Arts Strategies

An arts strategy is a process that can be applied to different content in a variety of ways to achieve specific learning objectives.

The dance and drama strategies described below were used in the Hawai`i Arts Alliance's Arts & Literacy for All (ALA) Project, funded by a 2006-2010 US Department of Education Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination (AEMDD) grant. The ALA Project focused on the effects of the arts strategies on students' reading comprehension. These strategies were implemented by teachers from all grade levels in four elementary schools.

Teachers used four primary arts strategies to enhance reading comprehension and vocabulary instruction -
1. Snapshot
2. Tableau
3. Expressive Movement
4. Observe, Describe, Interpret and Evaluate

Many Arts as Tools activities - Mirrors, Echo and Domino - were also taught and used in the ALA Project.

Before using any of the strategies, students are first introduced to the concepts of personal space and freeze.

Space Bubble helps students define their personal space and how they should move safely in and through space.


The concept of freeze is a basic skill that all students should know and practice. Students should be able to respond quickly to the "freeze" prompt. Move and Freeze is a strategy that can be done in place or through space.

Move & Freeze: A Definition




Move & Freeze: Shapes




Move & Freeze: Different Movements




Move and Freeze can be used with music - moving while the music plays and freezing when the music stops.

Move & Freeze: With Music




Zookeeper is a drama version of move and freeze. It is more literal with the students pretending to be animals and the teacher in role as the zookeeper.


Snapshot is a quick individual frozen body shape. It challenges students to think quickly and creatively yet requires control and focus. This strategy can be used to explore many ideas such as emotion, actions and vocabulary.

Snapshot: Definition and Process




Snapshot: Exploring Emotions




Snapshot: Exploring Occupations




Tableau is a frozen image with two or more people that represents an idea, theme or specific parts of a story. A tableau requires a period of planning time within the group unlike the snapshot which is quickly improvised.

Expressive movement represents ideas that can be literal or abstract. It consists of -
- body shapes
- movements
- sequences of shapes
- sequences of movements
- freezes.
It can be done individually, in partners, in groups of three or more.

Expressive Movement: Different Ideas