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Overview

Key Staff

Primary Instructor

Key Skills

Developing Arts Literacies: Understanding Genres, Analyzing and Evaluating - Critique
Making Art: Producing, Executing and Performing

Summary

This lesson introduces students to the concept of emotionally and physically telling a story through dance and pantomime. Students will learn that in ballet the dancer is trained to act out the story/character with movement instead of words. The Nutcracker will serve as the foundation for the lesson and activities.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

Develop skills in communicating through physical movement (pantomime).

Be introduced to the story of The Nutcracker originally by E. T. A. Hoffman.

Understand how a story may be told through dance.

Learn about ballet as a means of expression and storytelling.

Teaching Approach

Thematic

Project-Based Learning

Arts Integration

Teaching Methods

Direct Instruction

Discussion

Experiential Learning

Reflection

Assessment Type

Observation

Preparation

What You'll Need

Materials

Resources

Required Technology

1 Computer per Classroom

1 Computer per Learner

1 Computer per Small Group

Projector

Lesson Setup

Teacher Background

Teachers should familiarize themselves with the story of the Nutcracker and information on creating characters through dance using the following sources:

Hayward, Linda. A Day in the Life of a Dancer. London: Dorling Kindersley, 2001.

Pytor Illych Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker - Complete Ballet ~ Valery Gergiev (Composer), Kirov Orchestra and Choir (Conductor)

American Ballet Theatre: Image Gallery

Great Performances: Dance (PBS)

American Ballet Theatre: Online Ballet Dictionary

Prior Student Knowledge

Students should have some familiarity with the story of The Nutcracker.

Physical Space

Classroom

Accessibility Notes

Students with physical disabilities will need modified movement options.

Instruction

Resources in Reach

Here are the resources you'll need for each activity, in order of instruction.

Build Knowledge

1. Stand in front of the class and tell them that you are going to "speak" to them without using any words. Tell them that you will point to someone who should tell the class what you are "saying" or feeling.

Wave to the students with a smile on your face. Point to a student. (The student should say "hello."). Then, frown and pretend to cry. Point to a student. (The student should say "I'm sad.") Finally, furrow your brow and fold your arms. Point to a student. (The student should say "I'm angry.")

2. Next, tell the class that you are going to pretend to do something. They must guess what you are trying to communicate. Pantomime the process of getting into a car, starting it, and driving it. When you have finished, ask the students what you were doing.

3. Explain to students that you are doing something called "pantomime." Tell them that pantomime is a way to communicate without using words. Instead, you use your face and your body to help show actions, thoughts, or feelings.

Build Knowledge

1. Tell the students that they will now do a pantomime. Have them get up and start moving by walking around the room. Tell them to pretend that they are walking to school.

2. Next, give the students the following prompts. (Give them about a minute to adjust to each new scenario):

You are walking to school in the pouring rain.

You are walking to school after a big snowstorm, and there is a foot of snow on the ground.

You stayed up late, so you are very tired when you are walking to school.

It is the last day of school, and you can't wait to get there.

3. When you have finished the exercise, ask the students to talk about the things they did to show the different situations. How did they change their body movements to show that they were walking through snow? To show that they were tired?

4. Ask students if they think it would be possible to tell an entire story without words. Tell them that you are going to read them a story. As you read, they should listen carefully and think about how they could tell it without words. Read the story of The Nutcracker aloud. (Note: for more information on The Nutcracker, see The Nutcracker: Story and Music or The Nutcracker Ballet Web site.) After you have read the story, tell the students that you are going to re-tell part of the story through pantomime. Their job is to guess which scene you are miming.

5. Recreate a scene from The Nutcracker for your class. A good scene to use for this exercise starts when Clara is happily twirling and dancing in the parlor at the beginning of the ballet. She is holding one of her dolls. She looks at it lovingly and holds it to her chest. Tchaikovsky wrote the musical piece Marche to portray this moment. Pantomime the scene and ask the children to guess the character you portrayed (Clara).

6. Ask the students what happened in the scene you pantomimed. (Clara woke up and went to find her doll.) Ask the class if you spoke any words (No). If not, how did they know what was happening and what you were feeling?

7. Show the video excerpt from Act 1, Scene 1 from The Nutcracker (in the resource carousel). You will see this scene and hear a portion of the music. Have students observe the pantomime used by the dancer portraying Clara in the clip.

1. Tell the class that it is their turn to pantomime a scene. Divide the students into groups of three to tell the story together. Choose a scene to be re-enacted through dance or pantomime, or use the one given as an example here.

Choose a student to play Clara, another to play her brother Fritz, and a third to play their godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer. Ask the class what happened when Herr Drosselmeyer first came to the party. (Herr Drosselmeyer gave Clara and Fritz gifts.) Ask the chosen students to pantomime getting gifts from their godfather. Remind the children that no words may be spoken.

Now choose three other students to pantomime the same scene, adding another action: have Clara and Fritz now show each other the gifts they have received. Building upon the previous two presentations, ask the class what now happens in the story. (Fritz, being jealous of the Nutcracker doll Clara has received, takes the doll and breaks it.)

Choose three new students to play the parts, adding in the breaking of the Nutcracker doll.

2. To give students another example of group pantomime, show the clip of the Nutcracker and the Mouse King battling with their armies behind them. Tchaikovsky wrote the musical piece The Battle to portray this. If time permits, the students may brainstorm other scenes in the story to re-enact through pantomime.

3. Tell students that the story of The Nutcracker has often been told without words, through a type of dance called ballet. Tell the students that ballet is similar to pantomime because it tells a story without words; however, it is different because dancers perform special dance movements and steps to music.

4. Explain to the students that the music is also an integral part of the story and closely relates to the mood set for the pantomime. In many instances, you only have to hear the music and scenes pop into your mind. You can visualize what might be happening and the characters involved. You might play students some musical pieces from favorite movies or TV shows to see if they can recognize the theme and characters.

1. Have students view the video clip from The Nutcracker shown earlier in the lesson.
2. After they view the clip, have them discuss how the dance helped to tell the story without words.

How did the dancers' movements help to show you what was happening in the story?

