DANCE I want all of my students and all of my dancers to be aware of the poignancy of life at that moment. I would like to feel that I had, in some way, given them the gift of themselves. Martha Graham Dance 1
DANCE TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction..3 Dance Benchmarks...4 Elementary Introduction...9 Kindergarten...10 First Grade...15 Second Grade...20 Third Grade...25 Fourth Grade...29 Middle School Introduction...34 Middle School Level I...35 Middle School Level II...39 Middle School Level III...43 Middle School Level IV...47 High School Introduction...52 High School Level I...56 High School Level II...61 High School Level III...66 High School Level IV...72 Literature Connections...78 Technology Connections...83 Resources...84 Glossary...88 Dance 2
DANCE INTRODUCTION DANCE, the art of human movement, is a perfect educational model for learning to be perceptive and expressing thoughts, sensations, feelings and ideas, all essential for the development of communication and a construct for learning the creative process. Students studying dance learn an awareness that guides the logical sensory execution of movement. They learn to recognize and distinguish human energy that is turned into the performance of illusions and the language of metaphors that transform through time and space into art. The training and study of dance enhances the scope and diversity of learning about life and the human experience. Dance creates community and is celebrated throughout the world. No matter where one goes, the phenomenon of dance is celebrated and its repertoires are a dynamic part of every culture. Dance is a form of theatre that ranges from the ecstatic and lively, to the tender and gentle telling of matters of the heart. In many cultures, dance is an expression of a life force and a description of peoples spirits and beliefs. Dance communicates in ways which words cannot. It can explain the inexplicable, and can awaken our social consciousness. Dance is the expression of the myths, symbols, and rituals of a culture, told through stories that can be a narrative of life. Building understanding through the dance experience requires learning to intelligently translate dance into meaning through the interpretation of the dances of an individual choreographer or of an entire nation. As a means to self-discovery, students learn to make their own dances, created from their most beautiful thoughts. They become involved in various aspects of technical production and come to understand others by learning dances of their ancestors and friends in the community. The Dance section of the Mississippi Visual and Performing Arts Framework offers a program of study that is developmentally and sequentially balanced to assist with elementary, middle school, and high school dance curriculum development at the local and district level. Dance 3
DANCE BENCHMARKS Goal 1: Students will communicate ideas and feelings by creating and performing dance. Content Strand: Creating/Performing (CP) BENCHMARKS Grades K-4 Grades 5-8 Grades 9-12, Proficient Grades 9-12, Advanced By the end of Grade 4, students will: By the end of Grade 8, students will: By the end of one year of study,* proficient students will: By the end of four years of study, advanced students will: Demonstrate movement through the application of the elements of dance Demonstrate anatomically-correct movement skills with increasing concentration and focus on technique and terminology Incorporate kinesthetic and sensorial understanding within performance of dance technique Know and perceive performance of dance Respond spontaneously through movement to various stimuli: sound, colors, textures, objects, and imagery Demonstrate improvisational skills alone and as a group Understand improvisation as a way to originate dances Know and apply improvisation to performance and dance-making Create movement solutions alone and with a partner using the elements of dance Apply choreographic principles Understand choreographic forms and structures in dance composition Understand and apply choreographic forms in dance-making Identify basic productions elements of dance Demonstrate a basic understanding of dance production Demonstrate experimental dimensions of dance production Apply innovative dimensions to dance productions *the equivalent of 1 Carnegie unit Dance 4
DANCE BENCHMARKS Goal 2: Students will respond to, describe, analyze, interpret, and evaluate the complex characteristics of dance. Content Strand: Critical Analysis (CA) BENCHMARKS Grades K-4 Grades 5-8 Grades 9-12, Proficient Grades 9-12, Advanced By the end of Grade 4, students will: By the end of Grade 8, students will: By the end of one year of study,* proficient students will: By the end of four years of study, advanced students will: Observe and discuss the similarities and differences in human movement and the elements of dance Describe the similarities and differences in human movement, recognizing the elements of dance Know and understand human movement, the elements of dance, and how these communicate ideas, thoughts, and feelings Compose and evaluate dance studies utilizing abstract movement and the elements of dance Describe dance by responding through writing, drawing, and performing Interpret movements by reporting on the content of varied dance experiences Know and distinguish dance structures, forms, and themes in various dance studies Analyze and critique the context of dance from a variety of perspectives Identify how personal experiences relate to dance Know how personal experiences influence the making of dance Understand personal experiences as it influences the interpretation and the making of dance Understand how personal perspectives influence dance critique *the equivalent of 1 Carnegie unit Dance 5
