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When I began teaching art at the International School of Myanmar, I walked into a class that had no existing lesson plans. I saw this as an opportunity to create classes that fit what I wanted an art education to be, rather than just adapting the ideas of the previous teacher. I chose to make Integrated Arts the primary focus of my classes. This style of teaching incorporates material from homeroom classes into every art class. I use this as a starting point for a lesson, and overlay the art standards and skills that I want the kids to learn.  

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The image above is from a 2nd grade lesson focusing on their homeroom teacher's unit on Community Helpers. The kids chose an important member of the community and drew the person doing what makes them essential. We also discussed the importance of composition and negative space. Students applied these new concepts to the content of their drawing. This holistic approach makes art more relevant to students, and helps them retain the information they learn from their homeroom teacher.