Dance Post 5

Hello everyone, and welcome!

This post will highlight one of the many fun, engaging and educational activities I have come across during my experiences in the Dance classroom. For this post, I would like to focus on integrating science into the dance class!

I believe that the more a teacher can incorporate cross-curricular activities into their classroom the better. One of the many benefits of doing so is that students will get a richer and deeper understanding of the subjects being dealt with, and at the same time it better prepares students for life outside of the school walls, because in life things are not as compartmentalized as they are in traditional schooling. A simple example to illustrate this is when we grocery shop, because we are simultaneously thinking about the nutritional value of the food (science), so we read the labels (Literacy), all the while thinking about the total cost of our groceries (mathematics). The great thing with dance, is that it allows students to blend their dance activities with all of these subjects!

One example that perfectly demonstrates how science and dance can be blended together are the Bee Day activities. The Bee Day activities are an example of how a teacher can take focus in on one general topic (in this case Bees) and teach their class many different things about Bees using a variety of tools and activities that all work together to reinforce their learning. Bee Day activities can include reading poems or stories about Bees, and then analyzing all the scientific facts that were mentioned in the poem or story. From there the students can then analyze the text again looking for all the verbs in the poem or story (e.g. buzz, collect, etc.) and act out those actions while envisioning themselves as a bee.

Another great Bee Day activity could be to watch a video such as this. After having watched the video, the teacher and students can discuss the Waggle Dance, and then, after having assembled into groups, students would be able to use symbols and methods of their own to come up with a dance that can be used to communicate where their intended destination is. It could also be fun to have one group at a time, come to the front of the class and demonstrate their dance, and then have the rest of the class try to interpret that group’s dance and figure out where that group’s intended destination is.

Accommodations can be made to this activity, such as allowing for different group sizes, to allowing for more time to prepare, and by trying to present the task in a variety of different forms (written, audio, visual, etc.). I think modelling on the part of the teacher can be used as a means of giving students a visual aid and a second round of going through instructions, that way things can be made easier for them to understand and try and on their own.


Expectation From the Ontario Curriculum:
A1: Creating and Presenting: ​apply the creative process to the composition of movement sequences and short dance pieces using the elements of dance to communicate feelings, ideas, and stories
And
A1.3 ​use guided improvisation in a variety of ways as a starting point for choreography

Drama Post 5

Hi everyone!

I would like to share with you some of the wonderful things I have learned and experienced on my quest to better understanding everything and anything to do with the realm of the dramatic arts!

For this post, I would like to focus on Devised Theatre. Devised theatre, also called collective creation, is a method of theatre-making in which the performance originates from collaborative, often improvisatory work by a performing ensemble. Some have elaborated on what Devised theatre means to them by explaining that usually in a performance there is a director, but in the case of devised theater the group members themselves become the directing force. Furthermore, usually the group members try to center in on a specific idea, and together, try to find every way possible that they could possible ‘attack’ that idea and bring it to ‘life’.
A great attribute of devised theatre is that it is very collaborative and it is not about the individual performance, or about trying to stand out. This is especially great in the school setting where students can work on team building in the classroom and can work on forming meaningful social bonds inside and outside of the classroom. And this just illustrates yet another way that skills that students develop/ work on in the drama class can only be transferable life skills.

Here is a great warm-up activity that students can do. It is good to start with simple tasks and activities and slowly build on them making them slightly more difficult each time until, before you know it, the students are finding it fun and easy!


Accommodations to students with exceptionalities can be made while teaching students about devised theatre in many ways, one of them being by adjusting group sizes (e.g. maybe the larger the group the more difficult it is to get organized and on the same page), and by having smaller group sizes it makes it easier teachers to have more intimate discussions with members of that group and the advice and help can be better tailored to the situation at hand.

Expectation From the Ontario Curriculum:

B2. Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing: apply the critical analysis process to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings in response to a variety of drama works and experiences.

Dance Post 4

Hello everyone, and welcome!

This post will highlight one of the many fun, engaging and educational activities I have come across during my experiences in the Dance classroom. For this post, I would like to focus on Flocking.

