Teaching to the state or national arts standards can have a number of advantages. If the standards are displayed, students and their parents know what is expected from the learning experiences. If the students keep portfolios they will be able to demonstrate what they have learned and they will be able to focus on their goals and make plans for future work. Then students are:

• actively engaged in meaningful work
  
• able to describe what is expected of them
  
• able to describe why they are doing what they are doing
  
• able to demonstrate the habits of rehearsal and revision
  
• able to discuss work-in-progress in terms of its quality
  
• better able to describe what assistance they need
  
• able to see their teachers as advocates and coaches

Here are LESSON IDEAS culled from a number of sources. They are presented by discipline and grade (elementary, middle school/junior high, high school). An effort has been made to include ideas that integrate the arts with one another and that integrate the arts into the general curriculum. All are based on national or state standards that include creation/performance, inquiry/criticism, and arts in context/history.

One of the special features about these lessons is that they carefully prepare and lead students through the performance process, assuring that they have the required skills before they are "tested" by having to present their work to others. These lessons prime the creative pump by giving introductions to: master art works using the same medium or style; physical or sensory warmups; introductions or a review of information, concepts or techniques to be used, etc.

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