Reply to English teachers -- WHY art assignments???

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Reply to "English teachers -- WHY art assignments???"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]English teachers, why do you assign projects that require illustrations, creating colorful posters, etc.?  Isn't English supposed to measure your capacity to read, write, and understand what you have read and write?  My child has MAJOR, EXTREME challenges with art.  Like used to sit and cry in preschool when coloring was assigned because it was so stressful.  He's an excellent reader and writer!  He loves literature!  But he will likely fail this project because he really cannot create a colorful poster with illustrations.  Why do you do this to students?  Why can't you assign alternatives, like write a 5 page essay OR create a colorful poster?  Why are they graded on their art skills in English?

Basically all my children hate these "art" assignments in their non-art classes.  My youngest child spent hours trying to make an illustration for an English class, and the teacher gave them a bad grade because they said it looked like they had drawn it in 5 minutes.  This is a 9th grade English class, not an art class!  Why can't they actually read a novel, instead of spending time on art projects?

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Humans have multiple intelligences, including visual intelligence. Allowing students to express themselves visually plays to certain students' strength and allows what is for most students a fun assignment to reinforce readings and allow students to express their interpretation.

You should talk to teachers if your child is highly anxious about such an assignment. No need to complain on DCUM - talk to your student's teacher about an alternative assignment. That's your job as a parent and adult -  to problem-solve.[/quote]

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