This past summer I was invited to join a team of teachers by presenting my ideas on Music and Literacy and Studio Days at the Connectivity Virtual Conference hosted by Susan Riley of educationcloset.com. While there, the hostess and arts integration specialist spoke about her new book Shake the Sketch. I was very excited to get my copy and soon after dove into this great resource!
If you are at all interested in making change in your school or district, this is a must-have book! Susan is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to creating a pathway for arts integration for teachers. Taking the viewpoint that it IS possible to shake the sketch and wipe the slate clean, Susan describes in detail how to build a great arts integration program for your classroom, school or district. The workbook is easy to read and follow with sequenced chapters in what arts integration is, how to create a vision with a team, curriculum mapping, lesson planning, assessment and how to achieve great professional development. Each chapter contains clear explanations, examples of success and ends with additional resources. There is even an optional assignment for each chapter that allows you to look more deeply into the concepts and ideas presented so that you come away with concrete, usable resources of your own that can act as materials for teaching or advocacy.
I, myself, have started to implement the ideas found in this book with the PLC I have organized in the Amesbury, Massachusetts district where I work. After years of building a community of like-minded teachers, I feel like we were lacking solid direction as a Pre-K through grade 12 group of teachers. This book has given me the direction I have needed to lead this core group to making change in our district. These teachers are excited to create a vision and follow through with the work that lies ahead.
These teacehrs are also excited to get their own hands on this great book and for the very affordable price, there’s nothing stopping them. You can order the book in print for $21.99 or purchase the ebook version of it for only $8.99! You cannot go wrong here!
Giveaway Time!
But before you scurry over to Amazon, you may want to enter yourself in this giveaway first. Susan has been kind enough to offer a book for us to giveaway to one of our readers here at The Inspired Classroom. To enter, all you need to do is comment on this post and tell us how you would use this great resource. Everyone who comments will be entered into a random drawing and the winner will be announced on Friday. So, wait no more! Comment away!
~EMP
As a first year teacher in a brand new charter school, our curriculum is lacking a central uniting focus seen in more established schools. As a huge proponent of the arts and arts integration myself, I try and utilize the arts as much as possible in my own classroom. With this book, I could further extend what I am doing in my room to helping my colleagues integrate the arts within their own curriculums, making arts integration a real uniting factor for our founding group of educators.
I believe art integration is a critical part of teaching to the whole child. I use music frequently with my students, per the inspiration from your book! I think Shake the Sketch would provide me with more ideas and inspiration, within my co-teaching classrooms. Not only will these approaches benefit my special education caseload, but they will also benefit the rest of the students within the co-taught class.
This resource sounds like a great way to renew my thinking from my Arts Integration program a few years back. At this point, so much of my new learning has been synthesized and I am ready to back up and re experience all of the pieces again that I may have forgotten. Taking this forward in to new ways to integrate seems like the next best step. It has always been a challenge for me to explain how this is done, and how I do it myself, and this seems that it would help all of these pieces to come together.
This book sounds great! I am about to begin student teaching in January in an urban school. I want my classroom to be inviting, inspiring, and as whole-child centered as a classroom has ever been. I can’t wait to read this book!
Shake & Sketch sounds like a wonderful resource to help promote the arts while providing tools in helping to create an integrated arts school environment.
Congratulations to Alicia Schordine for winning a copy of Shake the Sketch by Susan Riley. I will be in touch soon so that you can get your book! If anyone else is interested, check out the Shake the Sketch info page to order your own copy.
This is a great resource for all teachers and administrators interested in making arts integration part of their classroom, school and/or district!
Enjoy your week end, everyone!
We are looking for ways to bring arts integration into our school districts curriculum to enhance all core subjects, reach and engage all learners and close the achievement gap. This book would be great resource in these efforts.
Hi Saul, That is exciting to hear your school is embracing arts integration. Please let me know if you want to chat further about that or if I can help you in any way. In what school do you teach? P.S. This giveaway is over, but you can check out today’s post for a different one…
Be sure to check out this month’s (Feb, 2013) arts integration book giveaway! https://theinspiredclassroom.com/2013/02/how-studio-day-saved-my-school-year/