Week 5: Dance and Character Education & Well-being

Inside Out - Meet the Emotions

Reflection: This is an effective activity because it allows students to explore emotional awareness and connect emotion to verbs and movement. 

Warm-up: Karate Contest

Warm up: Karate Contest includes small groups labelled North, South, East and West. Each group come sup with 3 karate moves and sounds to go along with them. North vs South take a step forward, bow, perform their moves in unison at the same time as the other group, and bow to end.

Activity:

Expectations: 
Dance gr. 7/8 A1.2 use dance as a language to communicate messages about themes of social justice and/or environmental health

Health C2.3 apply personal skills and interpersonal skills (e.g., self-awareness and self-management skills, including anger management; communication skills, including listening skills and assertiveness skills) to promote positive interaction and avoid or manage conflict in social situations (e.g., classroom groups, groups of friends, sports teams, school clubs)

Flocking- A type of movement improvisation in which students mirror or shadow each other's movement in groups. Often uses a diamond formation. Students follow the movements of a leader and share leadership throughout the group.

Theme and Variation- choreographic form that starts with an original movement idea that is repeated with various modifications (e.g., performed faster or slower, with lighter or stronger movements, in a new place) while still maintaining its structure and sequence, resulting in an A-A1-A2-A3 pattern. The theme may be repeated between the variations.

Begin by watching an anti-bullying video and discuss the characteristics of a bully and a victim. Use Body storming to express any ways that you can convey those ideas or feelings through movement.

Divide the class in half, half the class will be groups that play victims and the other half bullies. Each group chooses 3 or 4 actions they would like to express to create a movement sequence.

Use the form of theme and variation by repeating a movement again and again in different ways (e.g., performed faster or slower, with lighter or stronger movements, in a new place).

Combine theme and variation with flocking. Place the students in a diamond shape on the space. One person is at the head of the diamond and leads the other 3. The other 3 follow the movement sequence of the leader. When that sequence is done, the diamond turns ¼ turn so that a new leader is followed. Repeat so that everyone gets a chance at being the leader. 

One victim and one bully group perform at the same time beside each other, this creates a powerful performance. Teacher can rearrange group members so that diamonds are intertwined. 

Reflection:

This lesson can be really impactful for students. Lessons like this help students to explore social justice issues (in this case, bullying).We explore how to identify the traits of a bully and victim, and how to represent that through movement. This lesson can develop a rich discussion behind how we see the victims, what we can do about bullying. We can also use the video (below) of the dancer's performing to prompt a discussion on the feelings that they might be trying to convey through dance. 

Week 5: Drama and Character Education & Well-being

Story Suspension/Forum Theatre

In this class we explored drama integrated with character education and well-being. Some effective strategies for this are story suspension and forum theatre. In story suspension, which we have used previously in classes, the teacher reads a story aloud and suspends the story at suspenseful parts in order for students to interpret meaning through drama. The teacher can choose a social justice issues, in this example we focused on bullying, to create a forum theatre, a strategy which uses drama as an open forum for teaching people how to change their world.

These strategies were impactful to me because it allows for students to role play portrayals of the social justice topic. The teacher asks students to recreate the scene, and then recreate it differently as a means to promote justice, by selecting a character to change. In this example, we changed the bystander to stand up for the character that was being bullied. Another strategy that can be used in Alter-ego, where the character has to make a choice to act based on what both good and bad sides are telling him (similar to angel and devil on your shoulder).


We also explored Finding Common Ground document, which says that a quality education is more than academics, it is the whole person. Learning cultures and communities must be caring, safe and inclusive.

Character development is about self-awareness and doing what is right because it is the right thing to do.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Integrating drama with character development allows students to meet the needs outlined in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Character development ensures safety and security in a positive school climate, friendships, heightened self esteem and respect of others, and also acceptance for who they are. 

Lastly we discussed how to include students with selective mutism. Selective mutism stems from an anxiety disorder, students are stiff, withdrawn, turned away, rarely smile, and show an inability to speak or communicate. To include students with selective mutism you would want to allow them to reflect on the drama in other ways, such as writing a script for a forum theatre, or written reflections on the story. They could also use drawings to depict scenes of the story or to describe how the scene could change.

Week 4: Dance and Social Studies

Cultures of Dance: Swedish Folk Dance

We looked at integrating dance with Social Studies. This lesson links with Grade 2 expectations in Changing Families and Community Traditions

A3.6 identify some ways in which heritage is passed on through various community celebrations and events
and Dance Exploring Forms and Cultural Context
A3.1 describe, with teacher guidance, a variety of dances from communities around the world that they have seen in the media, at live performances and social gatherings, or in the classroom

In small groups we looked at First Nations story telling through dance. We created movement phrases that tell a story. We used the elements of time and energy. 

Video Made by Zak Dekker

Lesson:

Watch "A Story Before Time" by Kaha:wi Dance Theatre 
Ask students to identify basic movements of Aboriginal Dance thinking in terms of the 5 elements and what they are familiar with.

Prompt: What body shapes did you see in the video? What level was used most often? Was the tempo fast or slow? Was the dancing heavy or light, smooth or sharp?(fast and heavy). Did any of these movements tell a story?

Students get into groups and choose 3-4 movements seen in the video or use their own movements to create a movement phrase. Use elements of time and energy and the form of narrative to tell a story with the movements.

The first performance is in unison. Afterwards we present in canon form.

Reflection:

This lesson is important to me because it is one that would benefit a student with ADHD. In class we discussed how students with ADHD might benefit from the form Canon because of the order of the dance sequence, it would be easy to have a prompt in order to know which dance movement to perform. It is also beneficial because students are up and moving in short time

frames. This lesson is also important because it relates to Bloom's Taxonomy; where creation is the highest form of thinking. Students use creation more in this lesson by stringing movements together to create narratives.

Week 4: Drama and Social Studies

Gallery Walk 1 & 2

Tableaux from Gallery Walk

Tableaux (Rollercoaster)

Curriculum Connections:

Social Studies: A1.3 compare some of the past and present traditions and celebrations of different ethnocultural groups in their local community, and identify some of the main reasons for the change (Grade 2)

Drama: B1.1 engage in dramatic play and role play, with a focus on exploring main ideas and central characters in stories from diverse communities, times, and places (Grade 2)



Reflection: 
This lesson is effective because it reflects Gunther Kress' Multimodalities Theory. Using drama allows students to make meaning and communicate by multiple modes of expression; the most prominent being gestural, this lesson also includes visuals (the images); auditory (communication); linguistic (readings from the Gallery Walk); and spatial (using the space and relationships between partners). Using multimodalities allows students to express themselves in many ways that enhance their learning.

Week 3: Dance and Math

Warm up Activity

In this class we focused on integrating dance and math curriculum areas. We explored this through the elements of body and space and the choreographic form mirroring.

Element of Body-

Shape- lines, curves, angle, different shapes you can make with your body

Parts- head, neck, arms, legs, feet, hands, stomach, back, toes, etc.
locomotor vs non-locomotor movements.

Mirroring – Partners face each other and decide who will be the first leader. The leader will begin to perform slow movements with different body parts while his/her partner follows along. The goal is to have both partners moving at (almost) the same time.

 Activity:

Show a video on how to find a line of symmetry. Students will work with a partner to explore different symmetrical movements and pathways. Teacher will put an imaginary line of symmetry in the room and in two lines the partners will go through the lines of symmetry while mirroring each others movements (one will lead and create the pathway and movement, the other will follow). 

Line of symmetry 

In groups students will create a symmetrical dance phrase. You can prompt students by allowing them to use different genres/styles of dance they might be interested in exploring. Each dance phrase will be 32 beats long. 

Reflection: 
I have used elements of this lesson in my practicum and found it to be very effective. We used the symmetry line activity and mirroring exercises to get used to the form mirroring. After we used mirroring to explore Disco. I found this to be effective with the elements of body and space because students use a variety of large and small shapes and movements with their body, and explore various group formations and pathways for space. 

Week 3: Drama and Math

Strategies Explored:

 I found Hot Seat to be an effective strategy because students can interpret the character role and the students can ask the character questions they want to know more about. The students can also play supporting character roles and ask questions from different perspectives.








Picture walk can be an effective strategy. Students can explore the pictures of a text and create a tableaux or a role play that involved the dialogue and give context to what they feel are the main ideas of the story.

Main Activity: Drama Structure 

Cross Curricular: Math 

Drama Structure includes role play, 2 warm ups, teacher in role, and movement

 To begin, the teacher tells a story (in this case on Captain Tew) and encloses students in a small space as if it were the under part of a ship. The story gives context to the roles students will be playing.

   

Warm-up: Sword Fight

In sword fight students are told that Captain Tew wants the best candidates for his ship and the teacher models movements for fighting. This is an effective activity because it gets students warmed up, it can also be transferred to other curriculum areas such as social studies (medieval times).

Students get into small groups and decide who in the group would be the most appropriate person to be sent free from the ship. That person gets to roll the die and must roll doubles. The recordings are taken. This can lead into a discussion on Probability. 

Connection to curriculum: Grade 6 Data Management and Probability: determine the theoretical probability of an outcome in a probability experiment, and use it to predict the frequency of the outcome.

Grade 6 Drama: B1.1 engage actively in drama exploration and role play, with a focus on identifying and examining a range of issues, themes, and ideas from a variety of fiction and non-fiction sources and diverse communities, times, and places

Afterwards this lesson can be taken into other strategies, such as Hot Seat, where students question Captain Tew about his life and decisions he makes. 

Reflection: I feel this is an effective lesson because it relates to John Dewey's Progressivism theory. In Progressivism:

• Students thrive in an environment where they are allowed to experience and interact with the curriculum. Essentially, human beings learn through a 'hands on' approach.
• Students should not only take part in their own learning, but conduct their own paths for acquiring and applying knowledge. 
• Curriculum should be interdisciplinary, connecting many subjects.

Drama is an appropriate way to allow students to experience and interact with various areas of the curriculum. This lesson is a hands on way to experience math concepts, by prefacing the content with an engaging lessons where students are in role. This helps them to build autonomy by taking a part in their learning and applying what they know to their character roles. This lesson connects many areas of the curriculum; drama, math and even social studies can be connected, all of which enhances the learning experience. 

This lesson is effective for differentiating material for students. This is a more hands on approach that easily engaged students. They are able to experience the math and put the math into a real world context. The indirect instruction allows for inquiry. 

Week 2: Dance and Science

Group Presentation: Phases of the Moon

Dance Expectation: A1 apply the creative process (see pages 19–22) to the composition of short dance pieces, using the elements of dance to communicate feelings and ideas;

A1.4 combine the elements of dance in different ways to communicate a variety of ideas

Science Expectation: 2. investigate characteristics of the systems of which the earth is a part and the relationship between the earth, the sun, and the moon; (Grade 6 - Space)

Show short video clip of the planets orbiting the sun. Students recreate the orbit of the planets using the for Rondo (ABACADA). 3 participants will reenact the sun, moon, and Earth using the elements space (between the planets that revolve around the sun) and relationships (in which the planets have in the universe. 

Group presentation of orbit.

Lesson and Activities

Rain Storm Simulation as Minds On activity. From Youtube.

Create a whole class rainstorm. Ask the class to brainstorm specific elements of weather. Use Call and Response to have one person perform and another have a response to their movement. 

Learning Goal: Students will be working to create a sequence of movements representing weather forms before, during and after the storm. 



Students come up with different types of storms (hail, thunder, snow, etc.) Each group of chooses a storm and uses Retrograde to perform their storm. 

Reflection: Retrograde is an effective choreographic form to use to connect to science expectations because it allows students to visualize how a storm begins, progresses and ends in reverse. To extend this further in science curriculum, while students are brainstorming types of storms the teacher could do a whole prior lesson on specific habitats and the types of storms that would affect animal/plant living conditions. From there students would have a background on the types of storms. The teacher could also add a call and response element to this, where one group acted as the storm and the other group acted as the plants/animals in that habitat and their affects from the storm. 

Video of my group creating a storm using Retrograde