SSC ImagineARTS Weekly Arts-Integrated Literacy Classes are designed to support educators who are looking to introduce arts-integrated teaching into their curriculum. During weekly visits with Arts-integration Specialists, students bring stories to life through singing, movement, dramatic improvisation and instrument play. Through songs and activities, children deepen comprehension of story content, play with thematic vocabulary, and work with pre-reading skills including sequencing, phonemic awareness, and syllable segmenting. The ImagineARTS curriculum also builds self- management skills (turn-taking, direction-following, collaboration) and musicianship (ability to match tonal and rhythmic patterns, improvisation, creative movment).
Each 45-minute ImagineARTS class includes the same basic artistic elements: singing/chanting, instrument-play, dramatic improvisation, and creative movement. Lesson are designed to be highly inclusive, introducing stories from around the world and highlighting multi-cultural music. Each month has a designated theme and literacy objective that align with the kindergarten curriculum. Classes are story-based: each week focuses on a new book through which specific letters and vocabulary words are explored.
Sample Curriculum Map
| Month | Theme | Literacy Objective | Books | Letters |
| October | Fall | Letters and Sounds | The Listening Walk, Paul Showers (PDF) | P,B |
| Fall is Not Easy, Marty Kelley | T,D | |||
| Let it Fall, Maryann Cocca-Leffler | F, V | |||
| November | Hibernation | Rhyming | Possum's Harvest Moon, Anne Hunter* | K,G |
| Bear Snores On, Karma Wilson | Qu, Th | |||
| The Animals' Winter Sleep, Lynda Graham-Barber | Th, A | |||
| December | Giving | Syllables | If you Give a Mouse a Cookie, Laura Numeroff | O |
| Segmentation | Bear Says Thanks, Karma Wilson | M, N | ||
| Extra Yarn, Mac Barnett | ||||
| January | Winter | Sequencing | Snowy Day, Ezra Jack Keats | R, L |
| The Mitten, Jan Brett | U | |||
| The Biggest, Best Snowman, Margery Cuyler | S, Z | |||
| February | Friendship | Compare/Contrast | Corduroy, Don Freeman* | Sh, Zh |
| Together, Jane Simmons | Ch, J | |||
| Pete the Cat and the New Guy, Kimberly Dean | W, H | |||
| March | Plants | Consonant Blends | Tiny Seed, Eric Carle | i |
| Planting a Rainbow | ||||
| Let it Rain, Maryann Cocca-Leffler* | E | |||
| April | Transportation | CVC | Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Mo Willems | Oo |
| Little Blue Truck, Alice Schertle | Ou, Ow | |||
| Duck on the Bike, David Shannon | Au, Aw | |||
| May | Animals | Rhyming | Over in the Meadow, Olive Wadsworth | Oi, Oy |
| Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain, Verna Aardema* | Er, Ir, Ur | |||
| A House for Hermit Crab, Erik Carle | Ar, Or | |||
| *books that go home | ||||
What our partners are saying...
"The Conservatory's ImagineARTS program sessions are an exciting way to broaden our students' exposure to different forms of music and to make connections through the music to literature and poems. I've witnessed first-hand how motivated and motivating the SSC's staff are with our little ones and their families."
Kathleen Smith, Brockton Superintendent of Schools
"ImagineARTS is an experience that educates the "whole child". The Arts Specialists involve students in activities which activate kinesthetic learning, provide literacy experiences, present cognitive demands, promote receptive and expressive communication. Students appear to also have an emotional connection to the ImagineARTS experience, demonstrating happiness, a sense of accomplishment and pride in themselves. Each of my students look forward to the upcoming visits."
Helen Virga, Principal, Gilmore Early Childhood Center, Brockton
"The Conservatory Specialists have been reading stories to students that support the monthly literacy themes that the classroom teachers are working on. For example, when we observed the music class, students were retelling and acting out the story of The Mitten by Jan Brett, one of our core Big Books. In order to develop vocabulary, the Conservatory Specialist took specific words from the story that students may not know and had them act the words out. In this way, the Conservatory Specialist was able to incorporate kinesthetic learning into the lesson."
Joy Turpie, Hull School District Literacy Coach
"Miss Holly combines music, movement, and classic literature in a fun and inviting way! As children stomp through snow and dance like snowflakes, they are actually practicing important literacy skills such as sequencing, rhyming, and re-telling of classic literature. You'll notice smiles from ear to as children use bells, rhythm sticks, and scarves to reenact sounds and ideas, and bring literature to life. The confidence, laughter and dancing is contagious!"
Chrissy Vittorini, Kindergarten Teacher