How were their movements similar to the movements you used when you acted out the scene?

How were the dance movements different from your pantomimes in class?

3. Have students look back at the information you recorded on the board after the first viewing of the clips from The Nutcracker. Chart the new answers beside the old to show students that they have grown in their understanding of dance and pantomime.

Assessment

1. Ask each student to think of a story that could be told without words (such as a fairy tale). Have them think of a scene from the story and pantomime it for the class. (Have them identify the story that they are pantomiming before they start the scene.) Evaluate students' abilities to:

Select an appropriate story

Identify an appropriate scene

Communicate the scene through pantomime

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Overview Key Staff Primary Instructor Key Skills Developing Arts Literacies: Understanding Genres, Analyzing and Evaluating - Critique Making Art: Producing, Executing and Performing Summary This lesson introduces students to the concept of emotionally and physically telling a story through dance and pantomime.

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Use effective and safe teaching methods

Consider:

the type of class (community, social, school, studio, professional etc)

participants' age, stage and needs

the dance style/genre

class size and venue.

Lesson planning

Consider:

the aim of class or teaching program

pre-testing for prior knowledge/understanding

skill levels and age

logical, suitable and safe progression beginning with warm-up and stretching

students' emotional, physical and intellectual development and/or limitations

a graduated workload, i.e. frequency, intensity, duration and type of dance.

Create a positive learning/teaching environment

Make sure that the:

teaching is supportive, encouraging and non-threatening

goals are clearly stated

students respect the rights of others to be taught and to learn

students are given equal opportunities to learn and develop their dance skills

teachers encourage students to accept reasonable challenges and to take risks with teacher support

students support each other in challenging or risk-taking activity

cultural, gender and age differences and different physical and learning abilities are reflected in fair and inclusive teaching/learning practices.

Demonstrate positive communication skills

Discuss your goals and expectations of a class, program or course.

Give clear instructions, explanations and demonstrations in verbal, non-verbal, audiovisual and written forms.

Create a safe, friendly and positive atmosphere.

Adapt your language to suit the age and experience of students

Give regular verbal feedback that respects students and helps them develop as independent learners.

Help students to reflect, evaluate and share knowledge.

Be a positive role model

Show your love for dance with energy and enthusiasm.

Set clear goals and expectations.

Use language that shows respect for students and staff.

Teach safe dance principles; non-judgmental attitudes; positive body image; punctuality, planning and preparation.

Pedagogy-develop and use dance teaching practices

Level 1

Respect students' personal space.

Encourage a healthy awareness and understanding of the physical nature of dance.

Use verbal explanations and show correct stance/movement.

Before any physical contact, tell the student why and how contact is needed.

Show different approaches to a task, movement or problem solving exercise.

Allow exploratory learning by encouraging students to talk about ideas and processes.

Use positive approaches that give students information, confidence, encouragement and a willingness and desire to practice and improve their dance skills.

Be sensitive to social, economic and cultural contexts, expectations, language and themes.

Level 2

Recognise and be sensitive to the external lives/pressures that students (particularly adolescents) are experiencing.

Monitor issues that relate to dance training and talk with a student about concerning symptoms.

If needed, discuss issues with colleagues, parents and carers, while being sensitive to a student's right to privacy.

Be aware and adhere to teacher responsibility to Mandatory Reporting regulations (check your state legislation).

Refer students and parents/carers to other dance and health professionals with sensitivity.

Use terminology and explanations which are understood by students.

Include assessment as an informal or formal gauge of progress.

Place dance as an art form in its historical, social and cultural contexts according to the style taught, and the training level.

Help students learn to relate dance practice and theory.

Give students learning opportunities which develop and recognise different learning styles.

Use various teaching resources and modes of learning.

Self-development and career development

Level 1

Invite and welcome honest feedback from parents, students and colleagues.

Make time to talk with students, course leaders, school or institution leaders and parents or carers about issues affecting individual students, classes or groups.

Find opportunities for learning and development.

Find opportunities for learning and certification as a dance educator.

Learn about lifelong learning practices.

Professional development

Maintain knowledge and expertise in your chosen genre and style of dance; develop a broad knowledge of dance; enrich your qualifications.

Level 1

Attend performances and read dance-related material.

Develop your awareness and knowledge of different stage crafts.

Enroll in teaching, stage craft, health, fitness and business management courses.

Encourage employed staff to do professional development.

Level 2

Make sure your professional knowledge is current and qualifications are upgraded through a teaching or syllabus organisation.

Attend professional development workshops or short courses.

Maintain or subscribe to a professional journal or library.

Encourage self-expression and creativity

Level 1

Include regular times for students to use imagination, expressive skills and creativity.

Teach students the elements of composition using the relevant style or genre.

Use different creative stimuli and models of self expression.

Use a developmental approach (creative scaffolding) to build creative skills along with technique development.

Include time to develop performance skills.

Give students access to other teachers or artists (workshops, summer schools and special events) to stimulate creativity through new ways of thinking about dance.

Recognise the subjective nature of creativity.

Level 2

Help students develop independence, problem-solving and decision-making skills.

Recognise individual learning styles and offer choices so each student has practice with problem solving and decision-making.

Make sure that programs/curriculum let students choose class tasks, projects or electives that allow creative growth.

Use technical training as a tool for expressive development and creative growth.

Give students tools to assess their expressive and creative development.

Give students opportunities and support their interest in dance experiences beyond their educational setting

Encourage use, review and criticism of dance-related material

Facilitate or encourage attendance at rehearsals, performances, exhibitions and performances in dance and other art forms

Support students to audition for events or performances or take part in activities/workshops where they can work with other teachers, choreographers or directors to enhance their

Understanding of creative processes, performance and professional expectations.

Use assessment and reporting procedures

Note: There are teaching situations such as community and recreational dance instruction which do not require or expect formal assessment and reporting.

Assess the work of students against criteria

Level 1

Give students regular verbal or written feedback that includes praise and identifies areas for improvement.

Let students discuss and receive feedback about work in development (technique, creative work and theory).

Give progress reports to parents and students.

Before assessment, make sure students understand the assessment measures.

Use external standards or assessors to moderate your assessment process.

