This handbook focuses on CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY RESPONSIVE PEDAGOGY (CLRP) and how CLRP approaches and strategies can be translated in the arts with the intent of expanding educators’ repertoire of powerful, interactive instructional strategies. This resource features a set of interactive classroom strategies designed to be used by both generalist and specialist teachers, administrators, and other arts and education leaders to engage students in a variety of problem solving and critical thinking activities that will be used across the curriculum and at different grade levels. Through these strategies students will be engaging in in the 4 C’s mentioned in the Framework for 21st Century Learning developed by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills: critical thinking, communications, collaboration, and creativity. It is our hope that educators and other leaders will use these strategies in a variety of learning environments and especially in the development of standards-based lessons and units that will yield many positive outcomes for students.

Resources by Grade Level:

Elementary School Grades

• Poet as Radio. This art-centered literacy strategy offers an anxiety-free opportunity to draw personal meaning from complex text by creating and performing a complete finished poem from other text genres, including expository text.  Found on pg. 38
  • Distance Learning Tip:  This activity can easily be adapted using Google Jamboard or other platforms in which students can use online tools to co-create written text.

Middle School Grades

• Academy Awards.This strategy helps contextualize the concept of “quality” in disciplines/areas that matter to students. By providing opportunities for students to focus directly on quality criteria in their own work and for students to receive feedback from peers about that quality, the strategy brings a sense of “real life” to students’ work. Found on pg. 52
  • Distance Learning Tip:  This activity can easily be adapted using Google classroom or other platforms in which students can post and comment on each other’s posts.

High School Grades

• Dancing Phrases. The strategy is designed to expand students’ listening through the creative process to their own bodies and movement voices.  Found on pg. 73
  • Distance Learning Tip:  Students can use online dance journals to personally reflect and respond to dance learning.  In virtual breakout rooms, students may have small group discussions to gain confidence in working with peers to learn to offer feedback to affirm learning, and validate learning successes.

• Fortunately, Unfortunately, But All of a Sudden. Students have the opportunity to explore spoken improvisation skills in a safe, welcoming environment, which will build their confidence in using the English language and allow them to increase their level of participation in all aspects of the school experience. Found on pg. 89
  • Distance Learning Tip:  Educators can use online platforms for students to write in their sentences, or simply create an order in which students supply responses virtually.