In week two of Drama and Dance we looked at how we
could integrate principles and strategies of Drama and Dance into Science lessons.
Incorporating strategies and tools from the Drama and Dance curriculum can help
bring lessons “to life”. As we saw in my last post on Language, lessons become
much more tactile and hands on. Students end up moving around the classroom
more and engaging with their peers.
Theory of Multiple Intelligences
This guiding theory for the week is Gardner’s Theory
of Multiple Intelligences. Gardner believed that there were seven distinct
types of intelligences and that the type of intelligence varies with each
person. Most people are dominant in one of these intelligences.
The seven distinct types of intelligences are:
·
Visual – Spatial
·
Bodily – Kinesthetic
·
Musical
·
Interpersonal
·
Intrapersonal
·
Linguistic
·
Mathematical – Logical
Gardner’s theory challenges the education system that
often assumes every student learns in the same way. Since each person varies,
how students learn will vary. Gardener’s theory is very much in line with the
current approach to education. universal design and differentiation are founded
on the belief that educators must provide opportunities for learning that reach
our students’ diverse needs and learning styles.
Dance
Two of my three placements have been in grade 4
classrooms and because of this, I now have experience of teaching a few
different Science units and am more familiar with the curriculum expectations.
Within the Habitats and Communities strand, students explore how plants and
animals are independent and interact with the environment. Students also
examine how changes in the environment, from natural and human causes, effect
habitats.
The Ontario Arts
curriculum incorporates themes from other subject areas. In Dance, grade 4
students are expected to “translate into dance a variety of
movement sequences observed in nature (e.g., wind developing into a tornado; water freezing and
melting on a landscape; rain transforming into a storm; a caterpillar evolving
into a butterfly)” (Ministry of Ontario, 2009). Fortunately for classroom
teachers, the curriculum for these subjects are designed to coincide. These
connections provide more opportunities to create cross-curricular lessons.
Evolution Dances
The choreographic
form of retrograde is a good way for students to explore the evolution
of different weather patterns or species. Retrograde is a choreographic
form in which a dance or movement sequence is performed in reverse order.
The expectation for
grade 4 is that students are able to “describe structural adaptations that
allow plants and animals to survive in specific habitats (e.g., the thick stem
of a cactus stores water for the plant; a duck’s webbed feet allow it to move
quickly and efficiently in water)” (Ministry of Education, 2007).
Students can act
out the sequence of evolution and/or adaptation a species undergoes using their
bodies. Performing the sequence forward and in reverse is a good exercise for
students to demonstrate their understanding of the unique process that species
undergoes. It’s also a great way to reinforce learning as students have to
remember the sequence forwards and backwards. They also have to come up with
physical movements which will speak to the kinesthetic learners. However, this
type of lesson actually reaches a few of the different intelligences outlined
in Gardner’s theory, such as visual, interpersonal, and musical.
Students also
explore the element of time. Time describes the tempo (increasing and decreasing
speeds), rhythm, pause, stillness, with music or without music, and the
duration. Students can experiment with time in their sequences as they move
through the different stages of weather or evolution. Time in an especially
interesting element to explore in this activity because it is an element of
dance but also a defining element in nature.
Drama
Habitats
at Work
A good way for students to explore the different
relationships and interdependence in natural habitats is through a drama activity
called machine.
Machine is a group activity where each group member
collectively adds a particular part to the machine to make it work. To create a
machine students use simple movements and sound to represent the elements in a
larger system or body. An expectation in the Arts curriculum for Drama is that
students will be able to “communicate their thoughts, feelings, and ideas to a
specific audience using audio, visual, and/or technological aids to enhance
their drama work” (Ministry of Ontario, 2009). Students can enhance their
machine demonstrations using music, adjusting the lighting, or even using the
projector for effect.
As students work together, each assuming a role, to
create a larger system they explore the dramatic element called relationship.
Relationship is when students develop and analyse
relationships between and among characters in a drama. In this case, students represent
different elements in a specific habit. Participating in a machine will helps
students to visualize and demonstrate the relationships between plants and
animals in a habitat.
Opportunities to Accommodate
The best way to accommodate students with physical,
emotional, or behavioural needs is to focus on what the can do, rather than what they can’t. Below are just some
suggestions for ways to accommodate for the activities we discussed in this
post:
For Intellectual/Emotional Exceptionalities
-
Give instructions in a variety of ways
(visual, oral, written)
-
Scaffold activity to suit student needs
-
Arrange groups for activities before the
lesson
Physical Exceptionalities
-
Use music to cue transitions
-
Activities completed standing or sitting
-
Open space to move around classroom
Any assistive technology to record, film, or prompt
students can also be used in the activities. How a teacher decides to
accommodate each activity is based on the unique individual needs of the
students in the classroom.
Next, we'll be looking at integrating Drama and Dance into Math lessons. Stay tuned!
