructureandgoals,andthe
professionalexpertiseandteachingexperienceoftheartist.Becausetherewasnopre
existingartsprogram,manyareaswerenotinitiallydiscussed,thoughtof,orvalidated.
Duetothenatureofinconsistencieswiththesefactors,thefacilitationandinstructionofthe
residentartist,atmanytimes,becameimpaired.Further,studentsgenerallyhadlittle
knowledgeoforexperiencewiththeartformtowhichtheywerebeing"exposed."
Sometimesthestudentsseemedtogreatlyenjoythelessons,however,manyothertimes
theyvisiblysufferedthroughthem.
Inanefforttoalleviatetheseproblems,itwouldbebeneficialtohaveartistsapply
toworkinourschool,meetwithschoolstaff,beforehand,andhavethembecomefamiliar
andintentionalwithcoreacademiccurricula.Thisshouldallbedonebeforetheystepfoot
intoaclassroom.Clearintentionalityandsincereinteresttofacilitateyouthshouldbethe
backbonetoanyresidentartistinanyschoolsetting.
Anothercommoncharacteristicofresidenciesconductedinthecontextofaweaker
andemergingschoolartsprogram,wasinconsistentteacherinvolvement.Inotherwords,

42

thehostteacherinvariablystoodbackandwatched,ortookonmostinstructionwithor
withouttheresidentartist.Insomecases,residentartistsbalkedatteacherintervention,
andinmanycasestheywerefartooreliantonthehostteacher.Forthesereasons,we
foundresidencieswereeitherveryeffectiveorveryineffective.
Inordertobuildsuccesswithapotentiallysuccessfulandengagingstrategy,itis
paramountthatweestablishclearconnectionsandroleswiththecollaborativeteamof
residentartistandteacher.Itispivotalthatadiscussionandagreementscometo
establishinggoalsetting,routines,andwaystomeetstudentneeds.Also,itisimportantto
notethatoncethiscollaborationhastakenplace,itmaybeadvantageoustohavethe
employmentofresidentartistsbeconsistentandlastformorethanoneschoolyear.
However,itisouropinionthisshouldpotentiallybedecidedbythoseinvolvedinthe
collaborativeteam.
Inconclusion,morestructuresandrelationshipsmustbedevelopedinorderfor
residentartistrytobeeffectiveintheclassroom.Itisimportanttorecognizethat
consistencyisalsoakeypiece.Consequently,wheneffectiveresidentartiststhat
collaboratewellarefound,itisbeneficialtomaintainandsustainconsistentandsupported
relationshipstoensurecontinuousparticipationofthosethataddtotheschoolcommunity.
Comprehensive,innovativeartsinitiativesaretakingrootinagrowingnumberofschool
districts.Manyofthesemodelsarebasedonnewfindingsinbrainresearchandcognitive
development,andtheyembraceavarietyofapproaches:usingtheartsasalearningtool,
interdisciplinaryteaching,creatingaschoolenvironmentrichinartsandculture,and

43

handsonartsinstructionwiththeoptionofincludingaresidentartist.Thistrendmaysend
asurprisingyetimportantmessagetoschoolswhomfocussoparochially,andperhaps
counterproductively,onrepetitivetestpreparation,andexcessiveteachingsurrounding
onlyLiteracyandMathematics.

44

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49

Appendix A
Arts Integration Spoken Word Poetry Unit
This unit plan is designed in accordance to Common Core Standards for grade 3. It
is presented with the traditional lesson as well as an arts-integration extension option for
each session. Lessons are designed to be taught with or without a resident artist, depending
on the availability of the artist. The summative project is open to interpretation and will of
the instructor.
Unit: Arts Integration Spoken Word Poetry
Curriculum Area: Language Arts
Grade Level: 3
Time Frame: approximately 30 days
Common Core Standards:
RL.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly
to the text as the basis for the answers.
RL.3.2 Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures;
determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key
details in the text.
RL.3.5 Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text,
using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on
earlier sections.
RL.3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the
characters.
RL.3.7 Explain how specific aspects of a texts illustrations contribute to what is conveyed
by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).
RL3.9 Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same
author about the same or similar characters.
W.3.6 With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish
writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
W.3.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital
sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.
L.3.1a Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general
and their functions in particular sentences.
L.3.2f Use spelling patterns and generalizations in writing words.
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L.3.1i Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences.