DANCE BENCHMARKS Goal 3: Students will understand the role and functions of dancers and dance in cultures, times, and places. Content Strand: History/Culture (HC) BENCHMARKS Grades K-4 Grades 5-8 Grades 9-12, Proficient Grades 9-12, Advanced By the end of Grade 4, students will: By the end of Grade 8, students will: By the end of one year of study,* proficient students will: By the end of four years of study, advanced students will: Observe and identify the styles of dance in various cultures and traditions throughout history Recognize and understand diversity of dance in relation to cultural styles and traditions Compare and contrast various dance artists, styles, cultures, and traditions and apply to dance studies Critique historical and cultural dances Perform dances from various cultures and traditions Perform with emerging technical proficiency dances from various cultures and traditions Perform with advanced technical proficiency dances from various cultures and traditions Competently perform various styles from a broad spectrum of cultures *the equivalent of 1 Carnegie unit Dance 6
DANCE BENCHMARKS Goal 4: Students will perceive, understand, and appreciate the diverse meanings and value of dance. Content Strand: Aesthetics (A) BENCHMARKS Grades K-4 Grades 5-8 Grades 9-12, Proficient Grades 9-12, Advanced By the end of Grade 4, students will: By the end of Grade 8, students will: By the end of one year of study,* proficient students will: By the end of four years of study, advanced students will: Appreciate dance movement through written, visual, and verbal responses Perceive meaning of dance movement through written, visual, and verbal responses Perceive and understand meaning of dance movement through written, visual, and verbal responses Know and understand meaning of dance movement through written, visual and verbal responses Appreciate the sensorial discovery of human movement Perceive and practice the sensorial discovery of human movement Understand the sensorial discovery of human movement Know and value the sensorial discovery of human movement Identify and appreciate from a personal perspective the great dance works, innovators and performers Evaluate and discuss from an individual perspective the great dance works, innovators and performers Know and respond from an individual perspective to great dance works, innovators and performers Understand that values and meanings assigned to great dance works in individual innovators and performers is diverse and based upon individual perspectives Practice patronage of dance and the arts Practice and advocate the patronage of dance and the arts Practice and advocate the patronage of dance and the arts Exemplify the patronage of dance and the arts *the equivalent of 1 Carnegie unit Dance 7
DANCE BENCHMARKS Goal 5: Students will make valid connections among the arts, other subject areas, and everyday life. Content Strand: Connections (C) BENCHMARKS Grades K-4 Grades 5-8 Grades 9-12, Proficient Grades 9-12, Advanced By the end of Grade 4, students will: By the end of Grade 8, students will: By the end of one year of study,* proficient students will: By the end of four years of study, advanced students will: Recognize the connections between living and learning through dance Understand the connections between living and learning through dance Exhibit the connections between living and learning through dance Promote the connections between living and learning through dance Identify practices of healthful living Practice and understand healthful living Demonstrate a knowledge of family and community dance Network and produce a community dance project Identify dance careers Know and examine dance careers Practice skills leading to dance careers Develop skills leading to dance careers *the equivalent of 1 Carnegie unit Dance 8
DANCE INTRODUCTION Grades K-4 Children in Grades K - 4 are ready and eager to learn. The creative dance experience will trigger excitement. They will love to move! Young students are just learning concepts of space and they often are more easily organized in herds when moving through the space. They are not adept at controlling their body energy when moving in space. Large full movements will be quite challenging. Freezing a shape for more than a few seconds is not easy since the body s energy is in constant flow. When children take a shape, they tend to hold it for a specified number of counts, and then collapse out of it; they have accomplished a major dance concept, stillness and movement. The safety rules for movement experiences can be organized within the lesson. These rules include reminders of personal space and consideration of classmates personal space. Children love a structured dance experience. By playing dance problemsolving games, children can be empowered with their own movement voice: Each child will acquire a solid foundation in developing creativity and making dances. Children can become all of the characters of a story in dance-a-story exploration/improvisation. Children in Kindergarten through Fourth Grade are interested in their own creativity, and enjoy the chance to share their own movement accomplishments, showing them to others. Dance 9
DANCE KINDERGARTEN DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM OF STUDY: As with all disciplines, a well-rounded education in dance includes a range of educational processes. The elementary school years focus on dance as a creative movement experience that is to be incorporated into the curriculum to achieve an increased learner outcomes by employing enriching techniques that demand the involved responses of multiple intelligences, especially that of the kinesthetic. This program of study is to be used by the Dance Specialist and or Classroom Teacher in developing dance curriculum for kindergarten students in the following: Elementary Dance Arts Integrated in the Elementary Classroom Content strands include Creating/Performing, Critical Analysis, History/Culture, Aesthetics, and Connections. The competencies are printed in bold face type and are required to be taught. The competencies may relate to one or more of the content strands and may be combined and taught with other competencies throughout the school year. Competencies are not listed in order of importance and may be taught in any order that is determined suitable by the school or district. Competencies provide a general guideline of ongoing instruction, not isolated units, activities, or skills. The suggested teaching objectives are optional. Objectives indicate concepts that enable the fulfillment of competencies, describe competencies in further detail, or show progress of concepts within benchmark grade clusters. School districts may adopt the suggested teaching objectives or may write their own objectives that meet or exceed those suggested, based upon needs of the students at the local level. For an explanation of the Content Strands,Competencies, and Objectives, see the General Introduction Section of the Mississippi Visual and Performing Arts Framework. The Framework General Introduction, Literature Connections, Technology Connections, Resources, and Glossary are available on line at the Mississippi Department of Education web site: http://www.mde.k12.ms.us. Dance 10
