Picture Writing and Image Making

At the Center for the Advancement of Art-Based Literacy in New Hampshire, students are combining visual arts and writing to promote writing literacy.  To get more information and to find workshops, visit the Picture Writing and Image-Making website.  This information, including examples of student work, was extracted directly from their site:

…”are two dynamic art-and-literature based approaches to writing developed by Beth Olshansky to meet the needs of students with diverse learning styles. Through the use of simple hands-on art experiences, the introduction of quality picture books, and an on-going Artists/Writers Workshop, these innovative approaches give children access to visual and kinesthetic as well as verbal modes of thinking at each and every stage of the writing process. They allow all children to enter the writing process from a position of personal strength and enthusiasm”. 

Picturing Writing: Fostering Literacy Through Art is an art-and-literature-based approach to writing that integrates visual modes of thinking at every stage of the writing process. Picturing Writing utilizes simple crayon resist art techniques and quality literature in a progression of mini-lessons that teach essential literacy skills to students with diverse learning styles.

Image-Making Within The Writing Process is a dynamic art-and-literature-based approach to writing that integrates visual and kinesthetic modes of thinking at each and every stage of the writing process. Students begin by creating their own portfolio of beautiful hand-painted textured papers.

Kuala Lampur HS Multiliteracy Project

In a posting on her blog, a teacher from Malaysia and her sixteen year old students from an inner-city school in Kuala Lumpur use their creative skills to attack a multiliteracy project.  The poem that the students were required to use is titled Monsoon History, by Shirley Lim.

Students combined written text, visual art, music, and sounds to create a their final project.  The students found all of their resources using the internet.  Their mash-ups each included many modes of meaning and literacy.  Although the projects are not perfect, the incredible creativity that came from understanding of the poem and incorporating representations of the culture of Malacca, the authors home, is astounding.  Read the poem and more after the jump…