Flocking is a type of improvisation in which students move in groups, with no set pattern or in a diamond formation, following a leader and all doing the same movements simultaneously. This is an extended version of Mirroring for three or more people. Participants do not necessarily need to be able to watch each other, as long as they can see the leader.

This activity is great because it allows for students to have the freedom the move their bodies and express themselves as they see fit. At the same time, it also allows for other students who do not have a lot of background knowledge in terms of dance moves to be able to rely on their partners to show/ teach them some new moves as they follow along. The teacher can also make a note to model some moves in the beginning of the class, that way students will have something to refer back to if they cannot think of something original on their own. As was mentioned before, Flocking is an extension to Mirroring, which is something that students would have already, ideally, had lots of practice with.

Accommodations can be made to this activity, such as allowing for different group sizes, to allowing for more time to prepare, and by trying to present the task in a variety of different forms (written, audio, visual, etc.). I think thisvideo is a great tool that I could use in the class as a means of giving students a visual aid and a second round of going through instructions, that way things can be made easier for them to understand and try and on their own.


Expectation From the Ontario Curriculum:
A1.3 ​use guided improvisation in a variety of ways as a starting point for choreography (e.g., use exercises such as mirroring flocking, and body storming to create movement material for choreography)

Drama Post 4

Hi everyone!

I would like to share with you some of the wonderful things I have learned and experienced on my quest to better understanding everything and anything to do with the realm of the dramatic arts!

For this post, what I would like to focus on is RAFT writing as a tool to be used in drama classes. I think that some of us, myself included, may think of drama class as just working on our acting skills, which is a total misconception. If we were to analyze that thought a little deeper we would realize that (other than in the case of improvisation type scenarios) there is very often a script that many actors study, meaning that there must have been an author/ playwright to write such a thing in the first place. Without authors/ playwrights we would not have many of the plays, movies and T.V. shows we enjoy and are entertained by daily (not to mention inspiring and thought-provoking classics like the works of Shakespeare and others). Therefore, after only a moment’s reflection it becomes obvious to see how important and intertwined drama and writing can be for one another. Hence, I think the that RAFT (Role, Audience, Format, Topic) writing strategy would be a great thing to introduce to the class. This activity also allows you as a teacher to use it in any situation you want, for example, if you wanted to make it cross curricular you could have students write out an alternative script for the play Rome and Juliet, where a student could take the Role of Romeo, have Juliet’s sister be the intended Audience, while the Format is that of a letter being written to here, and the Topic is Juliet’s birthday and what she would like as a birthday present. After all the writing is done, the student may act out a scene that encompasses the situation and portrays their character in this alternate scenario. The possibilities are seemingly endless, because teacher can make cross curricular connections to social studies (having students take the roles of either the First Nations people or Europeans), science (having students take the role of environmentalists trying to convince government politicians to change their policies about carbon taxing big corporations), and probably any other subject for that matter!

Here is a video that can be used in class to further elaborate the RAFT writing strategy to students who may still be a little confused about how it works.

Once again, this activity can be done in a way that is inclusive to all sorts of students. For example, for students who suffer with writing/ spelling/ grammar and/or with fine motor skills, they may use assistive technology where there are voice-text applications as well as many other applications to help students get the job done.


Expectation From the Ontario Curriculum:
B1. Creating and Presenting: apply the creative process to process drama and the development of drama works, using the elements and conventions of drama to communicate feelings, ideas, and multiple perspectives.

B2. Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing: apply the critical analysis process to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings in response to a variety of drama works and experiences.

Dance post 3

Hello everyone, and welcome!

This post will highlight one of the many fun, engaging and educational activities I have come across during my experiences in the Dance classroom. For this post, I would like to focus on cross-curricular activities that can be done in the dance class, with a particular focus on cross-curricular studies, with an emphasis on getting acquainted with First nations’ culture and history.

Being in Canada, it is particularly important to educate our students to the best of our ability on the history of this country, which is part and parcel the history of First Nations communities. The great thing about teaching students about the history and culture of First Nations in dance as opposed to just in the social studies classroom is that it allows for there to be information that can be experienced, rather than just heard. It allows for there to be an enjoyment of, and an appreciation of the culture.
First Nations communities also have a tradition of passing down information from generation to generation not through means of writing, but through means of oral communication, which also included songs and dances. There are dances like the Pow Wow and the Round Dance can be introduced to students, among any others. Here is a video that can be used in class as to serve as a visual aid as well as to add to the background information of students.


