Critical Learning

Students will access their prior knowledge and experiences in dance to communicate emotion through creative movement. 

They use emotions as a stimulus for creating a dance phrase that communicates feelings.

Building on audience feedback and using personal reflection, students will use the critical analysis process to identify areas of strength and required growth in dance. They will use appropriate dance vocabulary to describe their own and others' dance pieces.

Guiding Questions

How can we use movement vocabulary to convey meaning?
How can we use the elements of dance to communicate emotions?
Why is it important to give and receive feedback?

Learning Goals

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

  • use the elements of dance to convey feelings
  • analyse their own dance piece and determine what is effective in communicating a message or feeling and what needs revision
  • reflect on their work as dance creators
  • analyse their peers' dance piece and determine what is effective in communicating a message or feeling and what needs revision
Instructional Components

Readiness

In the previous lesson, student explored using the elements of dance to communicate their understanding of the story The Great Kapok Tree. Students will have previous experience with narrative form.

Terminology

Tempo
Energy
Flocking
Narrative form
Dance phrase
Elements of dance
Narrative form

Materials

Music of different tempos

(Suggestion: Soundtrack Performance Group's States of the Soul vol. 1 and 2)

http://www.gatofuentes.com/allcds/contents)

Scenario cards (see appendix)

Reflection sheets (see appendix)

PDFs

PDF #1 Scenario Cards

PDF #2 Rubric

PDF #3 Reflection Sheet

Curriculum Expectations

A1. Creating and Presenting: apply the creative process to the composition of movement sequences and short dance pieces, using the elements of dance to communicate feelings and ideas;

A2. Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing: apply the critical analysis process to communicate their feelings, ideas, and understandings in response to a variety of dance pieces and experiences

Approximately 20-25 minutes

Minds On

Pause and Ponder

Whole Class > Connection and Reflection

Ask the class to consider: What is different between acting a scenario and dancing one?

Facilitate a class discussion based on the previous lesson's exit cards. Prompt: How can dance be used to communicate an idea or message?  

Connect students to their exploration as the characters from The Great Kapok Tree in the previous lesson. Prompt: How was dance used to convey emotion? Consider the impact of the tempo of music. What type of music could be associated with anger? Sadness?

Individual > Exploration

Have students consider the use of energy in communicating feelings. Ask students to demonstrate a gesture or action using energy (effort, force, quality e.g., punch, thrust, float, collapse, wiggle, explode, vibrate) that communicates the idea of anger and have them repeat that gesture or action. Ask students to explain why they felt that movement was connected to anger.

Pairs > Exploration

Have students get into pairs and have them body storm movement that communicates the idea of happiness. Students may use their previous experience of flocking to facilitate this movement, or they may choose to use other forms of collaborative movement. After body storming, ask students to consider what types of situations would make you feel those emotions? Review the concept of narrative form with students. Prompt: How could we use narrative form to tell a story based on a specific emotion?

Share learning goal with students: Students will create a dance phrase based on a given scenario. 

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

Use body storming as a diagnostic assessment to drive explicit teaching and modelling.

Assessment as Learning (AaL)

Student reflection sheets.

Differentiation (DI)

Some students might benefit from guided groupings in the pair exploration.

Scenario cards can be drawn at random or assigned based on the needs of the members in specific groups.

The "Create your Own" scenario cards can be used for students who would like the opportunity to come up with their own scenario for communication.

For reflection, students should be allowed the opportunity to reflect in oral or written form. Technological supports are also encouraged when required for writing purposes.

Quick Tip

When grouping students, create heterogeneous groups for maximization of ideas.

Link and Layer

Students should be familiar with the use of narrative form to communicate an idea from the previous lesson. 

 

Approximately 40-45 minutes

Action!

Small Group > Body storming an Emotion

Place students in groups. Give each group a scenario card (See BLM #1) and ask them to collaboratively decide what emotion would be experienced based on their assigned scenario. Allow students the opportunity to body storm in their groups how they could communicate that emotion.  

Whole Class > Establishing Criteria

Bring the whole group back together. Share rubric (See BLM #2) with students and explain that their dance phrase should use narrative form and the elements of dance to tell the story of their scenario and to communicate a specific emotion.

Small Group > Creating a Narrative Dance

Next, encourage students to work in their groups to create a narrative form that tells the story of the their scenario. Remind them that the audience should be able to identify the emotion they are communicating.  

Approximately 50 minutes

Consolidation

Whole Class > Sharing

Have groups present their narrative form to the class. After each presentation, students should engage in discussion and identify what they thought happened in each scenario (what emotion was the narrative form about?) and highlight what emotion they felt was being communicated. Students should be able to provide evidence from the movement to support why they felt that specific emotion was being conveyed.

Individual > Reflection

Students should complete the reflection sheet (see BLM #3).