DANCE KINDERGARTEN CONTENT STRANDS: Creating/Performing (CP) History/Culture (HC) Connections (C) Critical Analysis (CA) Aesthetics (A) COMPETENCIES and Suggested Teaching Objectives: 1. Demonstrate emerging understanding of movement skills. (CP) a. Experience shifting body weight in various directions. b. Experience axial movements (e.g., bend, arch, reach, twist, turn) and motor skills. c. Distinguish right and left with body parts and movement. d. Experience locomotor movements (e.g., roll, crawl, walk, gallop, hop, jump, leap). 2. Engage in movement problem-solving dance experiences. (CP) a. Exhibit awareness of different components of human energy (e.g., strong, weak, soft, hard, push, pull). b. Apply positional and level concepts while executing shapes and movement (e.g., beside, in front of). 3. Respond through movement to verbal instruction and to various stimuli. (CP) a. Create shapes in high, middle, and low levels alone and with partners. b. Maintain personal space while traveling through space and responding to images, sounds, and color words. c. Perform simple movements in response to verbal instruction. 4. Identify diversity of movement choices. (CP, CA) a. Recognize simple changes in a performance. b. Explain the pattern or order of various performed movement choices. 5. Know that dances vary throughout cultures, times, and places. (CP, HC) a. Display celebration/enjoyment of dance. b. Observe traditional dances from various cultures. Dance 11
6. Recognize factors that contribute to the creation, meaning, and beauty of dance. (A) a. Observe a higher level class while engaging in the compositional process. b. Explain what factors add to the beauty of a dance (e.g., technical skill of dancers, choreographic and production elements). 7. Identify the connections between dance, other disciplines, and artful living. (A, C) a. Students recognize some physical and social functions of dance. b. Cultivate audience skills and behaviors. c. Identify aspects of dance that relate to other subject areas. Dance 12
Dance, Kindergarten Comp. Obj. Suggested Teaching Strategies Suggested Assessment 1 a,d Students experience locomotor movement (walk, run, hop, jump) in various directions (forward, backward, sideways), such as traveling through the space hopping backwards. Teacher observation of student movement choices b Students demonstrate a variety of nonlocomotor/axial movements (bend, twist, stretch, swing) using nature as a model, such as trees swaying to and fro in the wind. Teacher observation c Students demonstrate right and left sides of the body by moving to a musical beat and responding to tempo changes. Teacher observation 2 a Students exhibit awareness of different forces (hard/soft), such as using hard energy like soldiers marching, and soft energy like a falling leaf. Teacher observation of student processing evidenced in movement b Students create a shape in a specific level (low, middle, high) and a specific positional relationship (beside, in front of) to a real or imaginary square. Teacher observation 3 a Students create connecting and disconnecting shapes, such as elbow-to-knee or head-to-shoulder, on various levels and partner relationships (e.g., opposite levels), with straight and curved lines. Student and teacher observation of movement accuracy of given criteria b Students demonstrate the ability to define and maintain individual space while dancing (e.g., movements do not make contact or deliberately invade other dancer s individual space while skipping). Teacher observation c Students accurately follow movement directions from teacher or other students (e.g., travel sideways in low level in a fast tempo). Teacher and student observation 4 a Students engage in an improvisation of bending and stretching using large and small adaptations. (e.g., using the image of a rubber band, students exhibit large and small degrees of elasticity in various body parts). Students analyze movement choices through a question/answer verbal format. Teacher evaluation of answers 5 a Students learn a traditional dance from the United States and another country and perform. Teacher observation of dance Dance 13
Dance, Kindergarten b Students view cultural dance videos and/or cultural dance performance groups. Students describe costumes and movements presented in the cultural dances. Teacher evaluation of descriptions 6 a,b A small group of higher level students perform a simple square dance for the younger students. The higher level students break into groups to engage the younger students in the performance. Following the dance session, the upper level students engage the younger students in a discussion about what factors contributed to the rhythm and beauty of their dance. What makes the creation of the square dance (choreography) come alive? Teacher observation of dance and discussion b Students identify differences in pedestrian movement behavior and dance. Playing follow the leader, teacher begins by leading students, alternating between pedestrian movement behavior and dance movements. Students take turns playing leader demonstrating the alternating movements. Teacher observation 7 a After attending a live dance concert, students discuss social meanings of dance and practice audience behaviors within a classroom. Teacher observation c Students identify different dance forms and describe various features by drawing lines suggesting the movements characteristic of the dance form. Using an artwork of futuristic style (e.g., paintings by Giacomo Balla) students compare the movements in their drawings to the artwork. Students respond to the questions: What is the same? What is different? Teacher observation Dance 14
DANCE FIRST GRADE DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM OF STUDY: As with all disciplines, a well-rounded education in dance includes a range of educational processes. The elementary school years focus on dance as a creative movement experience that is to be incorporated into the curriculum to achieve increased learner outcomes by employing enriching techniques that demand the involved responses of multiple intelligences, especially that of the kinesthetic. This program of study is to be used by the Dance Specialist and or Classroom Teacher in developing dance curriculum for first grade students in the following: Elementary Dance Arts Integrated in the Elementary Classroom The five major strands of study in the dance discipline are: Creating/Performing, Critical Analysis, Culture/History, Aesthetics, and Connections. The competencies are printed in bold face type and are required to be taught. The competencies may relate to one or more of the content strands and may be combined and taught with other competencies throughout the school year. Competencies are not listed in order of importance and may be taught in any order that is determined suitable by the school or district. Competencies provide a general guideline of ongoing instruction, not isolated units, activities, or skills. The suggested teaching objectives are optional. Objectives indicate concepts that enable the fulfillment of competencies, describe competencies in further detail, or show progress of concepts within benchmark grade clusters. School districts may adopt the suggested teaching objectives or may write their own objectives that meet or exceed those suggested, based upon needs of the students at the local level. For an explanation of the Content Strands, Competencies, and Objectives, see the General Introduction Section of the Mississippi Visual and Performing Arts Framework. The Framework General Introduction, Literature Connections, Technology Connections, Resources, and Glossary are available on line at the Mississippi Department of Education web site: http://www.mde.k12.ms.us. Dance 15
DANCE FIRST GRADE CONTENT STRANDS: Creating/Performing (CP) History/Culture (HC) Connections (C) Critical Analysis (CA) Aesthetics (A) COMPETENCIES and Suggested Teaching Objectives: 1. Acquire a basic understanding of movement skills. (CP) a. Isolate parts of the body. b. Develop physical fitness components: flexibility, coordination, agility, endurance, and strength. c. Perform basic axial and locomotor movements (e.g., walk, skip, jump, hop, roll, crawl). 2. Engage in movement problem solving experiences while demonstrating kinesthetic awareness of movement. (CP, CA, C) a. Recognize and manipulate large muscle groups (head and neck, abdominals, torso, shoulders and arms, back, and legs). b. Use body alone and with partners to create geometric shapes and other forms. 3. Develop a basic understanding of the elements of dance. (CP, CA) a. Explore changes in energy to evoke dynamics (swing, percussive, vibratory) alone and with a partner. b. Respond to a musical beat and changes in tempo while traveling through all levels of space. c. React to textural and color images with movement. 4. Identify and describe diversity of movement choices. (CP, CA) a. Perform different movement choices. b. Explain use of different movement choices by other dancers. c. Observe and discuss how dance is different from other forms of human movement (such as sports, everyday gestures). Dance 16
5. Identify purposes and functions of dance in cultures, times, and places. (A, C) a. Identify meaning of cultural dance. b. Use historical literature as content for dance movement. 6. Cultivate an appreciation for the creation and beauty of dance. (A) a. Use any available resources to learn a dance. b. Experience the beauty of dance through the use of technical skills, composition, and production elements. c. Articulate individual reactions to a dance. 7. Identify connections between dance and other disciplines. (A,C) a. Examine science concepts inherent in human movement and dance (e.g., gravity, gravitational pull, Newton s Laws). b. Identify use of the arts in daily life. Dance 17
Dance, First Grade Comp. Obj. Suggested Teaching Strategies Suggested Assessment 1 a,b,c Students articulate various body parts and demonstrate non-locomotor/axial movements (bend, twist, stretch, swing, freeze) showing range in space, and isolation movements (e.g., twist upper extremities like a washing machine, with large and small movements). Teacher observation of movement accuracy and clarity of isolations and specific articulations b,c Students demonstrate accurately a capacity of movement through locomotor movements (walk, run, jump, gallop, hop, crawl, roll) with intensity and increased energy (e.g., while taking turns, students execute walk, run, jump with fast and slow tempo). Teacher observation of movement accuracy 2 a Students perform short movement problems emphasizing the elements of shapes/lines/curves/circles using movements of specific large muscle groups. Student descriptions and responses to peer work regarding the given criteria b Students create letters of the alphabet or geometric shapes using movements of large muscle groups by: creating a specific design with the body or bodies traveling them as floor patterns using body parts to trace or carve a specific design in space. Teacher and student observations of performance clarity and accuracy of a secret letter (audience reads the secret letter/geometric shape) 3 b Students perform motor skills using levels in space (low, middle, and high) in straight, curved, and circular pathways, such as crawling in middle level in a curved, spatial pattern. Teacher observation of creative exploration of energy, space, and time related challenges 4 a Students improvise various components of human energy that are opposites (e.g., soft/hard, light/strong, stiff/loose). Students may move like a soft marshmallow or like a piece of hard candy. Teacher and student observation and discussion of the true likeness to a literal source 5 a Students improvise movement that is expressive of different imitative behaviors (e.g., walk like a duck, slither like a snake) and name the various actions and generated movements. Verbal explanations of representational movement choices b Students identify and describe imitative and expressive movement behaviors (e.g., practice social expressive/imitative gestures such as thumbs up, waving hello, hand shake, traffic controller, choral director, referee ). Teacher analysis of student pictures of cultural dance regarding costume, gender, and formation Dance 18
Dance, First Grade 6 a,b Students name and perform a folk or traditional dance from another culture (e.g., La Raspa, Troika, Hora). Teacher observation of the quality of the movement ideas generated a Students observe different dance movements and discuss how they are similar and different in terms of one of the elements of dance (such as space) by observing body shapes, levels, and pathways. 7 a Students utilize movement to demonstrate concepts from other subjects such as, science, health, mathematics (e.g., students will recreate the solar system by each student representing the planets, the sun and the moon, mimicking rotation). Student explanations of meanings/curricular ties of chosen movement b Students give examples of how dance is like other areas of study and paralleled in life (e.g., rhythm in music and visual art, everyday movement and gestures). Dance 19
DANCE SECOND GRADE DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM OF STUDY: As with all disciplines, a well-rounded education in dance includes a range of educational processes. The elementary school years focus on dance as a creative movement experience that is to be incorporated into the curriculum to achieve increased learner outcomes by employing enriching techniques that demand the involved responses of multiple intelligences, especially that of the kinesthetic. This program of study is to be used by the Dance Specialist and or Classroom Teacher in developing dance curriculum for second grade students in the following: Elementary Dance Arts Integrated in the Elementary Classroom The five major strands of study in the dance discipline are: Creating/Performing, Critical Analysis, Culture/History, Aesthetics, and Connections. The competencies are printed in bold face type and are required to be taught. The competencies may relate to one or more of the content strands and may be combined and taught with other competencies throughout the school year. Competencies are not listed in order of importance and may be taught in any order that is determined suitable by the school or district. Competencies provide a general guideline of ongoing instruction, not isolated units, activities, or skills. The suggested teaching objectives are optional. Objectives indicate concepts that enable the fulfillment of competencies, describe competencies in further detail, or show progress of concepts within benchmark grade clusters. School districts may adopt the suggested teaching objectives or may write their own objectives that meet or exceed those suggested, based upon needs of the students at the local level. For an explanation of the Content Strands, Competencies, and Objectives, see the General Introduction Section of the Mississippi Visual and Performing Arts Framework. The Framework General Introduction, Literature Connections, Technology Connections, Resources, and Glossary are available on line at the Mississippi Department of Education web site: http://www.mde.k12.ms.us. Dance 20
DANCE SECOND GRADE CONTENT STRANDS: Creating/Performing (CP) History/Culture (HC) Connections (C) Critical Analysis (CA) Aesthetics (A) COMPETENCIES and Suggested Teaching Objectives: 1. Acquire a basic understanding of movement skills with increasing proficiency. (CP, C) a. Demonstrate physical fitness components: flexibility, coordination, agility, endurance, strength, control. b. Demonstrate the ability to vary control and direct forces of human energy used in basic axial and motor skills. c. Properly demonstrate and create locomotor movements with various accompaniment while employing spatial concepts of direction and pathways (e.g., sideways, curved, zigzagged). 2. Exhibit movement problem-solving experiences while demonstrating kinesthetic awareness of movement. (CP, CA) a. Use improvisation to discover movements in response to texture, sound, and color movement problems. b. Respond through movement to a wide range of stimuli, music, books, pictures, rhymes, and/or props. c. Explore basic actions of the body while traveling (alone and with partners) through space in a given spatial pattern or design (e.g., circle, line, square). 3. Develop a greater understanding of the elements of dance. (CP, CA) a. Vary the time-value given to a specific movement to discover composition/movement possibilities. b. Create shapes and movements using different spatial levels and positional concepts (e.g., low level shape in front of an object). c. Create visual art to represent time, space, or energy in movement. Dance 21
4. Compose and describe movement with guided criteria. (CP, CA, A) a. Create a phrase of shapes that demonstrate a beginning, middle, and end. b. Create a sequence of movements that demonstrates how dance is different from other movements, such as sports or common gestures. 5. Understand the purposes of dance in relation to other cultures, times, and places. (CP, CA, HC, C) a. Perform folk and traditional dances of other countries. b. Understand how dance is used as a form of storytelling in various cultures. c. Identify and relate the relationship of dance in society to celebrations and family customs. 6. Perceive the meaning and beauty of dance. (CA, A) a. Identify and name dance movement using correct dance terminology. b. Use dance terminology to identify and describe dance components within an observed or performed dance. 7. Identify and distinguish valid connections between dance, other subject areas, and everyday life. (CA, C) a. Explain how the arts are used in daily life. b. Identify examples of how dance relates to other subject areas. Dance 22
Dance, Second Grade Comp. Obj. Suggested Teaching Strategies Suggested Assessment 1 a,b Students demonstrate accurately a combination of axial movement utilizing dance technique, bend, swing, twist, rotate, right and left sides, and upper and lower body halves (e.g., upper body swing down and up, twist upper body right and left, and swing right leg side to side). Student ability to analyze movement choices and to name specific axial movement and involved parts of self and others a,c Students demonstrate accurately a combination of locomotor movements (walk, run, gallop, jump, hop, crawl) in various pathways (forward, backward, side, diagonal, curved, and straight). Students gallop forward 4-counts, run in a circle 4-counts, jump backwards in a diagonal pathway 4-counts. Student analysis of movement choices and naming of locomotor and chosen pathways of self and others 2 a Students improvise translation of a variety of actions (e.g., weave, encircle, scoot, drip, melt, pounce, push, pull, resist) by drawing three word cards from a hat and choosing an order in which to improvise them. Teacher observation of accuracy in movement representation of action words b Students express understanding of concepts in other subject areas, such as mathematical concepts, by transposing ideas to movement communication or explanation of given stimuli. Student justification of movement studies and verbal analysis of others c Students combine sculpted body forms by working with a partner on various actions, creating opposites (e.g., tall/short, wide/thin). Students mold partners into shapes and connect opposite shapes. Teacher observation of movement accuracy of oppositional concepts 3 a Students recall a movement phrase (sit, jump, run) taught by the teacher and manipulate the tempo. Teacher observation b Students create design in the body demonstrating symmetry and asymmetry, and understanding of three-dimensional shapes in space. Students drawings of symmetrical and asymmetrical shapes 4 a Students create a movement phrase with a beginning, middle, and end and identify each of these parts of the sequence in student s own work and work of others. On a sheet of paper, students draw or describe each of the three shapes. Students-created chart describing the three parts/sections of each study a Students improvise, create, and perform a dance sequence based on personal ideas of the story The Sun, The Moon, and The Silver Baboon, integrating the following partner skills: copying, leading, following, mirroring. Student-created list of partner skills in each presented dance Dance 23
Dance, Second Grade b Students observe and discuss how dance is different from other forms of human movement. Student ability to record reactions and reflections of discoveries in movement comparison discoveries 5 a Students perform folk/traditional dances from various cultures with competence and confidence (e.g., Kinder Polka, Oslo Waltz). List three cultural dances and describe the history and meaning of each b,c Students accurately answer questions about dance in a particular culture and time period (e.g., In colonial America, why and in what setting did people dance? What did the dances look like?) Teacher evaluation of students answers 6 a Students create a dance phrase with assigned components (swing, undercurve, etc.) and identify and describe order and method of criteria presented by each group. Students write the order of the components as they are being performed. Performance checklists of specific movement criteria listed in the order shown b Students take an active role in a class discussion about interpretations of and reactions to dance in terms of content (ideas, meaning, and movement choices) and dance style. Students read and share their reactions about the dance presented. Write a reaction to another dance describing involved content 7 a Students explain feelings evoked by responding to rhythm and sounds with movement. Students use water colors to express feelings of happy, sad, etc. Groups develop movement and sound to relate to a given emotion b Students examine use of art in immediate surroundings, home, school, TV, and social settings, and reference use of movement and sound in advertising. Teacher questioning and review of factual information before and after a movement-infused lesson b Students present a movement explaining an English skill such as punctuation, capitalization, and indenting paragraphs. Students create a movement to specify a capital letter or punctuation mark (small ball with body to represent a period) as the teacher reads a sentence. Teacher observation Dance 24
DANCE THIRD GRADE DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM OF STUDY: As with all disciplines, a well-rounded education in dance includes a range of educational processes. The elementary school years focus on dance as a creative movement experience that is to be incorporated into the curriculum to achieve increased learner outcomes by employing enriching techniques that demand the involved responses of multiple intelligences, especially that of the kinesthetic. This program of study is to be used by the Dance Specialist and or Classroom Teacher in developing dance curriculum for third grade students in the following: Elementary Dance Arts Integrated in the Elementary Classroom The five major strands of study in the dance discipline are: Creating/Performing, Critical Analysis, Culture/History, Aesthetics, and Connections. The competencies are printed in bold face type and are required to be taught. The competencies may relate to one or more of the content strands and may be combined and taught with other competencies throughout the school year. Competencies are not listed in order of importance and may be taught in any order that is determined suitable by the school or district. Competencies provide a general guideline of ongoing instruction, not isolated units, activities, or skills. The suggested teaching objectives are optional. Objectives indicate concepts that enable the fulfillment of competencies, describe competencies in further detail, or show progress of concepts within benchmark grade clusters. School districts may adopt the suggested teaching objectives or may write their own objectives that meet or exceed those suggested, based upon needs of the students at the local level. For an explanation of the Content Strands, Competencies, and Objectives, see the General Introduction Section of the Mississippi Visual and Performing Arts Framework. The Framework General Introduction, Literature Connections, Technology Connections, Resources, and Glossary are available on line at the Mississippi Department of Education web site: http://www.mde.k12.ms.us. Dance 25