Deal privately with sensitive assessment and achievement issues.

Give parents and students an accurate assessment of dance potential

Level 2

Give regular verbal and written descriptive assessment (which includes marks or grades), and some independent assessment.

Give honest opinions about a dancer's potential or readiness to pass an exam or succeed in an audition.

Use criterion-based assessment which can be complemented by subjective opinions, references and statements.

Provide vocational support for training and careers

Level 2

Encourage students to complete their school education and to develop interests both within and outside dance.

Give students resources, structures, educational counselling that helps them complete Year 12 and receive university admission ranking.

Encourage students to gain experience in dance and theatre related work.

Give students access to professional career counselling.

Give students work, career and transition planning tools.

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Effective dance teaching methods " Ausdance | Dance Advocacy

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A checklist of skills, knowledge, considerations and practices that form the basis of good dance teaching methodology.

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Ms. Patterson and Ms. Denis, high school ELA teachers at the East Bronx Academy for the Future, find a creative way to engage students and deepen their understanding as they study Edgar Allan Poe's "The Bells". After reading the poem, student groups work to identify the literary devices used by the author and to identify elements such as mood and theme.

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By BJ Williston

SPARK K-12 Trainer & Curriculum Developer

I was lucky to have been exposed to a wide variety of types of dance as a kid. Living in Hawaii, my first experience was taking hula lessons with my older sisters. I may have been the only redhead in the halau (or hula school) but I loved the feeling of moving to the beat and changing as much as my more native-looking friends. In school, our PE teacher taught us square dance, Polynesian cultural dances, and later dances to the hit songs of the day. I am certainly dating myself when I say we danced to Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World" and The Jackson Five's rendition of "Rockin' Robin".

In middle school we choreographed our own routines and performed in front of the class. The groups were teacher-assigned which meant a mixed bag of students cooperating to complete the task. I have great memories of that assignment. By high school I was taking jazz and modern dance classes outside of school and joined a dance company which performed around the island. We rehearsed several nights a week and the experience helped build my confidence and gave me a greater insight into the life of a dancer.

At the time I didn't realize how fortunate I was to have been given such a well-rounded dance education. Looking back on it, I owe a lot to my PE teachers who cared enough to expose me to dance at such an early age.
Why teach dance?
My guess is that most teachers inherently know that dance is an important part of every child's education. Aside from bringing pleasure, dance can increase health-related fitness as well as improve balance, coordination, and balance. Dance brings us more in touch with diverse cultures and may be used as a tool to teach or reinforce cultural awareness. Learning a dance helps memory and sequencing skills. In addition, dance can be a form of self-expression and creativity. Many dances promote social skills like cooperation and teamwork. Dance is typically a non-competitive activity that most students enjoy. So, the real question should be why not teach dance?

As I'm sure you know there are some PE teachers who don't teach dance. They have all sorts of excuses for leaving dance out of the curriculum. If you are one of these teachers, this blog is for you. Let me put your worries at ease as SPARK can help you overcome just about any barrier you may have for not teaching dance. Below are a few of the barriers and ten tips to help overcome them:
I'm not a "dancer"
No one is expecting you to be an expert in everything. Most PE Specialists are more comfortable teaching certain activities over others. You may be the Invasion Games Expert or the Aquatics Guru or the Racquets and Paddles King/Queen. But just because you are not an "expert" in an area does not mean you can't teach it. Here are a few ideas for teaching dance when you yourself are just learning:

1. Start small: Look for dances in the SPARK program that have just a few steps like the Conga, The Bunny Hop, The Pata Pata, etc. Get your feet wet with these to build your confidence and see how your students take to dance.

2. Build on that: Each time you teach a dance, use that dance as a warm-up for your next few lessons to reinforce learning. Allow students to add their own twist to dances as they get more comfortable. Revisit your dances throughout the year and keep building their repertoire.

3. Use the Jigsaw Method: Many of SPARK's dances are broken into 3-4 discernable parts. For example a dance with Verses, Chorus, and Instrumental parts with 3-5 steps in each. Students begin in Jigsaw Groups, then # off according to how many parts there are. They then move to Learning Groups where they are all learn the same steps and become an expert in those steps. When ready, they return to their Jigsaw Group and each student teaches the part they learned. Like a jigsaw puzzle, they put it together to form one full dance. This method encourages students to work cooperatively, promotes reading, and allows students to interpret the dance steps in order to teach them.

4. Get a little help from SPARKfamily: All of the K-12 PE and After School dances are now available on SPARKfamily.org in a new section called SPARKdance. SPARKdance provides the instructional materials, music, and videos for each dance. There are two videos per dance - an Instructional and an All Together version. Use the Instructional video to go through each dance step-by-step. Then use the All Together video to help lead the group through the dance with no stops. This frees you to move around the area to help students in need.

5. Turn over the reins: Use PACE dances to allow students to learn at their own pace with a partner or small group. SPARK also has a "Create a Dance" activity in most program levels. These activities should be used after other dances have been taught so students can build on what they have learned.

6. Find an expert: Whether it is another teacher at your school, a parent volunteer, a student teacher, community member, or even one of your students, there are "expert" dancers all around! Invite someone to be a guest teacher a few days each month. Once students learn the dance, get a few students who are comfortable leading, turn on the music, and dance away! Again, this frees you to move throughout and provide feedback to your class.
I don't have the right music
There are all sorts of resources out there to help you with music. Try some of these:

7. SPARK provides an mp3 version of each of the songs for all of our dances on SPARKfamily.org. SPARK also has CDs with all of the music from each program. Click Here to download the order form.

8. iTunes allows you to purchase songs one at a time for $0.99 or $1.29. Be sure to listen to them for content appropriateness!

9. Some companies, such as Kidzbop® put out kid-friendly versions of the most popular songs of the day.

10. Stay tuned for the SPARKdance DVD set (including instructional materials, music, and videos) in September 2014!
We don't have a dance room
Very few schools do, so don't let that slow you down. A gym is perfectly fine for dance. If you don't have a gym, a blacktop or even grass works just fine. Basically, kids can dance anywhere! It certainly helps to have a good sound system so you and the students can hear the music well.