RI.3.7 Use information gained from illustrations and the words in a text to demonstrate
understanding of the text.
RI.3.9 Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two
texts on the same topic.
Lessons:
Day 1
(optional)

Alliteration
Learning Target: I can identify and write examples of alliteration.
Vocabulary: poetry, alliteration
Standard: RL.2.4
Process:
1. Hook: Introduce alliteration using Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled
peppers.
2. Read a poem with alliteration using Fox in Socks by Dr. Suess, Picture
Puzzle Piece by Shel Silverstein, or Danny ODare by Shel Silverstein
3. Discuss. If you have access to a Promethean or document camera, use it
to display the example. Have students point out the lines with alliteration.
4. Make a chart of alliterations.
5. Model writing examples with the students.
6. Assignment: Use your name to make a two or more word alliteration. For
example: Lisa leaps, Lisa loves lizards
Additional examples can be found on the website:
http://www.mywordwizard.com/alliteration-poems-for-kids.html

Day 2
(optional)

Alliteration (continued)
Learning Targets: I can identify and write alliteration.
I can use vocabulary and spelling words to create
alliteration.
Standard: RL.2.4

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Vocabulary: poetry, alliteration

Process:
1. Review what we have learned about alliteration.
2. Share name alliterations from yesterday.
3. Partner students.
4. Give each partner a card with a word on it (use current spelling words or
words from word wall).
5. Students should work with their partner and use their poetry books to
create alliteration for their given word.
6. Regroup to the circle on the community carpet.
7. Sharing party! Students share their alliteration work with the group.
8. Closing: Discuss any examples to add to the alliteration chart.
Day 3
(optional)

Alliteration (continued)
Learning Target: I can identify, write, and define alliteration.
Standard: RL.2.4
Vocabulary: poetry, alliteration
Process:
1. Review the class alliteration chart from the week.
2. Alliteration Scavenger Hunt: Provide books or have students search read
poems of choice and find three examples of alliteration. Students should
record their examples.
3. Sharing party! Students share their alliteration finds with the group.
4. Write alliteration examples on the class chart.
5. Exit ticket: Use a post-it note to write your definition of alliteration.

Day 4

Alliteration (continued)

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(optional)
Learning Target: I can write and identify alliteration.
I can write a guided poem using alliteration.
Standard: RL.2.4
Vocabulary: poetry, alliteration
Process:
1. Review chart of alliteration made with the class from the week.
2. Read I Never poem example to students. Find and highlight examples
of alliteration.
3. Students create own I Never poems using sentence starters provided,
either in pairs or individually.
4. Regroup to the carpet.
5. Sharingparty!StudentssharetheirINeverpoetrywiththeclass.
Day 5
(optional)

Adjectives/Adverbs
Learning Target: I can identify adjectives and adverbs from poetry
I can use a graphic organizer to record my information.
Standard: L.2.1e
Vocabulary: Adjectives, adverbs
Process:
1. Read books Dearly, Nearly, Insincerely and Hairy, Scary, Ordinary, both
by Brian P. Cleary to provide examples and guide a discussion about
adverbs and adjectives.
2. Display a favorite class poem from an earlier lesson on Promethean or
under the document camera. Highlight adjectives and adverbs used in these
poems.
3. Create an adverb/adjective T-Chart of the highlighted examples.

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4. Provide a second poem for students.

5. Partner students.
6. Partners are of the adjectives and adverbs they found in their poem.
Day 6

Rhyme

Arts Integration
Extension: Parent,
community,
principal, or
resident artist
could conduct
read aloud.

Learning Target: I can rhyme words using a rhyming dictionary, poems in

books, and class poems.
Vocabulary: rhyme, rhyming dictionary
Standard: L.3.2f
Process:
1. Ask: What does it mean to rhyme? Rhyming is when words have endings
with the same sounds.
2. Discuss examples and non-examples.
3. Read the fun rhyming poems. Use Prelutsky and Silverstein poems or
other highly-engaging poems.
4. Students should record any rhyming words they hear.
5. Repeat process with a few poems as time allows.
6. Demonstrate how to use a rhyming dictionary using Scholastics
Rhyming Dictionary.
7. Demonstrate how to write a couplet. For example:
Ms. Holmes dog is big.
Ms. Ekrem dances a jig.
7. Partner students.
8. Students should create their own couplet based on the example. Students
may use rhyming dictionaries as necessary.
8. Sharing party! Students share rhyming couplets.

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Day 7

Rhyme Schemes
Learning Target: I can identify AABB, ABAB, and ABCB rhyme schemes
in poetry.
Standard: RL.3.5
Vocabulary: rhyme scheme, rhyme
Process:
1. Read several rhyming poems to the class and display them accordingly
for students to follow along.
2. Provide handout to students, who will highlight the rhyming words.
3. Display poem under the document camera. Use student highlighted
example to discuss the rhyming pattern of the poem. Discuss As and Bs
etc. to create rhyme scheme.
There are more examples of poetry to find rhyme schemes with on this
website: http://www.poetry4kids.com/blog/lessons/rhyme-schemes-lessonplan/
5. Students may write their poetry individually or in pairs.

