Think Like an Artist: Lessons for Experiencing the Artistic Creative Process

In Think Like an Artist, Dr. Haroutounian offers teachers of the arts, enthusiastic classroom teachers, and homeschool co-op instructors a series of lessons to enhance artistic experiences for students. It contains more than a dozen lessons in each of the four arts domains: the visual arts, music, dance/movement, and theater/drama. The lessons range from easy to moderate to challenging so that every student has a chance to experience the artistic process, no matter the level of talent or ability. Some of the lessons are linked with other arts domains or with academic areas, and many of them can be modified to include current topics of study in the classroom or within the broader academic curriculum.

Each lesson includes objectives, materials needed, and the location and timeframe for the activity, as well as the interpretive arts elements that are used in the lesson. This is followed by clear, step-by-step instructions, sample questions to guide the activity, and tips for identifying students who show potential talent. The lessons end with extension activities that can allow students to pursue areas of interest further. Some lessons also include resources for delving deeper into the subjects inherent in the lesson. In addition, there is an extensive list of resources at the end of the book that provides recommended readings for almost any artistic topic.

This book is a valuable resource for teachers and homeschool co-op instructors who wish to give their students greater exposure to creative arts experiences.