Now, don't let your students go one more week without getting them moving to music. It's the right thing to do! Have fun!

Ready to get started? Join the #SPARKdance contest May 27, 2014 – June 30, 2014 for a chance to win an iPad Mini! Click Here to learn more.

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As I'm sure you know there are some PE teachers who don't teach dance. They have all sorts of excuses for leaving dance out of the curriculum. If you are one of these teachers, this blog is for you.

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TDfU - Why Teaching Dance for Understanding?

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Overview

Dance, as an art form, is perceived by many to be outside the domain of serious academic study. However, dance can be a highly successful method of instructional support in many core subjects. The English (or language arts) classroom is one excellent example. Dance can complement the teaching of several diverse elements of the English curriculum. Five "centerpieces" in the teaching of English that can be illuminated and enriched through dance are: the language of analysis; the explication of a specific text; comparative analysis of literature; the essay-writing process; and the nurturing of creative imagination.
1. The Language of Analysis
A vital step in readying students to read literary texts with understanding and discernment is the inculcation of specific ways to examine literature. An effective way to achieve this goal is by first helping students learn what to look for-to grasp insight into the logical and aesthetic forces of human expression that, when woven together, build the narratives, characterizations and themes, shape the forms and individual styles, and achieve impact. Such "readiness" also helps students develop a critical eye in a probe of what contributes to the success of a manuscript, what specific aspects could be strengthened, what makes a "classic" a "classic."

Dance can be a great assist in clarifying the language of analysis and inculcating understanding of and appreciation for the strong undercurrents that fuel the power of literature. Explanations of tone, the basic concept of rhythm in poetry and prose and variations in rhythm, patterns of syntax, diction, and rhetorical elements such as parallelism, emphasis, subordination, coordination, compression and expansion are deepened when demonstrated through dance movement. Students in a class or in the larger school community who have had dance training could be the primary "demonstrators," but an entire class also could participate in dance movement aimed at clarifying and reinforcing aspects of the language of analysis.
2. Explication of a Specific Text
The explication of any genre of literature-poetry, short stories, dramatic scripts, novels, essays -can be enhanced by the infusion of dance into the explanation "lessons." Drawing on the "readiness" step of using dance to clarify the language of analysis, students can identify discrete elements of the narrative, characterization, theme(s), and form of a specific text and showcase them through dance. An effective starting point could be to have small collaborative groups "script" the structural drive of a literary selection through a graphic drawing and/or a brief written explanation of their perceptions, then present the evidence through dance movement. For instance, the assertion that the text starts slowly, then builds steadily to a climax at the end or builds to a climax then drops off in a sustained denouement, could be augmented through dance demonstration. The structural ebb and flow generated by a series of climatic points within the overall structural drive of a text could be punctuated by dance movement.

Clarification of the linguistic "texture" of a text also could be enriched through dance "translation." For instance, dance can underscore whether or not a text is developed in a sustained rhythmic pattern (metered or unmetered in poetry) or that the rhythm changes sporadically to dramatize elements of the narrative, characterization, or theme. Dance also can be effectively used to delineate the tone quality of a literary selection including variations of tone achieved through shifting patterns of syntax, rhythm, and diction. Selected segments of the narrative and/or theme can be "interpreted" through dance. Rhetorical devices such as parallelism, sustained imagery, and alliteration can be highlighted through dance. Particularly valuable is that using dance to clarify and enrich the explication process of literature helps students perceive how the artistic tensions of a literary selection emerge from the organic unity of narrative, characterization, form, and theme. In fact, the intellectual, emotional, and psychological impact of a literary selection on a reader or observer is affected not only by narrative, characterization and/or theme, but also by the aesthetic designs of form.

3. Comparative Analysis of Literature

One of the most valuable study techniques for deepening students' grasp and appreciation of fine literature and of their own writing is to hone their skills of comparative analysis. Again, dance can serve as an agent for helping students sharpen their perspective in making comparisons. Drawing on their background in the explication process, students can articulate a range of comparisons through dance.

As example: Are the selections being compared shaped by similar points of view? Are both interior monologues? Or is one source built from an "inner self"-with the emotional and psychological "voice" of the protagonist dominant in molding narrative and theme, while the other(s) source is developed through the "voice" of an objective or omniscient observer? Is one heavy with exposition and characterization, released in formal patterns of syntax while the other is sparse in description, terse in tone, developed in sentence fragments, and the interruptions of the mind stream? Or do the literary selections being compared include both outer and inner "voices," with fluctuations of expanded lyrical passages and stream-of-consciousness?

Students with dance training could be called upon to project such similarities and differences in literary selections through dance. Non-dance trained students could be asked to improvise movement that they felt projected aspects of similarity or differences. Vignettes of videos of the choreographies of celebrated classical ballets such as Don Quixote or La Sylphides compared with Martha Graham's modern dance version of Lamentation and/or Cave of the Heart could deepen perception of differentiated elements of development in literature.

4. The Essay-writing Process

An essay-analytical, persuasive, or personal (such as a college admissions essay)-is like other literary sources in that it is a focused entity with external boundaries and internal structure. It is formed out of the chaos of raw thought that streams through the mind of the writer when confronted with an assigned topic or when working to shape a topic of personal choice. Like all composition, it is a mathematical equation organically forged from a composite of logically related parts and, when compelling, infused and enriched with well-chosen and effectively integrated rhetorical devices.

Success in developing any type of essay is best achieved by the writer formally or informally following the steps of the writing process. Such an approach helps the writer to flush out a rich range of ideas, to narrow and limit those ideas into a manageable focus, and then to craft a manuscript that has appealing logical structure, substantive support, energy in expansion of ideas, and rhetorical force.

Following the steps of the pre-writing process helps the writer generate a wealth of ideas and bring focus to that creative flow of ideas. These steps also help the writer harness his or her individual "voice" through capturing the thoughts, points of view, creative vision, personal experiences, and reactions that stream through the mind in focusing on a topic, a memory, or experience.