DANCE THIRD GRADE CONTENT STRANDS: Creating/Performing (CP) History/Culture (HC) Connections (C) Critical Analysis (CA) Aesthetics (A) COMPETENCIES and Suggested Teaching Objectives: 1. Acquire a basic understanding of movement skills with increasing proficiency. (CP, CA, C) a. Employ proper alignment in weight transfers while performing movement. b. Demonstrate anatomical knowledge of major body parts through arranging and creating axial movements. c. Show a variety of combinations of basic motor skills and locomotor movement. 2. Exhibit movement problem-solving experiences while demonstrating kinesthetic awareness of movement. (CP, CA) a. Use improvisational skills to problem solve through assembling movements of creating new movement. b. Organize the steps to an everyday task and perform, employing elements of dance (e.g., changing time, value, range/size of movement). c. Discuss and justify movement choices. 3. Develop and utilize elements of dance in movement. (CP, CA) a. Create symmetrical and asymmetrical shapes alone and with partners, emphasizing positive and negative spaces. b. Explore movement qualities of dynamics: sustain, suspend, swing, percussive, vibratory, and collapse. c. Collaborate with a partner (sharing weight, mirroring, leading, copying) to create and explore movement possibilities. 4. Compose and describe movement with guided criteria. (CP, CA) a. Formulate and sequence locomotor and non-locomotor movement for levels in space using directions and pathways. b. Create a sequence with a beginning, middle, and end with or without rhythmic accompaniment. Dance 26
5. Understand the purposes and functions of dance across cultures, times, and places. (CP, CA, HC, C) a. Understand how dance is used in various cultures as a celebration of life experiences and community events. b. Understand how dance has been used as a form of communication throughout history. 6. Perceive and understand the meaning and beauty of dance. (A) a. Recognize components of dance forms to include costume, music, formation, movement, and gender. b. Respond to dance by expressing an understanding of content through writing, music, drama, painting, sculpting, etc. 7. Distinguish and use valid connections between dance and other disciplines. (A, C) a. Employ the use of the art disciplines to comment or reflect on current issues as well as historical issues. b. Articulate similarities of the elements of the dance in relation to elements of other arts disciplines. Dance 27
Dance, Third Grade Comp. Obj. Suggested Teaching Strategies Suggested Assessment 1 a,b Students demonstrate movement with a combination of axial movement utilizing dance techniques right and left side, upper-half and lowerhalf of the body, and combinations of body isolations, with emphasis on body placement, control, and some balance skills. Student evaluations of skill mastery by scale using video performance of technique class 2 a Students create stationary and mobile geometric designs (triangles, squares, rectangles) with bodies alone and with partners. Audience responses and interpretations of movement design a,b,c Students present, discuss, and justify interesting solutions for creating and presenting a movement model of the circulatory system. Student descriptions of presented work and reflections of movement representation 3 a Students create design in the body demonstrating symmetry and asymmetry, using both straight and curved lines. Teacher and personal observation (using a mirror) of accuracy in movement design 4 a Students improvise the happenings of each stage of the water cycle and properly sequence the stages. Student writings and drawings of each part of the cycle with noted characteristics of each 5 a,b Students discuss the design of the circle and its common use in dances of all countries. Learn the Russian folk dance, the Troika, a running circle dance, and invite a cultural group to perform. Student characterizations of a Russian dance performer describing the history, meaning, and methods of their craft 6 a Students add performance components to a dance study (e.g., choosing costumes, music, formations). Conduct surveys of audience members of other dancers. Written critique of the effectiveness of performance components 7 a Students engage in a current event movement study with emphasis on the effects of society and its people. Discuss new ideas and greater emotional understanding after the completion of the process Dance 28
DANCE FOURTH GRADE DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM OF STUDY: As with all disciplines, a well-rounded education in dance includes a range of educational processes. The elementary school years focus on dance as a creative movement experience that is to be incorporated into the curriculum to achieve increased learner outcomes by employing enriching techniques that demand the involved responses of multiple intelligences, especially that of the kinesthetic. This program of study is to be used by the Dance Specialist and or Classroom Teacher in developing dance curriculum for fourth grade students in the following: Elementary Dance Arts Integrated in the Elementary Classroom The five major strands of study in the dance discipline are: Creating/Performing, Critical Analysis, Culture/History, Aesthetics, and Connections. The competencies are printed in bold face type and are required to be taught. The competencies may relate to one or more of the content strands and may be combined and taught with other competencies throughout the school year. Competencies are not listed in order of importance and may be taught in any order that is determined suitable by the school or district. Competencies provide a general guideline of ongoing instruction, not isolated units, activities, or skills. The suggested teaching objectives are optional. Objectives indicate concepts that enable the fulfillment of competencies, describe competencies in further detail, or show progress of concepts within benchmark grade clusters. School districts may adopt the suggested teaching objectives or may write their own objectives that meet or exceed those suggested, based upon needs of the students at the local level. For an explanation of the Content Strands, Competencies, and Objectives, see the General Introduction Section of the Mississippi Visual and Performing Arts Framework. The Framework General Introduction, Literature Connections, Technology Connections, Resources, and Glossary are available on line at the Mississippi Department of Education web site: http://www.mde.k12.ms.us. Dance 29