Students can be accommodated for, especially when participating in the Round Dance, because it essentially requires the group to move in unison in a circle, however, even if there is some difficulty with performing such an act, students could also be made to be in charge of the music that way they are still participating and engaged.

Expectation From the Ontario Curriculum:
A3: Exploring Forms and Cultural Contexts: Demonstrate an understanding of a variety of dance forms, traditions, and styles from the past and present, and their sociocultural and historical contexts.

Drama post 3

Hi everyone!

I would like to share with you some of the wonderful things I have learned and experienced on my quest to better understanding everything and anything to do with the realm of the dramatic arts!

For this post, I would like to focus on sounds/ voices in Drama. I know that It is a possibility that some of us have watched silent films, however, I think it is safe to say that the majority of movies we have watched did include sounds of some sort. I think it would also be safe to say that the sounds we heard in those movies, shows, or plays all added a tremendous benefit to our understanding of what was going on and what was trying to be conveyed to the audience. The sounds we here not only communicate verbal language, but also communicate emotion and emphasis. With that being said, it is important for students to be aware of what they want their future audiences to feel/ understand, and then be able to know what sounds would be assist them in delivering that affect.
A good activity that I hope that my students will enjoy is called ‘sound effects’. Students will be grouped into teams of 4 (although it does not necessarily have to be 4), where two will be “Actors” and two will be “Sound Makers”. The students that are the “Actors” are given a location for the setting of their scene. “Sound Makers” will then position themselves on each side of the stage. They will provide sound effects for the “Actor” they are assigned. The two “Actors” create many opportunities for the “Sound Makers” to make sounds through their improvisation of the scene. Then the students that were the “Actors” can switch with those students that were the “Sound Makers”, so that every student has had a chance to experience both roles.

 Here is a video that illustrates this activity in a humorous way that I can use as a model in my class and I think my students will enjoy.

This activity can be a great way to include technology in the classroom which will allow students with exceptionalities to join in on the fun as well. For example non-verbal students can use the technologies provided to them to locate appropriate sound effects that they can playback at anytime.

Expectation From the Ontario Curriculum:
B1.4 communicate thoughts, feelings, and ideas to a specific audience, using audio, visual, and/or technological aids to enhance their drama work

Dance week 2

Hello everyone, and welcome!

This post will highlight one of the many fun, engaging and educational activities I have come across during my experiences in the Dance classroom. For this post, I would like to focus on cross-curricular activities that can be done in the dance class, with a particular focus on mathematics.

When people think of mathematics they usually think of an academic exercise that requires nothing but ones own intellect (and maybe a pencil and paper at times), and to an extent that is true. However, we know that students are not entirely intellectual beings, they are not being that are content being confined to a desk and chair and made to use nothing but their minds the whole school day; that would be in the brink of torture! Therefore, it is great that dance can be used to allow students to not only use their minds but their bodies too. In dance we have done activities where students can start being making the numbers 1 to 9 with their bodies and are given time to practice. Once the students have done this warm up activity, the possibilities are almost endless, because now students would have the capability to represent almost any number they want and can now answer math problems and riddles using not a pencil and paper, but instead their bodies!
Another great thing about incorporating dance into mathematics is that it may be another way to teach students, that are more kinesthetic and/or visual learners, and with numeracy and literacy being just important focuses of most school baords, this would be something that everyone would be delighted to see and encourage more of.

Accommodating students is not very difficult either when it comes to mathematics and dance cross-curricular activities because there are so many different ways of engaging in the activities and representing what you want. for example, if students are asked a questions like “what is 4 x 2=?”, rather than one student have to contort their body to make a figure 8, the teacher can allow for the students to gather together to form a group of 8 and allow that to be the representation for the number 8.

I think this video is a great tool that can be used in my future class to inspire my students to engage in a variety of mathematics related dances!


Expectation From the Ontario Curriculum:
A1: Creating and Presenting: ​apply the creative process to the composition of movement sequences and short dance pieces using the elements of dance to communicate feelings, ideas, and stories