Dance can be instrumental in helping students understand the power of this pre-writing process. Asking a class (with all members participating) to choreograph the pre-writing steps helps students inculcate not only the pragmatic elements of the process as an organizational tool, but also sharpens their awareness of how the pre-writing process "mines" what they know about their topic, helping to expose what they don't know and need to explore, and generating creative vision of what they want the final product to be.

The steps of the pre-writing process:

capturing the chaos of the mind when brainstorming a topic

narrowing to a focus through trial and error

forging, as an early narrowing down process step, to discrete focal points that relate to the topic in a variety of ways

aligning interrelated focal points in categories ( for instance, if the general topic is "skiing," some of the focal points may relate to "ideal places to ski," others to "lodge accommodations," others to "traveling challenges and/or experiences," some to "après-ski")

constructing two or three mini-theses (assertions) for each category-again, as a trial and error step

deciding what assertions could be woven together to forge a logically sound and compelling thesis that would serve as the controlling purpose of the essay

When initiated as a collaborative problem-solving activity designed to give added insight into pre-writing steps, the choreographing of each of the above steps in sequence (as one would choreograph the structure of a ballet) could serve as a meaningful support for teaching the pre-writing process in an English class.

The opening out of the units of thought embedded in the thesis when writing the paper and experimenting with ways to achieve rhetorical power in structuring the paper also can be crafted in dance expression.

5. Nurturing Creative Imagination

Each of the ways suggested to use dance in an English class, although defined above as a way to achieve other purposes, nurtures students' creative imagination. Some English class assignments involving dance, however, could specifically target "imagination" as a primary goal. Consider, for instance, assigning students, as an extension of a creative writing exercise, to articulate an abstract concept in dance idiom (individually, in pairs, or in collaborative teams). Such abstract concepts as "jealousy," "revenge," "circumscribe," "separate peace," and "payback" are just a few possibilities. Citing existing literary sources built around some of these concepts could clarify the assignment and help evoke imaginative possibilities.

Another prompt could be to have students create a brief script for a dance drama. Some possibilities could be the scene of a homecoming, preparation for a wedding, an athletic practice session, a love triangle-there are numerous possibilities.

Integrating dance into the teaching of English serves many purposes: It supports differentiated learning by tapping into special talents and interests. It can open doors to discovery of unrealized talents and interests. And it serves, in numerous ways, to clarify and enrich essential English class lessons in the study of literature, expository, and creative writing. It supports problem-solving, collaboration, and other communication skills in a fresh and provocative way. A teacher need not have dance training to pull it off. Think of dance as an intrinsic element of human nature. Encourage students to tap that self-magic to implement their study of English.

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Overview Dance, as an art form, is perceived by many to be outside the domain of serious academic study. However, dance can be a highly successful method of instructional support in many core subjects. The English (or language arts) classroom is one excellent example.

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Bill Clinton definitely meant this to be true about teaching character traits to 3rd graders. He must of just left out that one important word.

Each year I feel like it is journey with so many possible roads I could go down.

And some of that is due to our curriculum. Which I'm not a fan of.

And another part is due to the fact that each year I have different students.

But one thing remains the same....

traits are tricky to teach.

We took a different approach this year and spent a lot of time looking at what our characters say, do, think, and feel and how they do these things and why they do these things before we even started naming traits.

It was the last bushel of leaves we added to this little tree chart we've been growing for the last 3 weeks.

And I thought half way through it was a big mistake.

And so did my co-teacher.

[or at least that's how it seemed].

But this past week, with all the work we've been doing, I'm feeling a bit more at ease.

And knowing we have around 15 more days in this unit, I think we can continue to see some decent progress.

Here's how we taught into some vocab this week to help with naming traits for our characters. Having a lot of ELs (and just because they are ALL 3rd graders and need to be pushed with their vocab), my co-teacher and I felt like we had to do some instruction and practice around vocabulary, so after my co-teacher shared this resource, (if you are in need of some ideas for teaching traits in RW, check it out- lots of ideas) and I scoured through my Pintrest boards, here's the steps we took this past week.

They are free and totally awesome- we used them in multiple settings this week. Any word they used to guess the trait word, I would chart. We only used the words on the cards and the person acting out could read the 'scenario' on the card for inspiration. We did allow people to talk, since we look at both what a character says and does (and thinks and feels), but we had to put up some guidelines. They loved it and it fit perfectly for a morning meeting game. Later we moved them onto this chart:

We tried to add more by giving an antonym for a word. For example, they came up with the word "lazy" during the game and so we thought of a word that meant the opposite- active. This provided us to get more words and have an idea of what they mean by thinking of the opposite. The ideas popped into my head after remembering an awesome anchor chart from Deb at Crafting Connections. Her's is much better than mine, but this was created on a complete whim so we'll go with it for now.

So, we've got some decent words (still need to get into so more "juicy" words, but we'll get there- journey...) and we tried using them and I noticed I got a lot of feeling words. This seems common because it's happened each year. So we first did a sort with the words they shared earlier between feelings and traits. Then, we sorted them by negative and positive traits (and added these words to the top of the above chart- in which not all of the words were on our chart).

The conversations at tables were great, it got them saying the words, and discussing what they mean. We kept using the term, "Would you want to be a _____ kind of a person?" to help us figure out if it was a negative or positive trait

So at this point, they have more words to pull from. Which is great. But now I wanted to tie it back to our trunk of our tree- we pick words based on what our characters say and do (text evidence). But not all students still knew what each of these words really meant or what it would look like in books. So I had my partners each pick one of the trait words and glue it to an index card. Then they wrote down 3-4 things that a person who is that trait would say, do, think, or feel.

I collected them, and whenever we have a spare minute or two during transitions, I would read the "text evidence" and the class would have to guess what the word was. I'll allow students to create more and keep them in a box for them to reference if they forget what types of behaviors go with that trait.

We then returned to those awesome trait cards from Erica to think what the characters on the cards would do next to promote them to start thinking about the patterns in their characters' behaviors to pick a strong trait. This also went over pretty well. We did that during the whole group mini-lesson.

Today, I had them do a long write 'essay' on their character from their series using a character trait and multiple pieces of evidence to support it. As opposed to the one they did a 2 weeks ago, they wrote for 10 minutes non-stop and I could see a lot of strong thinking. I haven't had a chance to look them all over (they accidentally got left at school on my desk... oops) but I know we've grown in our understanding.

