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"Art projects" in English classrooms do not help students and weaken their writing skills.

Warmest regards to my opponent; I accept this debate. My opponent states that "art projects in English classrooms at the High School level do not help students learn how to write well". I disagree. While it is obviously true that, generally speaking, art projects are unlikely to focus on syntax and grammar, there is far more to expressing oneself than simply those basics. In a way, DDO's 7 point voting system is a perfect example of this; only one point in seven is devoted to dotting the Is and crossing the Ts. Of far more importance to the vote is the ability to be persuasive and, when appropriate, quote one's sources. This need to be persuasive is present in most college essays, as well. According to the Harvard College Writing Center, the core point of an academic essay is "fashioning a coherent set of ideas into an argument" [1]. If one were to compare use of the English language to playing the piano, the syntax and grammar could be seen as analogous to the actual notes on the page of sheet music. The act of fashioning that coherent set of ideas, however, is more analogous to the rhythm and pitch of the pianist pouring expression into the notes on the page. In plain terms, it's an artistic talent. One of the ways in which a smart teacher can help students express that artistry is through the use of While it is obviously true that, generally speaking, art projects are unlikely to focus on syntax and grammar, there is far more to expressing oneself than simply those basics. In a way, DDO's 7 point voting system is a perfect example of this; only one point in seven is devoted to dotting the Is and crossing the Ts. Of far more importance to the vote is the ability to be persuasive and, when appropriate, quote one's sources. This need to be persuasive is present in most college essays, as well. According to the Harvard College Writing Center, the core point of an academic essay is "fashioning a coherent set of ideas into an argument" [1]. If one were to compare use of the English language to playing the piano, the syntax and grammar could be seen as analogous to the actual notes on the page of sheet music. The act of fashioning that coherent set of ideas, however, is more analogous to the rhythm and pitch of the pianist pouring expression into the notes on the page. In plain terms, it's an artistic talent. One of the ways in which a smart teacher can help students express that artistry is through the use of art projects that contain similar values. A diorama of a scene from The Crucible, for example, might lead a student to put more focus and attention on the imagery used by the play. Ideally, this would show the student the value of that imagery, and encourage its replication if they were asked to describe an equivalent modern environment. My opponent makes other arguments, but they lack a certain relevance (IE their personal high school experience does nothing but show their own inherent bias to the concept of art as a learning tool, and their observation that college professors must be redundant in their initial lessons is certainly true, but they have failed to make a connection between a few art projects and that typical student failing. Summer vacation is arguably a far more culpable factor). In conclusion, art projects do help students, because they enforce good creative writing techniques. As such, they serve to strength the writers' skills. [1] http://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu...