Physical Education in Drama and Dance

Today we are going to be looking at ideas and strategies for integrating Drama and Dance into Physical Education lessons.

As always, let's begin by looking at our guiding theory for the week.

Multimodal Theory

In this theory, students use social context to influence and shape the product they make. Students create their drama as they are sharing it with the class. This four domains of this theory are “design, negotiate, produce, and disseminate”. Students can work through these domains in whichever order they chose to create.

Multimodal refers to the various modes of communication – textual, linguistic, aural, spatial, digital, and visual – that students can use to compose messages for communication. These modes of communication are a reflection of social context.

Drama

Sit, Stand, Lie

In this activity, students work in groups of three to improvise a scene. The catch, however, is that one student has to sit, the other stand, and the third student lies down. Improvisation is a skill that is explored in the Ontario Arts curriculum. Within the creating and presenting expectation, students learn to plan and shape the direction of their drama in collaboration with others. Improvising gives students the freedom and opportunity to develop ideas and further explore their creativity.

This activity connects nicely with the Health and Physical Education curriculum. In Phys Ed, students begin to explore different combinations of movements at different speeds, levels, and pathways. In Sit, Stand, Lie, students must improvise a scene within the bounds of their physical position. Students must use their bodies to fuel their creativity and ideas.

For instance, students are given the scenario of a doctor’s surgery. In this case, students improvise the scene following the physical constraints. Students are encouraged to develop their body awareness movements. The student lying down must be extra creative in how they can portray emotion and movement. This forces students to develop some awareness of their body beyond their typical day-to-day movements.

Improvisation ties nicely into the Multimodal theory as students use social context and various modes of communication to shape their scene. The “live” element of improvisation allows for the process and final product to be happening simultaneously.

The elements of drama explored in this activity are role/character and relationship.

Role and character refers to how students can adopt a variety of roles and developing a character. Since students must improvise in this activity, they are constantly adapting different roles and varying positions.

Relationship refers to developing and analysing a character in relation to other characters. Again, this is a collaborative improvised activity. Improvisation becomes more complex (and fun) when multiple people are involved. Students develop the character and scene based on the relationship and feedback from the other characters involved.

Opportunities to Accommodate

Students can participate physically within their own capacities. Students with any physical exceptionalities can chose which physical position they feel most comfortable with.

For students with behavioural or social accommodations, more structure or guidance may be needed to direct the activity. Students may need:

-          The topic of their scene written on a piece of paper

-          Time to think and write ideas for lines before performing the scene

-          Opportunities to break during scene to reorganize ideas/direction

Dance

Zumba

Most people know Zumba as a fun, energetic, Latin dance inspired exercise class. Zumba involves a lot of face-paced movements and foot work. Usually, an instructor will lead a group of participants through a series of choreographed movies. The aim of the class is to get your heart rate up and your body moving quickly. The music is often upbeat and sets the pace of the class.

People generally enjoy Zumba because of its upbeat and fun nature, which is why this is an excellent blend of dance and physical education for elementary students. In grade 5 Phys Ed, students learn to perform controlled transfers of weight and develop dynamic balance skills using changes in speeds and levels. Zumba certainly meets these requirements.

Zumba is considered a North American interpretation of a blend of cultural dance moves and themes. While it does pull from classically Latin themes and moves, it remains very much grounded in North American culture.

Incorporating Zumba into your Dance and Phys Ed units can be quite easy. There are many ways to lead your students through online videos, call in an instructor from a local studio, or various station set ups around the gym. It is important to scaffold your students as they learn the new moves.

Eventually, students should be able to create their own dance sequences and respond to others’ in the class. Two choreographic forms that can be explored in Zumba are canon and call and response.

Canon is a choreographic form where one student starts with a movement and each student after follows repeating the same movement (think of the classic “wave” move you might see in a stadium).

Call and Response is a choreographic form where a student or group of students performs a movement and a second student/group performs in response to the first. In Zumba, call and response is a fun opportunity for students to build on sequences and moves created by other students. An entirely new dance routine can be created as students piece together their call and response pieces. Call and Response is also one of the expectations in the Arts curriculum, students are expected to use this form to create dance pieces.

The elements of dance explored in this activity are body and energy.

Body refers to body awareness, use of body parts, body shapes, locomotor and non-locomotor movements, body bases, symmetry versus asymmetry, geometric versus organic shape, curved versus angular shape.

Energy refers to the effort, force, quality (e.g., flick, fold, stab, poke, flow freely) of movement. Zumba is typically high energy form of dance, but the quality and force typically varies between movements. Students have the opportunity to explore many variations of these in one session.

Opportunities to Accommodate

Students will need to learn the moves at their own pace. Some students will catch on quicker than others.

-          Review different moves or sequences many times to ensure all students feel comfortable with the movements.

-          Use music to cue transitions

-          Attach music to different sets of moves to help students remember

-          Vary between small group and whole class instruction

-          Incorporate peer teaching (pair students together to learn moves)

And that’s it my friends! In the last few weeks I have covered five main elementary school subjects. I hope that through all of this I have given you some inspiration for integrating Drama and Dance into your lessons. It’s a worthwhile endeavour and one that is truly beneficial for students.

Good luck!

Social Studies in Drama and Dance

So far I have covered how to integrate principles of Drama and Dance into core learning subjects. The possibility of blending math and science with the arts is surprising for some but I hope I've been able to at least introduce you to some of the benefits and possibilities. Today, as we look at our topic of Social Studies, I hope by now you fully believe that anything is possible! Integrating Drama and Dance into the Social Studies curriculum creates exciting opportunities for students to explore the social and cultural evolutions in our world.

Now, let's start by taking a look at the guiding theory for today's topic.

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a model used by educators to encourage deeper levels of thinking in students. The model classifies learning objectives into categories of thinking. The top of the pyramid identifies the highest form of thinking students can engage in, creating, and with the bottom being the lowest, remembering.

Dance

In week one of the course, my group presented the dance Tinikling. The folk dance Tinikling is a cultural dance that originated from the Philippines during Spanish colonial times. Tinikling requires the dancer to move quickly between bamboo sticks. Two dancers quickly manoeuver around the bamboo sticks as two other dancers move the sticks back and forth, up and down.  

In Grade 8, student learning focuses more on the higher levels in Bloom’s taxonomy, as students are now more capable of deeper forms of reflection and thinking. In the Arts curriculum, students explore dance as a reflection, interpretation, and understanding of culture. Students examine dance in a specific cultural content. Expectation A3.1 states that students “describe how social, political, and economic factors influenced the emergence and development of a dance form or genre of their choice” (Ontario Arts Curriculum, 2009). Tinikling is an example of a dance that was developed in response to social and political happenings at the time.

This lesson easily connects to the Grade 8 Social Studies curriculum strand B, Global Inequalities. In this strand, students analyze relationships that contribute to global inequalities and investigate issues related to global development.  

Inquiry into Cultural Dances

The Social Studies curriculum is rooted in the inquiry based approach to learning. As an inquiry project, students can chose a country and investigate different forms of dance that originated there. This project would meet the Arts curriculum expectation for students to examine dances in cultural contexts, as well as the Geography curriculum where students are expected to identify different social contexts.

Teaching Tinikling

As an exemplar, the teacher can introduce the dance Tinikling to students before they begin their own investigating into cultural dances. In this lessons, students explore the dance elements of body and relationship.

Body awareness is crucial in Tinikling as students focus on jumping, hoping, and sliding over and around the moving bamboo sticks. Students can start simply and increase the complexity of each movement as they practice.

Relationships refers to the relationship students have to objects and others in the dance. In this case, students dance in relation to the moving bamboo sticks and the other dancers participating.

To challenge students further, introduce the two choreographic forms ABA and Rondo.

ABA is a three-part sequence where the second movement contrasts from the first and third ones. Rondo is an extension of ABA, as more than three forms are included (i.e. ABACADA). The sequence alternates between repeating movements but will return to the main theme (ABACADA). Students can practice creating sequences and then following sequences created by their peers.

Modifications for students with Physical Exceptionalities include:

• partner or teacher can hold the hand or arm of the student while they complete the steps over the bamboo sticks
• speed and timing of the steps can be slowed down to a pace where the student feels most comfortable
• students who cannot physically jump or move quickly on their feet (wheelchair, crutches, etc.) can use props like hockey sticks or lacrosse sticks to repeat the steps over the bamboo sticks

Drama

By Grade 8, students are expected to develop a deeper understanding of the complex issues influencing the world today. Dramatic forms and activities provide teachers and students with a variety of strategies to explore these issues. For instance, interviewing is a dramatic convention where one person or group takes the role of the “interviewer” and asks questions to another students, who acts in the role of the “expert” to gather information. Students can use this strategy to explore influential characters from the present or past in depth.

Interview from the Past

In Dance, students had the opportunity to research a cultural dance. For Drama, students can engage in a similar inquiry style project, but with choosing an individual or organization from history. Students investigate the life of an influential person from the present or past and share their knowledge in the form of interviewing. This activity exposes students to different perspectives and forces them to examine the different influences that shape an organization or person. Students must take into account the social, economic, political, and cultural context when examining the person and issue in depth.

Students incorporate the elements of time/place and role/character.

In this activity, time and place is explored by using props and costumes to establish a setting and context. Identity is often expressed through dress and materials things. Students can research and chose different props and costumes to include in the interview. This is a way for the student to make certain statements about a character without having to explain using words.

For instance, if a student decided to represent a religious figure like the Dali Lama, they might dress in a robe, carry a book, or any other props to reflect this character’s identity and contribution to our world.

From the student’s research, they would be able to incorporate the motivation, speech, actions, etc. to adopt the role of the person they are presenting on. The student would be able to speak to various past experiences and influences this person had in their society and the world. The students might decide which elements to incorporate as they are being interviewed by their peer. It is important for the student to analyse their research in order to create a representation of the individual.

Opportunities for Accommodations:

·         Students can collaborate to present/interview on one individual. This activity works in large and small groups.

·         Students can carry a script as they are being interviewed or can memorize the information

·         Some students may feel more comfortable pre-recording their interview.

·         Interviews can vary in length

·         The teacher can provide interview prompts for students or students can develop their own.

As always, there is so much flexibility for educators to adopt activities to suit the particular needs in their classroom.

Next week, we'll be taking a look at Physical Education . Stay tuned!

Math in Drama and Dance

Educators are constantly seeking ways to engage each learning style in a classroom. Integrating principals of Drama and Dance into Math lessons helps students to visualize and experience some of what they are learning. In my last post, I looked at the various different styles of learning in the Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Education acknowledges that students learn in different ways. The focus today is a hands-on approach to learning, which ultimately benefits all students and learning styles. 

Progressive Theory

The Progressive Education theory was developed by John Dewey and emphasized the importance of hands-on learning. This theory challenged the long standing traditional approach to teaching. At the time the theory was developed, science and mathematics were considered priority and dominated student learning. The Progressive Theory insists on the importance of the emotional, artistic, and creative aspects of human development. This theory supports diversity in learning, as it acknowledges various learning styles and needs of students.  

Integrating elements of Drama and Dance into Math lessons embodies Dewey’s Progressive Theory of education. Students collaborate and engage in social and artistic activities that directly relate to mathematical concepts.

Drama

A quick warm-up for students to do before a lesson is called “In the Shape Of”. This activity can be adapted to any grade level, depending on how the teacher uses it.

In the Shape Of

For primary and junior grades, the teacher or student will call out a shape and students recreate the shape using their bodies.

For slightly older students, the teacher will call out a number to have students form a group with that many people in it. Together they will create a shape that has that many vertices.

In the Math curriculum, reflecting and translating shapes using different tools and methods is an expectation that builds and develops with each grade level. In grade 5 for instance, students are expected to create and analyze designs by translating and/or reflecting a shape or shapes using a variety of tools.

According to the Progressive theory, collaboration and hands-on learning are two critical elements for learning. A Drama strategy called directed tableau is a good activity to get students moving around the classroom, collaborating with peers, and engaging in the work hands on.

Directed Tableau with Shapes

This activity requires students to cooperate as they use their bodies to create a shape and demonstrate a flip, turn, and slide. In small groups students create different two-dimensional shapes with their bodies. Collectively, they must find ways to show how their shape can flip, turn, and slide.

This activity coincides with the Arts Drama expectation that students can “plan and shape the direction of the drama or role play by collaborating with others to develop ideas, both in and out of role” (Ministry of Ontario, 2009). In this directed tableau exercise students collaborate to plan and execute their ideas.

Students incorporate the dramatic element of focus and emphasis as they work through the activity as a group.

The elements of focus and emphasis are explored when students identify the central theme and/or problem in a drama, drawing audience attention to specific aspects of the drama. In the case of the directed tableau with shapes, students work to solve their own dilemma of flipping, translating, and sliding their bodies.

Another, drama tool that promotes hands-on learning in math is a Living Venn diagram. By grade 5 students are familiar with creating Venn diagrams to organize ideas and information on paper. In this activity students physically participate in a Venn diagram.

Living Venn Diagram

This activity is a good minds on or review activity for students to participate in before the lesson. The teacher will create two large overlapping circles on the floor of the classroom. Students will sort the shapes according to congruent sides, congruent angles, and shapes with both attributes. The outside of the circle represents shapes that do not fall into any of the three categories.

This activity can be done in small groups, where each students has a shape and a place on the diagram, or a whole class activity.

To accommodate for students with physical and emotional exceptionalities:

-          Ensure a clean, open space for students to move around

-          Provide prompts and assistive technology

-          Small groups or working in pairs

Dance

Incorporating the elements of Dance into Math lessons offers a tactile learning experience for students. The Ontario Arts curriculum is designed with cross-curricular teaching in mind. Expectation A1.1 for grade 5 states that students be able to “translate into movement sequences a variety of images and ideas from other classroom subjects, including the arts” (Ministry of Ontario, 2009).

In Math students can use the choreographic form mirroring to explore lines of symmetry and pathways using their bodies.

The curriculum describes mirroring as a “spontaneous improvisational drama structure used to help students explore characters, themes, issues, or ideas through movement. Students stand face to face and move their bodies to follow their partner’s movements. Variations include a group following a leader’s body and/or hand movements” (Ministry of Ontario, 2009).

Mirroring Shapes and Lines

In pairs, students will face each other and move their arms and bodies. One person will lead the movements and the other one will try to follow. In this activity, students have to understand what the reflection of a shape or line looks like. Students do not just follow their partner but have to mirror their exact movements.

In this activity students explore elements of dance such as body and space.

Body: refers to symmetry versus asymmetry, organic versus geometric shape, angular versus curved shape, gesture, and body zones. Students try to remain symmetrical to their partner as they create and follow different movements. Mirroring helps students to conceptualize the symmetry of shapes and lines.

Space: refers to positive versus negative space and pathways. As students move through the classroom they use different pathways and levels to create movements and shapes.

In my most recent placement, I had the opportunity to try the mirroring activity with my students. had the experience of collaborating with the Dance instructor to create a cross-curricular lesson. We decided to use the weekly Dance period to create a double math/dance lesson. Students reviewed math concepts by exploring different movements and activities. We used mirroring to open the lesson and developed different levels of the activity as the lesson continued. I really enjoyed creating a lesson that involved a lot of movement on the student’s part. As a new teacher, I want continue to develop activities and strategies that incorporate movement into my lessons.   

To accommodate for students with physical and emotional exceptionalities:

-          Students can complete the activity sitting in chairs, standing, or moving around

-          Small and large group options

-          Provide prompts for movements and shapes for students to follow along

In my experience, I find that when students have the opportunity to move and experience different concepts information is retained more effectively. Students also enjoy opportunities to move around and collaborate with their peers.

Until next time!