And I have to keep reminding myself that it is a journey- this trait work- and I think we are on the right path for now.

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Character [traits] is a journey, not a destination- Bill Clinton

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Bill Clinton definitely meant this to be true about teaching character traits to 3rd graders. He must of just left out that one important word. Each year I feel like it is journey with so many possible roads I could go down. And some of that is due to our curriculum.

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drawing conclusions and making inferences

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Teaching Character Traits in Reader's Workshop | Scholastic

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Teaching students what character traits are, and how to recognize them, makes a major impact on your students' reading and writing. Get your students analyzing characters

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Identifying Characters, Setting, and Main Events in a Story

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Setting Lesson Plans and Lesson Ideas | BrainPOP Educators

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Setting, an animated reading and writing resource page with lesson plans and teaching tips, for kindergarten to 3rd grade students, teaches about past, present and future story settings and mood.

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The character trait links above provide free ideas, activities, and printables you can use when teaching character traits to your elementary students. The activities included will work best for 3rd grade and 4th grade, although many of the activities could be adapted to reach younger or older students.
The activities above address the following Common Core Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3
Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3
Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).

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Teaching Character Traits: Low Prep Activities - Teaching Made Practical

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The character trait links above provide free ideas, activities, and printables you can use when teaching character traits to your elementary students. The activities included will work best for 3rd grade and 4th grade, although many of the activities could be adapted to reach younger or older students.

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In this lesson you will learn how good readers track the setting by pausing and asking themselves, "Where are the characters? How do I know?"ù

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Reading Worksheets, Spelling, Grammar, Comprehension, Lesson Plans

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Every story has basic components: characters, setting, plot, theme, and conflict. These elements answer the basic questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? By understanding each of these components, students are better able to analyze and appreciate the author's work. You'll find our story elements worksheets listed below. Click on the title to view, download, or print the PDF. You may use them for free at home or in class. Be sure to check out all of our reading worksheets. If you're looking for more activities, check out www.readingvine.com's story elements reading passages.

Sorry, no worksheets matched your criteria.

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Story Elements Worksheets | Reading Skills

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Every story has basic components: characters, setting, plot, theme, and conflict. These elements answer the basic questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? By understanding each of these components, students are better able to analyze and appreciate the author's work. You'll find our story elements worksheets listed below.

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Tell Me More: Characters, Settings, and Events | Lesson Plan | Education.com

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Students will dig deeper into each of these components and learn to provide specific details from their texts.

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Part One of this series is about developing curriculum for both short and long courses of study. It includes some valuable information for the planning of lessons. You may want to read it first.

Lesson Planning
A Note About My Process

Some folks like to teach on the fly. I tend to be a planner. I feel most comfortable in front of a class when I've thought through what I'm going to do. Not every detail of the class needs to be planned but I prefer to have a clear outline or goal in mind. Just as strong technique brings freedom to the dancer, a strong lesson structure brings freedom to my teaching. I enjoy creating classes that express who I am as a person, an artist, a dancer. Though I often build upon existing curriculum or upon the long history of teachers and syllabi I have experienced as a student. I've found that my teaching is at its best when I've experimented, tweaked, and discovered what works for me.
Two Types of Lesson Plans

When outlining a class and designing exercises, I often choose a focus on which to base the material in class. Not every single element of class must revolve around the chosen focus, and I don't necessarily follow this type of plan for every class but, I find this method keeps me from falling into a rut when creating exercises and helps students make connections in applying technique.
Skill Focus
Choosing one or two skills to focus upon during a class can be a powerful device. It helps students to make connections between the basics and more complex movements. Particularly for beginner level classes, select something general.

For instance, perhaps the skill of the day is battement tendu.

Spend a bit of extra time discussing tendu at the barre. [How does the foot move along the floor? Does the leg bend or remain straight? From where does turnout of the leg initiate?]

Then, point out places tendu is used elsewhere in the barre combinations and have the class focus on perfecting that portion of the movement (for now it is okay if other things fall by the wayside). Even if it is not a direct usage, it is still important to point out connections - the articulation of the foot in tendu reflects the peeling articulation of the foot in jumps (for instance). Do the same with center exercises and traveling progressions.

Finish the end of the lesson with a tendu review. [How did focusing on the tendu change certain movements? What type of imagery helped them to better understand the action of a tendu? What are three important things to remember about tendu? What are some other dance skills, not practiced today, that also utilize tendu?]

The chosen skill can be anything - plié, carriage or support of the arms, epaulement, focus of the eyes, speed or agility, lowering the center of gravity in jazz dance, listening for the downbeat or meter in the music, lengthening the spine, turnout, complete closing of the feet in 1st/5th... the possibilities are endless. And, you may or may not choose to build your exercises around this theme. It is up to you!
Concept Focus
When you focus on a "concept" to plan your lessons the process is very similar to skill focus. However, rather than contemplating a certain skill, the students are thinking about the basic elements of dance as they relate to whatever dance form, style, skill, or movement they are executing. The basic elements of dance are time, space, and energy, but these can be further broken down:

Here is a basic guide to incorporating these into your lesson/curriculum planning.

1. Choose an element. Let's say, the concept of force which involves smooth/sustained and sharp/sudden movements.

2. Look for ways to contrast these two opposites as you create exercises for the lesson, or look for ways to point out these contrasts as you perform an already prepared lesson.

3. Present and demonstrate these concepts briefly for the class, letting students know that they will be focusing on these contrasting elements for the day.

4. Lead students in discovering the smooth, sustained qualities of plié, the sudden attack of a piqué turn, or whatever is on the menu for that lesson. Always bring their attention to ways they can enhance the movment by thinking about, exploring, or contrasting (Can you perform a pirouette in a sustained manner and also in a sharp or sudden manner?) the concept of force.