Day 8

Rhythm

Arts Integration
Extension:
Resident artist
Terrell extended
this lesson by
teaching students
to beat-box using
only their bodies.
This extension
carried over
several visits and
used a game he
called the
rhythm
machine.

Learning Target: I can identify the rhythm of a poem.

Vocabulary: rhythm, beat, syllables
Standard: RL3.5
Process:
1. Introduce rhythm of poetry.
2. Reread a few poems from this week. Clap syllables to demonstrate.
4. Read "Sick" by Shel Silverstein to class. Display it under the document
camera so that they can read along.
5. Circle up students. Provide each student with a tennis ball.
6. Reread poem to students. As you read, have students pass their ball to the
right one student, and pass it with the beat. Students will be taking and
passing at the same time. Discuss beat definition.

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Day 9

Lines and stanzas

Arts Integration
Extension:
Resident artist
Desdamona
extended this
lesson by
displaying her
poetry and having
kids alter the
rhymes and
rhythms.

Learning Target: I can identify lines and stanzas in poetry.

Vocabulary: Lines, Stanzas
Standard: RL3.5
Process:
1. Review Rhyme, Rhythm, Repetition
2. Use handout to begin a discussion about lines and stanzas.
3. Display a copy of A Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul
Fleischman share poem and identify the rhyme, rhythm, and repetition in
the poem.
4. Quiz tomorrow.

Day 10

Show what you know!

Learning Target: I can demonstrate what I have learned about alliteration,
rhyme, rhyme schemes, and beats in poetry.
Process: Give quiz

Day 11-12

Main Idea

Arts Integration
Extension:
Tableau

Learning Target: I can find the main idea of a poem.

Standard: RL.3.1
Vocabulary: main idea
Process:
1. Read a poem to the class, twice. Read it the first time for enjoyment and
the second time to find the main idea.
2. Reread the poem for a third time to find the most important words.
Highlight or circle the words and put those words on chart paper. A student
volunteer may record these words onto a sentence strip.
3. Rearrange the highlighted words to create a new poem. It does not have
to rhyme.

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4. Students may work with a partner to recreate this activity. Instead of

writing words onto sentence strips, they should cut them out of the poem
and use those words to rearrange.
5. If time allows, they should illustrate their new poem.
6. Sharing party!
Day 13

Main Idea

Arts Integration
Extension:
Tableau

Learning Target: I can identify the main idea of a poem. I can tell why the
author wrote a poem.
Standard: RL.3.1
Vocabulary: main idea, authors purpose
Process:
1. Anchor chart about authors purpose (PIE shaped chart-Persuade, Inform,
Entertain)
2. Choose 2 or 3 poems to share with the class. Silverstein and Prulesky are
fun.
2. Read a poem. As a class, identify the main idea and authors purpose for
writing the poem.
3. Students complete worksheet about the main idea and author's purpose
individually.

Day 14

Mood and Theme

Arts Integration
Extension:
Create paintings
to match moods
of poems. Play
mood music in the
background as
students work.

Learning Target: I can find the mood and theme of a poem.

Standard: RL.3.9
Process:
1. Introduce terms mood and themeusing music. Play a clip of an energetic
song. Discuss the mood. Play a clip of a slow song. Discuss mood.
Continue discussion to include the theme.
2. Create a list of moods and themes found in stories and poems that were
read as a class so far during the year. Direct students to use a variety of
adjectives to describe feelings.
3. Students should complete worksheet regarding mood and theme.

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Day 15

Illustrations

Arts Integration
Extension:
Have a variety of
materials ready
for illustrations.
This lesson could
be extended to
create posters or
to include
materials that
require more time
or maintenance.
Additionally, this
lesson could be
done in cohesion
with the art
instructor.
Day 16

Learning Target: I can explain how the illustration connects to the poem.

Arts Integration
Extension:
Students can
illustrate their
diamante poem by
creating a simple
pop art piece on
the computer.

Learning Target: I can write a diamante poem.

I can use illustrations to understand more about a poem.

Standard: RL.3.7
Process:
1. Read and display a few poems that are printed with illustrations. Lead a
discussion about how the picture helps enhance the words.
2. Students should choose their favorite poem from the selection read
during this unit or from the class library.
3. Students will share how they illustrated their poem and told why that
illustration enhances the writing.

