About Elizabeth Peterson

Elizabeth Peterson has devoted her life to education and to reaching out to other teachers who want to remain inspired. Mrs. Peterson teaches fourth grade in Amesbury, Massachusetts and is the host of www.theinspiredclassroom.com. She holds an M.Ed. in Education, “Arts and Learning” and is currently enrolled in a C.A.G.S. program through Plymouth State University with a focus in “Arts Leadership and Learning.” Elizabeth is author of Inspired by Listening, a teacher resource book that includes a method of music integration she has developed and implemented into her own teaching. She teaches workshops and courses on the integration of the arts into the curriculum, leads an arts integration PLC (PLaiC) and is adjunct faculty for PSU. Mrs. Peterson believes there is a love of active, integrated learning in all children and from their enthusiasm, teachers can shape great opportunities to learn.
Website: http://www.theinspiredclassroom.com
Elizabeth Peterson has written 288 articles so far, you can find them below.

…but I’m not an artist…

Filed under Arts Education and Integration by Elizabeth Peterson on June 14, 2011 at 5:35 am {4 comments}

I hear this a lot and have often found myself saying it as well. But after years of dabbling in this and that, I’ve stopped. After trying things out, failing and still enjoying myself, I’ve stopped. All it took was the right people allowing me to explore my own creative side, teaching me a few [...]

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Providing for Creativity in Students

Filed under Arts Education and Integration, Classroom Stories by Elizabeth Peterson on June 9, 2011 at 5:47 am {2 comments}

Every year at this time, our fourth grade team starts to prepare our students for their “Fourth Grade Celebration.”  It is not a graduation, but rather a time when the students and teachers create a performance that celebrates their time at the Cashman Elementary School as they prepare for middle school. Our theme this year [...]

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What's So Scary about Creative?

Filed under Arts Education and Integration by Elizabeth Peterson on June 7, 2011 at 5:52 am {no comments}

Creative, artistic, imaginative, inventive – these are words that are held at a high regard, yet so many people think they are not worthy of these titles. I disagree!  What I do think happens is that we don’t allow ourselves to be those things.  It’s a combination of having little time and a bit of [...]

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Pledge to Create

Filed under Arts Education and Integration, General by Elizabeth Peterson on June 2, 2011 at 5:36 am {no comments}

Maybe you have heard about the 30 Days of Creativity Challenge. If not, you should – From the 30 Days of Creativity website: 30 Days of Creativity is a social initiative encouraging people to create stuff (anything) every day for 30 days in June. Your brain is like a muscle. When you exercise it, it [...]

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A Visit from TIGER

Filed under Arts Education and Integration by Elizabeth Peterson on May 31, 2011 at 5:16 am {2 comments}

A couple of years ago, I attended an Arts Integration Day at Plymouth State University.  There, I presented a hands-on workshop on Building Community through Music.  But before the workshops began, all the attendees and presenters were treated to a wonderful keynote speaker and a performance by TIGER: (Theater Integrating Guidance, Education, and Responsibility), a [...]

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Teacher Retreat 2011

Filed under Arts Education and Integration, General by Elizabeth Peterson on May 26, 2011 at 5:32 am {no comments}

I am so excited to announce The Inspired Classroom’s first ever Teacher Art Retreat summer event! Join teachers from the area who are ready to treat themselves to three days of art making and idea sharing.  Whether you are interested in ARTS INTEGRATION, ART EDUCATION, or just need some time for YOURSELF, this retreat, built [...]

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Mad Dash to the End

Filed under General Education Topics by Elizabeth Peterson on May 24, 2011 at 5:27 am {one comment}

Just yesterday, my 4th grade team got together to discuss the end of the year events and found ourselves overwhelmed with everything that needs to get done. Now here is the irony – we have steadily complained about the late end to the school year (June 27), often joking about how we will have so [...]

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5 Keys to Teaching with Arts Integration

Filed under Arts Education and Integration by Elizabeth Peterson on May 21, 2011 at 5:37 am {11 comments}

Being a good arts integration teacher is more than just having great lesson plans.  It’s about your attitude and your classroom’s ambiance. Even if you have been using arts integration in your teaching, you sometimes need to remind yourself of these important aspects of the practice. I might consider these 5 points to be the [...]

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Feeding My Flame

Filed under Arts Education and Integration, General Education Topics by Elizabeth Peterson on May 19, 2011 at 6:03 am {one comment}

The Flame has long been an image I hold dear. It is a symbol of creativity to me. Months ago I wrote a post about how I found that flame. It is called Feed Your Flame.  In it I describe how painting the image and ultimately dancing the image of a flame helped me to [...]

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