5. Don't forget to review the concept by requesting students' feedback and thoughts.

Performance, Musicality, and Artistry
Additional concepts with which you might attempt to experiment in a lesson plan are performance, musicality, and artistry. Though more abstract concepts, these can be addressed as the focus of a class much as you would explore a skill or concept. Perhaps the goal of one lesson is to point out opportunities and methods for "dancing" or "performing" the everyday exercises done in class. Another lesson may explore the use of a variety of meters, moods, or contrasting accompaniment. Yet another lesson could seek to examine and learn a particular historical dance variation or style. Use your imagination!

How do you plan your lessons? Do you have a method? What ideas or tips can you share for readers?

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Class Planning Part Two: Focusing on Skills and Concepts in Lesson Plans

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Part One of this series is about developing curriculum for both short and long courses of study. It includes some valuable information for the planning of lessons. You may want to read it first. Lesson Planning A Note About My Process Some folks like to teach on the fly.

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Children learn in different ways. Some students respond particularly well to kinesthetic or embodied learning-learning through body movement and dance. If you're teaching the Engineering is Elementary unit Marvelous Machines: Making Work Easier, here's a brilliant idea from Amy Williams, the dance teacher at Indianola Informal K-8 in Columbus, Ohio: integrate dance with your students' exploration of simple machines.

Engineering and Dance Are Surprisingly Similar!

When second-graders at Amy's school learned about simple machines in science class this year, the lessons integrated both engineering and dance. "First, students used the engineering design process to see what they could create using simple machines," Amy says. "Then, the students came to the dance room, where we compared the engineering design process to the process that the choreographer David Parsons uses to create a dance."

As it turns out, the two processes are almost indistinguishable. "Choreography is all about breaking a dance down into the basic elements, like the shapes you make with your body, the spaces you occupy as you move about the stage, and the timing-rhythmic or not-of your movements)" Amy notes. "You present these basic elements, and then allow the children to re-build. They pull together different elements to create meaning."

The choreographic process (left) is much like the engineering design process (right).

See for Yourself

Dance helps these students master science concepts.

After watching a video of the choreographer at work, Amy's students explored the way simple machines move, and how these movements could be represented in dance. Finally, working in pairs, the students choreographed their own dances-each one inspired by the movements of a different simple machine.

Watch the video (above right) to see what students created this year! Can you spot the inclined plane, lever, pulley, screw, gear, wheel and axel? Do you see the demonstrations of force and load?

Communicating your results is just as important in dance as it is in science and engineering! Amy videotapes her student dancers, then shows the video on Parents' Night, as each student interprets their own movements for their family.

Dance Integrates with Many Science Topics

Feeling inspired? Amy says, you can integrate dance with many science topics, not just simple machines! She's worked with first graders who were learning about volcanoes (and solids, liquids, and gases) to create a dance to depict lava as it bubbles up, explodes, travels down the volcano, and hardens.

Other students have danced the life cycle of a butterfly, from egg to larvae to adult. And one kindergarten class, after learning about states of matter, read a poem about a snowman blowing through the door and melting on the floor. "When we retold the poem that in dance," Amy said, "we also evaporated, blew back out, and became snow again!"

Next Steps: Integrating Dance and EiE

This summer, Amy will be working with educational researchers at Ohio State University on a project to bring science, engineering and dance to other schools-adding the Engineering is Elementary curriculum to the mix. The work is funded through an "Improving Teacher Quality" grant from the Ohio State Department of Education. Stay tuned for more news.

Try It In Your Classroom

If you're inspired to add dance to your STEM program, but your school doesn't have a dance teacher like Amy on staff, don't despair-get creative! "Do it yourself, ask the physical education teacher to join in, or reach out to community artists," Amy advises.

Engineering is Elementary is a project of the National Center for Technological Literacy at the Museum of Science, Boston.

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STEAM Up the Classroom-Get Creative with Dance!

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Children learn in different ways. Some students respond particularly well to kinesthetic or embodied learning-learning through body movement and dance. If you're teaching the Engineering is Elementary unit Marvelous Machines: Making Work Easier, here's a brilliant idea from Amy Williams, the dance teacher at Indianola Informal K-8 in Columbus, Ohio: integrate dance with your students' exploration of simple machines.

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Reader Question:

I am going to be teaching a creative dance and choreography class for ages 7-9. I am looking for some resources to assist in helping the students create their own dances. Would you please recommend some?

Here are a few books/manuals for ideas:

Choreography: A Basic Approach Using Improvisation (Minton)

This provides exercises and ideas, as well as some performance forms and choreography assessment sheets.

Dance Improvisations (Morgenroth)

Offers a volume of improv structures that could certainly be developed into choreography.

The Art of Making Dances (Doris Humphrey)

The essentials of composition and in tune with creative dance principles & elements (space, time, energy manipulation).

The material in the above might be advanced for that age group but could give you, the teacher, ideas for how to focus their creative dance work toward composition.

Creative Dance for All Ages: A Conceptual Approach (Gilbert)

This manual can help you adapt material from the above to the right level for your kids. In addition, many of the exercises are specifically designed for creating beginning-level compositions and many more can be adapted for this purpose.

I own all of the above books. Here are some others that may be useful:

Exploration ➙ Structure ➙ Choreography

Any exploration you'd use for creative dance class can be turned into choreography.

When I was young, my creative dance teacher worked choreographing into practically everything we did. I remember working on a composition we called The Lord & The Lass (straight pathway, angular, strong movement vs. curvy, soft, light). I believe it may have been an ABABC structure supported by music which my teacher could very well have edited together.

Each student worked within the same format but gradually developed their own dance movements.

Having observed and studied composition and the teaching of creative dance, I now see the progression of what we worked on in my early classes more clearly. Here are some principles to keep in mind:

1. Younger kids need basic choreographic structure - a road map to follow: ABAB, ABA, are great examples.

2. They need clear parameters to work within - opposites, as you know, are always an excellent start.

3. Give plenty of time to explore and improvise, letting them work with the desired qualities of movement.

4. As they begin to select and set their movements and pathways, watching each other and allowing students to provide constructive feedback are great opportunities which help the students shape their work.

What resources or tips would you share with this reader?

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Exploration ➙ Structure ➙ Choreography: Helping Students Make Their Own Dances

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Reader Question: I am going to be teaching a creative dance and choreography class for ages 7-9. I am looking for some resources to assist in helping the students create their own dances. Would you please recommend some?

