Supporting Academic Vocabulary and Social-Emotional Skills of Students With Learning Disabilities Through an Arts-Integrated Social Studies Approach

Students with language-based learning disabilities (LD) often experience challenges with learning academic vocabulary in classroom activities. Students with LD also benefit from social and emotional (social/emotional) skills support in academic classroom settings. The “Academic Club” (Smith, 2005) approach addresses students’ academic vocabulary and social/emotional skills through arts-integration strategies. In this case study, two arts-integration strategies, in-role characterizations and visual guides support students with LD to retain and recall social studies vocabulary. Students learn social/emotional skills through personalized and collaborative arts integration Club activities. This article provides descriptions of the background and research supporting the Academic Club approach and the two arts-integration strategies for supporting students’ academic vocabulary and social/emotional skills. A detailed summary of each arts-integration strategy and its contribution to students’ social studies, arts, and social/emotional skills is presented.