Cornett (2011)also quotes Lockwood (2005) explains, “Without a basic symbolic vocabulary art remains impenetrable. We need to teach how to look at the ‘thing.’ How an oak in a painting suggests strength and longevity, or olive as peace.” Students lacking arts literacy become frustrated, along with the teacher, when they try to “read” art, even in picture books. “ One example I find with my students is that we are continually focusing that pictures have meaning and can be interpreted. During storytime, I stop the story and ask questions about what they see in the picture. Developing this awareness is important to their literacy development. In addition, they could also be re-created by artists. When my students are in the art center, they are no longer students, they are artists, and they can use the materials (which we name for them) at their discretion. “Picture book art is a readily available “text” to teach students to decode visual symbols,, but success depends on learning art elements and how to investigate meanings in the composition. For example, picture book artists often orient figures to direct the eye to move to the next page. Short lessons on a few arts words and concepts free students to notice more and create meaning from what they see” (Cornett, 2011).
References:
Cornett, C. E. (2011). Creating meaning through literature and the arts: An integration of resources for classroom teachers (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.