The Excellent Public Schools Act of 2013 has charged teachers with the responsibility of integrating arts education across the curriculum. How can we use that challenge to super-charge early grades literacy instruction? While most teachers are aware of the research showing that children exposed to drama, music, and dance do a better job at mastering the core subject areas, many feel ill-equipped to bring the power of arts education into reading and writing. Where do the North Carolina Educational Standards connect and intersect with arts integrated learning? Join a group of dedicated colleagues as we explore ways to engage our students through visual, musical, dramatic, verbal, and movement arts. Discover how art can motivate, build persistence, improve memory, increase attention span, strengthen abstract thinking, and prepare students to deal productively with complexity, ambiguity, and frustration.