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Why you should leave the dancemaking to your students

By Kelly Cannone

Kids doing choreography? It's not a standard offering in many dance schools, but I believe that all young dancers should try it. Young people's minds brim with endless ideas and possibilities, and many kids have no inhibitions and will try anything. As teachers, we can enhance our students' creativity by offering them the chance to experiment with choreography.

I remember, when I started dance as a fifth-grader, wondering where my teacher got all these dance steps. I went home filled with excitement. I grabbed my record player and my favorite records, went outside, and began making up my first dance. It was to the song "Tears of a Clown," and I still remember parts of it today. My creativity started flowing as I made up my own steps.

Later I learned that what I was doing was actually choreography.

Now I can see that my afternoon of dancemaking on the lawn was the beginning of a choreographic journey that has helped me learn. If we encourage our students to start choreographing at a young age, who knows where their journeys may lead? The self-esteem and creativity they develop will help them throughout their lives, on whatever path they take. I offer this learning experience to my students in three ways: in-class choreography work, a choreography competition, and as a requirement when auditioning for the school's company.

Choreography month
At my studio, every December is choreography month. I began this program because with the holidays approaching, most of my students had trouble focusing in class. I decided it was the perfect time to have some fun and get creative. During this month, choreography is not optional; I include it within the normal curriculum structure in all of the classes we offerfor ages 6 and up.

Structure
In the first week I put the students into small groups, usually three to five dancers, chosen randomly by having them count off. Working with randomized groups avoids the pitfalls of students pairing up with friends and allows everyone to get to know each other. I give them a piece of music (everyone gets the same one) and explain a little bit about choreography, keeping it simple. I tell them I'm looking for original steps that fit nicely with the music and that they should create a story based on the meaning of the lyrics. Most of the choreography is unison movement since it's easy for beginners. By the third or fourth week, they might begin to do steps in canonand change the spacing.

I give them 30 minutes to create their piece, which must include beginning and ending poses. At the end of the class each group performs its choreography. (No parents are allowed to watch because I want all the students to feel comfortable.)

Many times I notice that the shy students won't participate in creating the choreography at first, though theywill perform it; they are used to doing that in the classroom. But they gain confidence from the others, and usually I see them sharing ideas before we've gotten too far into the first class. By the next week they want to lead the choreographing; once they have the confidence, there is no stopping them!

I divide the students into different groups each week. Working in small groups is good practice for those who might become professional dancers, and it promotes the importance of teamwork. However, the students are permitted to feature someone in the group occasionally if doing so fits the choreography.

If we encourage our students to start choreographing at a young age, who knows where their journeys may lead? The self-esteem and creativity they develop will help them throughout their lives, on whatever path they take.

Each week I give them new music to work with. We talk about how a good choreographer seeks out interesting music and why it's important. The students are allowed to bring in music of their choice (which needs to be different from what they've been using) for consideration for the next week's choreography.

Evaluation
Since performing something of their own creation is a new experience for some of the students, I do not want them to feel like they are being judged. After each group performs, I talk about what I liked in the choreography and explain why. I often praise elements like good use of the stage, interesting patterns, and how the students interpreted the song's lyrics in telling the story. We talk about how some of the steps are creative and some are silly, but I emphasize that all ideas are good. My students learn that trying something new is better than letting fear get in your way.

As the weeks progress, the discussions about choreography gain depth. We talk about lighting and how it affects the overall feeling of the choreography. I love how my students share ideas about stories they want to tell and how they might tell them. Some of their ideas have been so good that I have used them in my choreography. I was honored to work with them to create a vision they had thought of, and I know they felt good that I used their ideas.

Working with teens
In creating choreography, teens sometimes are not as comfortable as younger children because they worry too much about what their peers think. Young children believe they can do it, but teens doubt themselves and worry that their friends won't like their choreography. My words of encouragement play a big part in helping them believe in themselves. I share my stories about my lawn choreography and tell them to never give up. I know that I am giving them confidence and building self-esteem.

I tell teen students who are new to choreography that we are going to have fun. I explain that choreography is making up a dance and suggest that they use steps they have learned in class. And I emphasize that there is no right or wrong. I coach them, telling them that all they need to do is come up with different ways of putting the steps together. If they resist, I usually help them out by giving them the first step and then asking them to add some interesting arm movements. Working in groups gives them confidence, and once one student takes the initiative, the other students follow.

Choreography competition
After the first year I gave the students another chance to boost their creativity with an Inter-Studio Choreography Competition, held in the spring. The kids get excited for this competition because they get what they call "the fever"-the itch to choreograph, which stems from their experiences in December.

The students team up with whomever they want, choreographing solos, duets, and group pieces and choosing the music and costumes. They sign up for studio time, and many of them get together outside of the studio to practice. They pay an entry fee of $5 for each routine, and I donate the proceeds to a different charity each year.

I rent a facility and ask experienced dance teachers to help with judging. The event is open to the public, so parents have the chance to see their children in a showcase of their own choreography. We give many awards and ribbons recognizing everything from choreography to music choice to costuming. The parents thank me repeatedly for giving their children this opportunity.

Audition requirement
My company auditions each year require the students to choreograph a one-minute dance routine. I want my students to be able to bring out their creative side and know that they can do it in a loving atmosphere. Most of my students cannot wait for auditions; they love doing choreography every December and this gives them a chance to shine in their own solo.Some of the choreography is amazing, with unique music and creative steps, and the students perform with such confidence. I credit this to my December choreography month.

Over my years of teaching, I've come to realize that choreography isn't about great steps; it's about making my students look good and finding unique stories for them to tell. Although I have taught many technically talented students, I find the most reward in making average students shine in a routine that is creative and unique. Allowing them to create and perform their own work is one more way to let them bring everything they've got to their dancing.

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Kids doing choreography? It's not a standard offering in many dance schools, but I believe that all young dancers should try it. Young people's minds brim with endless ideas and possibilities, and many kids have no inhibitions and will try anything. As teachers, we can enhance our students' creativity by offering them the chance to experiment with choreography.