Integrating Social-Emotional Strategies into Content Areas: First Part – Art!

| By: Committee for Children

I taught a lesson last week to second and third graders about Vincent Van Gogh. We began by reading a story about Van Gogh—the most “tragic” artist in art history, according to the book. We talked about how what he painted changed with his moods. We talked about our moods and how when our moods change what we do at the moment is affected. For example, when we are happy we often do our best job, and when we are grumpy or upset about something we rarely do our best job.

We talked about warm colors and cool colors. We looked at some of Van Gogh’s paintings and talked about how he must have felt gloomy or depressed when he painted the dark The Potato Eaters and how he must have felt happy or hopeful when he painted Sunflowers. We talked about how his paintings made us feel. We examined other painting, such as Starry Night and the Bedroom of Arles, and although we focused once again on warm colors, cool colors, impressionism, and analogous colors, we mostly talked about feelings.

It was quite easy to integrate social-emotional learning into art. If we hadn’t discussed this clear factor that Van Gogh and other artists share openly, I don’t think the students would have related as much, would have cared, would have been as engaged, and ultimately would have learned. You see, social-emotional learning is everywhere, in every subject area. It’s what hooks kids; what gets them to remember.

I know. I have integrated these skills into every art lesson I have taught for years by using an “artist of the month” curriculum map. After this art lesson, students will remember impressionism, analogous colors, and warm and cool colors, but most importantly they’ll remember the story of an artist who didn’t have strategies to cope with his anger. They will remember his work and passion even more because of his choice to cut off his ear and send it to his friend Gauguin. They will remember that when we get angry, we have better choices than cutting off our ears. We can talk or write out our feelings, take deep breaths, think of a happy memory, offer ourselves positive self-talk, grab a book, surround ourselves with positive people, and ignore behavior, just to name a few options.

Van Gogh is not alone. There were many other artists who had tragedy in their lives and have great stories to integrate with social-emotional learning in an art lesson. Pablo Picasso, for example, went through a blue period when he was sad, and a rose period when he was happy (and in love). The more we reveal the social-emotional aspects of art and other subjects, the more we will create not only artists, but children with strong social-emotional skills.