The Artful Learning Series is designed for elementary and middle school ELA and art educators to cultivate curiosity, critical thinking, and meaningful engagement. Developed by educator and artist Ileana Lado, each series is informed by her extensive experience as an ELA teacher and museum educator, combining pedagogical expertise with artistic vision. Every resource is thoughtfully illustrated and designed to transform learning into an immersive, visually rich experience.
These resources are crafted to inspire deeper connections to literature and the arts. Each illustration and graphic is an original work, ensuring that complex ideas are not only accessible but also engaging and enriching for students.
Creative Expression
Engage with poetry to foster critical thinking and creativity. This series guides students in analyzing poetry, making meaningful connections to their lives, and crafting their own poetic expressions.
Culturally Responsive Teaching
Explore culturally responsive texts and social-emotional learning through fiction and non-fiction novels. This series promotes empathy and understanding by connecting students to stories that reflect their own experiences while revealing diverse perspectives from around the world.
Critical Inquiry
Dive into "The Blue Whale's Path," a distinctive educational framework that helps students progress from basic comprehension to complex analysis to foster critical thinking and creativity.
What to Expect
This Artful Learning Series offers dynamic resources and original illustrations to help educators bring interdisciplinary learning to life in their classrooms.
Series Breakdown Coming Soon – In-depth explanations of Mirrors and Windows, Poetry-Minded, and The Blue Whale’s Path, highlighting how each integrates literature and visual art to foster deeper engagement and critical thinking.
Videos Coming Soon – Each series will feature accompanying videos that explore key books, authors, and poets, as well as step-by-step guides on implementing Artful Learning in the classroom. Subscribe to the Learning with Lado Youtube channel!
Resources Available – Materials aligned with these videos, including illustrated worksheets, discussion guides, and creative activities, can be found in the shop.
Stay tuned for updates, and in the meantime, explore our free downloads to start integrating Artful Learning into your teaching!