DANCE FOURTH GRADE CONTENT STRANDS: Creating/Performing (CP) History/Culture (HC) Connections (C) Critical Analysis (CA) Aesthetics (A) COMPETENCIES and Suggested Teaching Objectives: 1. Demonstrate a basic understanding of movement skills. (CP, CA) a. Employ proper alignment in weight transfers while performing and creating movement. b. Demonstrate anatomical knowledge of major body parts through arranging and creating axial movements with and without locomotor movements in various directions and pathways. 2. Demonstrate a problem-solving experience integrating kinesthetic awareness of movement. (CP, CA) a. Use improvisational skills to problem-solve through assembling or sequencing movement and creating new movement. b. Discuss and justify own movement choices and evaluate movement choices presented by others. 3. Apply elements of dance to movement studies. (CP, CA) a. Explore one or more elements of dance simultaneously: space, time, shape and energy through improvisation. b. Collaborate with a partner (sharing weight, mirroring, leading, copying) to create and explore movement possibilities. 4. Compose, analyze, and compare movement with guided criteria. (CP, CA, A) a. Formulate and sequence movement that includes various energies, shapes, and transitions. b. Create a sequence with a beginning, middle, and end with or without partners or rhythmic accompaniment. Dance 30
5. Understand and compare the purposes and functions of dance across cultures, times, and places. (CA, HC, C) a. Relate to how dance is used in various cultures as a celebration of life experiences. b. Understand how dance has been used as a form of communication throughout history. c. Understand the role of dance in Mississippi. 6. Perceive and understand the diverse meaning, creation, and beauty of dance. (A) a. Perform dances to communicate personal meaning. b. Develop self-awareness and confidence through dance. 7. Translate the connections between dance, other disciplines, and everyday life. (A, C) a. Associate the use of the art disciplines to comment or reflect on current issues as well historical issues. b. Employ use of the arts in daily life. c. Articulate similarities of the elements of dance in relation to the elements of other arts disciplines. Dance 31
Dance, Fourth Grade Comp. Obj. Suggested Teaching Strategies Suggested Assessment 1 a Students create an axial movement and a locomotor movement using the upper extremities. Combine the two, if possible, and vary the time, space, and energy through improvisation e.g. twist arms while skipping, and travel fast and slow with hard and soft energy. At any freeze, students name the axial movement, locomotor movement, specific body parts utilized, and descriptions of the elements utilized. Teacher observation 2 b Students perform and explain personal movement choices that represent the line from a poem (e.g., "From now on all these planes need to be large parachutes"). Compare movement of groups assigned the same line 3 a Students create movement for each syllable of one s name and improvise continual alteration of two elements at a time. Teacher and student evaluation of movement clarity by syllable and correct number of elements represented b Students experience weight sharing and mirroring in depth and describe the emotions, findings, and nonverbal communication involved (e.g., students hold hands with partner and improvise push/pull and counter-balance in order to create weight-sharing shapes). Students write reflections of learning /findings through movement sessions. Teacher evaluation of written reflections 4 a,b In a small group, students develop a vocabulary word with movement, adding a cause and effect to form a three-part phrase. Students complete a chart showing the three parts of each phrase labeled in the correct order. Teacher and student evaluation of the chart 5 b Students brainstorm three instances where dance is used as communication. Students write the three main ideas of each presented dance study and use ideas to develop a short story. Teacher and student evaluation of short story 6 a Students transpose ideas about a given subject into movement expression (e.g., recycling, smoking). Students design a picture to be used as a poster based on ideas generated from the research and development of thematic movement. Teacher and student evaluation of poster 7 c Students create a human solar system using movement and voice to share important information (dance, drama, science). Pre and post quiz on the solar system Dance 32
Dance, Fourth Grade d Students compare and discuss use and effects of rhythm and form in visual art, music, and dance. Teacher evaluation of students contribute to discussion Dance 33
DANCE MIDDLE SCHOOL INTRODUCTION Through kinesthetic education, children at this age freely express themselves by dancing, and enjoy working in groups to share their ideas and dreams. The use of kinesthetic educational experiences is a valuable way to meet the individual needs of learners through employing techniques that involve multiple intelligences. Middle school students typically have high energy spurts, like growth spurts, and can be motivated through this energy to work individually on problem-solving experiences in movement. Because they are inventive, middle school students generally love to experiment with new ways of doing things. They are exuberant in their desire to create, and enjoy forming gender friendships through dance with other students. They will also learn an appreciation of moving together as a large group or a small group in sharing their dance accomplishments. This is an opportune time to experience making connections between dance and other subject areas. They will be intrigued by making connections to dances of various cultures. They pride themselves in increasing their sophistication of historical knowledge relating to dance. Middle school students delight in benefiting from the investigation of different dance styles and sharing this learning with other students. Students will find it fun to work toward the presentation of a large-scale dance production. Focus and concentration will be a challenge to them while continuing to grow through their learning, discussion, research, and experimentation. Dance 34