Muir Elementary Art Classes Weave Literacy Into Projects

Art teacher Amy Wilson is weaving an innovative approach to literacy and art in her Muir Elementary classes. By pairing picture books with each new art project, she’s creating a space where students not only create art but connect with stories that shape their creativity and build social-emotional learning skills.

This month, second-grade students have been learning the concepts of printmaking, using symbols, lines and patterns to transfer their custom, colorful designs onto paper and curate a “mini museum” collection of their pieces. 

Wilson shared the works of Zapotec weaver Porfirio Gutierrez, famed pop artist Keith Haring and Chicana altar installation artist Ofelia Esparza to inspire students on the endless design possibilities, stemming from a variety of cultures. 

However, Wilson’s class is much more than an art history lecture; she uses multiple channels to engage students in the topic, including through reading. On a recent sunny morning, a class of second-grade students gathered around Wilson on the reading rug, beneath a large paper mache tree. Sunlight poured through the corner windows behind Wilson as she held up the book “Rainbow Weaver," written by Linda Elovitz Marshall and illustrated by Elisa Chavarri. The book, with words in both English and Spanish, follows a young Indigenous Guatemalan girl who overcomes multiple trials to create colorful Mayan textiles just like the ones her family had made for generations. 

“We've curated these prints inspired by the artists that we learned about, and then the book is an opportunity to learn a social-emotional skill, like perseverance, or another opportunity to connect culturally and socially,” Wilson said. 

Second-grader Leah said she “really, really likes” reading in art class and had “extra fun” that morning because she had the opportunity to read out loud in Spanish. As she looked over her mini museum prints, she pointed out some spots she didn’t like, and decided how to fix them, overcoming a trial just like the character in the book.

“Perseverance is something that’s in a lot of the stories we read,” Wilson said. “Art gives them a chance to see it in action.”

The approach aligns closely with the district’s goals around literacy and access, something she says has become foundational to her teaching style. A few years into her role at Muir, Wilson is familiar with students’ homeroom lessons, which she aims to pair up with her classes. 

“There are models of art education that focus on literacy innovation, and I definitely lean toward that,” she shares. “Our School Improvement Plan and district goals emphasize increasing literacy, and incorporating books into art projects feels like a natural way to do that.”

Learn more about the literacy learning modules and how you can support your student at home: ​​www.madison.k12.wi.us/curriculum-instruction/literacy/family-resources