Diamante Poem

Standard: L.3.1a
Process:
1. Review nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
2. Review or teach synonyms and antonyms. Use an extra day to teach this
step if needed.
3. Model writing a diamante poem using antonyms.
4. Create a diamante poem together as a class.
5. Students will write their own diamante poem using the format provided.
6. Sharing party!

Day 17

Compare and Contrast

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Arts Integration
Extension:
Dress the same as
another teacher.
Take a picture of
each teacher. Use
the two pictures
as the launch for
the discussion.
Arts Integration
Extension:
Hula hoops and
sentence strips
can create a lifesized,
interchangeable
Venn diagram.

Learning Target: I can compare and contrast two poems.

Standard: RL.3.9, RI.3.9
Vocabulary: Compare and contrast, similarity and difference
Process:
1. Present two poems to the class. Use two poems from the same author or
about the same subject matter, possibly from a different subject you are
currently studying.
2. Read the examples out loud, encouraging students to choral read
together.
3. Complete a Venn diagram.
4. Students replicate the exercise on their own or with a partner, using a
given poem or worksheet from the teacher.

Day 18

Point of View

Arts Integration
Extension:
Tableau a poem
and discuss from
authors point of
view. Be sure to
cite evidence for
thoughts.

Learning Target: I can identify the authors point of view.

Standard: RL.3.6
Process:
1. Reread a poem that has been read and discussed thus far in the unit.
Create a tableau of the poem.
2. From the tableau, discuss: how does the author feel about the topic? How
do you know?
3. Read Life Doesnt Frighten Me At All by Maya Angelou as a second
poem. Have students visualize it without adding their own comments. In
writing notebooks, have students record reactions to how they think the
author feels about the poem.
4. Have students find someone who doesnt agree and then complete a chart
comparing and contrasting the points of view.
5. Students should find their own poem in the class library and repeat the
process individually in their writing notebooks.

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Day 19

Acrostic Poem

Arts Integration
Extension:
Use KidPix 3D to
illustrate and
animate their
acrostic poem.
Add the poems to
your class website
or the school
Facebook page.

Learning Target:
I can write an acrostic poem.
Standard: L.3.1i
Process:
1. Choose a word from a subject you are currently studying, such as
fractions.
2. Students can use single words, phrases, or sentences to write their
acrostic poems, depending on their writing abilities and need to
differentiate.
3. Model how to create an acrostic poem. Repeat the process as a class if
they need an additional example.
5. Have students write their own examples in their writing notebook.

Day 20

Biography Poem

Arts Integration
Extension:
I am watercolor
artwork using
only adjectives
from this poem.
This project
should be done
after the writing
process is
complete.

Learning Target: I can tell about myself by writing a bio poem.

Standard: W.3.7, W.3.8
Process:
1. Present the format to the students.
2. Model how to create the poem by following the format and using
yourself as an example.
3. Students should create a draft of their poem individually by following the
format.
4. Early finishers may create a bio poem about a friend or favorite teacher,
historical person studied in class, or favorite celebrity. Additionally,
students may use thesauruses to enhance the words in their poem.

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Day 21

Blackout poem

Arts Integration
Extension:
Resident artist can
lead this lesson
with little to no
guidance from
teacher.

Vocabulary: blackout

Provide additional
materials to create
illustrations in the
background of
new poetry.

Learning Target: I can create a blackout poem.

Process:
1. Share examples of blackout poetry with the students.
2. Discuss, What makes this poetry? and How is this poem different
from others weve looked at so far?
3. Model how to create a blackout poem using a piece of text recently
studied in class. Reiterate that the finished piece should make sense when
read out loud.
4. Provide text and markers for students to create their own blackout poetry.

Day 22

Shape poem

Arts Integration
Extension: This
lesson could
easily be done
amidst a resident
artist.

Learning Target: I can write a shape poem.

Process:
1. Shape poems take the shape of their topic. These are also known as
concrete poems.
2. Use the Apple and Dog examples in Sharon Creechs book Love
That Dog as examples for this lesson.
3. Model and create an example as a class.
4. Use construction paper, typing paper to create shape poems.

Day 23-28

Prepare for final presentation

Arts Integration
Extension:
Presentation
preparation to be
completed with
Resident Artists.

Learning Target: I can choose and prepare the presentation of one of the
poems from my portfolio.

Arts Integration

General Process:
1. Work with a resident artist to create own beat-boxing rhythm and practice
public speaking.
2. Choose live presentation or iMovie and practice accordingly.

61

Extension:
3. Choose projects created during the unit for backgrounds to be used
during the presentation.
Students can use
the Wordfoto app
to create a
background visual
for presentation.
Day 29-30
Show what you know!
*Flexible
Learning Target: I can demonstrate what I have learned about poetry.
Process: Final project presentations.

62