Dance 465 Curricular Outline
Angela Clark
Assumptions:
1. It is assumed that students have experienced educational dance at a Dance I level. Other prior experience with various dance forms must be taken into account in terms of acceleration, framing and meaning-making within the class.
2. This course is designed with High School Junior students in mind. Adaptations would need to be made for Dance II, Dance III, Junior High, and Middle school students.
3. Principles of dance technique, though not always articulated in every unit, will be addressed and reinforced throughout the semester.
4. This curriculum is designed for a block schedule, which assumes 2 – 3 classes (70 - 75 minutes each, after dress time) per week, or 5 classes per two-week block.
5. Various resources and selected lenses will help shape and inform the delivery of each unit of instruction, as appropriate. Some have been included in this example, but others could easily be incorporated into the curricular plan.
6. This outline is fleshed out with sufficient detail to see how conceptual material can be developed. It does not indicate what you will do on each day except for in the case of weeks 14-16. Each unit outline gives information that can be used to design a more detailed, day-by-day unit plan. Some units are more detailed than others.
7. This example offers learning outcomes for the full semester and weeks 14-16, but does not provide learning outcomes for each unit, or each day weeks 14-16. Despite this, learning outcomes are critical for defining the content of each unit and lesson. Keep this in mind as you complete your selected units.
Assumptions adapted from Pam Musil, Brigham Young University, 2011.
Curriculum Outline Dance II
Part of Something Bigger-BEST through a Nature Lens
Semester Learning Objective: At the end of this 18 week dance curriculum, Dance II students should be able to understand, recognize, and demonstrate a clear understand of Dance is BEST principles through explorations of the natural world of which they are a part.
Weeks 1-3: General BEST Review
What:
* Review BEST knowledge through Self- Identity Unit.
* Gain understanding of the power of personal choice by giving many choices in technique sequences.
* Begin to have self-actualizing experience, discovering who am I? How do I move? I do I not like to move? How do I interact with others?
* See who you are in relation to other people, and understand who they are also.
* Begin to see how you are a vital part of a bigger world and the beauty of that world.
Weeks 4-7: Body, Space, Energy in relation to the outside world
What:
* Observe elements of Body, Space and Energy in the different environments we interact in.
* Recognize how elements of BEST are all around us, not just in the classroom.
* Start to view self, which we have come to know better, as an important part of a bigger world.
* Technique based on specific BEST found in nature.
* Use media as stimuli.
* Examples from which to create activities:
* Mall, Nature Walk, Backyard, Gas Station, Fish bowl, Zoo, Mountains, Planter, National Parks, Landforms, Playground, Waterfall, Garden, Beehive
Weeks 8-9: Time with an introduction to some basic choreographic principles
What:
* Observe use of time in nature.
* Find rhythms, patterns, beats in the world around you.
* Observe and move like water, lava, a tree growing.
* Bring in clips from the documentary “Life.” Amazing visual stimuli to begin the unit with perhaps.
* Technique built on time, with obvious crossovers from other elements from dance.
* Begin to explore basic concepts of choreography in relation to time.
* In technique use rondo, ABA patterning, retrograde etc. Discuss how these affect time, and happen over time in dance and nature. All these things can be seen in nature. Have students watch for them and also show examples in class. Again, “Life” has fascinating examples of each happening in nature.
Weeks 10-13: Dance History Unity
What:
* Discuss and recognize the part nature and beliefs about the universe played in the creation of dance forms and meaning making in dance. Find cultures that are relevant of interest to demographics of classroom.
* Have experiences with tribal, and ethnic dances and their meanings:
* African Dance, Native American Dance, American Dance,Chinese Dance, Etc.
* Choreographers inspired by something outside of themselves.
* Ex: Martha Graham: ocean waves
* Self-discovery: What inspires you?
Weeks 14-16: Improvisation and Composition: Full Unit Plan
Unit Learning Objective: At the end of the 3-week unit, Dance II students should be able to understand, demonstrate, articulate, and recognize elements of BEST in nature that can be abstracted, improvised and utilized to create meaning in and for choreography.
Day 1: Improvisation and Critically Analyzing for BEST
* Short improvisation. Whole class improvises with teacher says words from a poem. Read the whole poem and have improvisation come to a close.
* Transition to discuss authors and how their work was inspired by nature.
* Read poems and excerpts from famous poets such as Henry David Thoreau,Robert Frost, William Wordsworth, Etc.
Critically analyze poems looking for BEST in the words of the poems.
* In groups of 4. Read an assigned poem together and pick out the BEST words. After you have your words, join with another group. One group reads only their words while the other group of 4 improvises as they hear the words. End that group’s improvisation by ready whole poem (stop cue). Switch group roles. Can do activity in groups or with whole class watching.
* Discuss what you observed.
* Have you ever been inspired by something you have seen in nature? Is nature a sufficient inspiration?
* Journal response of thoughts and feelings towards the day’s activities and discussion.
* Prepare the class to be inspired tomorrow.
Day 2: Walden Pond
* Go outside and observe one object in nature for the whole class period. Leave cell phones, ipods, and all other electronic devices inside your locker, backpack. See what it is like to be alone in nature. Free write for the hour about the experience – you will turn this in.
* Part of your free write must be a poem or an excerpt (nature thought) like we read from the day before.
Day 3: Creating your solo
* Find the BEST words in your own poem. Highlight the words in your poem or excerpt.
* You will be creating an ABA pattern composition to be assessed. From the words today you will create the A section.
* Create a 36-count movement sequence based on those words. This should be clear enough that the audience can pick the words out of your movement.
* Share poem or thought and accompanying movement sequence in small groups for feedback and performance.
* Discuss how you chose to represent what you observed in nature the movement, and anything you learned in your Thoreau experience.
* Write about this in your journal.
Day 4: Seeing without Seeing
* In partners you have 30 minutes for each to be blindfolded.
* One partner leads the other around campus for half of class and then switch. Do not talk. Blindfolded person feel objects that your partner leads you to. Pay attention to textures. Pick 3 textures what interest you.
* Leading partner, take your partner to feel details and interesting textures they may not notice when they can see. Do not tell them what they are feeling. Be courteous.
* What do you see, when you don’t see?
* One page written response due the next day.
Day 5: Continuing the Process
* Discuss what was learned by see with out seeing on Day 4. Write your 3 textures at the top of your one page written response.
* Compose B section 36 counts from 3 textures you felt from Day 4.
* Add B to A.
* Begin working on A’ (based on concepts of A) or repeat A again.
* Last 10 minutes of class show in groups of 3 for feedback.
Day 6: Work on Solos
* Workday.
* Work alone for the first ½ hour.
* Last ½ can be giving/receiving feedback in partnerships.
Day 7-8: Assessment
* Share poem, and 3 textures with class. Perform solo.
* Peer Evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative evaluation worksheet. Observe the performance and presence of their words and representation of poem. Did they show ABA pattern?
* Teacher evaluation: More emphasis on Qualitative. Do they understand the concepts taught of BEST throughout the semester? Also quantitative.
* Turn in poems, journals, free-writes, blindfold response and any other assignments.
Weeks 17-18: Semester Assessment
* Teach sequence for final evaluation using all BEST and other chosen elements discussed throughout semester.
* Test and record sequence, perform self-evaluation by watching video.
* BEST chart fill-out final.
* Turn in all late or due papers and journal entries.
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