Lesson 4 - Nature Dances Too! // La nature danse aussi !

Whole Class > Review and Setting the Context

Review the learning of the previous 4 lessons by discussing, moving, and re-reading the anchor charts that have been created during these lessons. Prompt: What dance elements have we worked with (body, space, time and energy)? How would you explain each of those elements to someone who had missed a class? Can you show that with your body? What have we learned about movement? How can we change our movement by using these elements?   

Déclencheur : Avec quels éléments de danse avons-nous travaillé (corps, espace, temps et énergie) ? Comment expliquerais-tu chacun de ces éléments à quelqu'un qui a manqué un cours ? Peux-tu le montrer avec ton corps ? Qu'avons-nous appris sur le mouvement ? Comment pouvons-nous modifier notre mouvement en utilisant ces éléments ?  

Explain to students that today we are going to work on putting together all that we have learned so far.

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

Side-coach and provide feedback as children are dancing Providing feedback to other groups after their performance

Assessment as Learning (AaL)

Creation of success criteria for dance creation
Self-assessment and group self-assessment during creation of movement response using success criteria
Group discussion of the effectiveness of various choreographic choices in communicating the meaning of the poem
Reflective journaling after performance
Responding to the performance experience by writing poetry

Differentiation (DI)

Students self-select the movement they are able and interested in exploring. Those with limited voluntary movement will be able to participate fully by choosing the movement that they are able to make. For those with extremely limited voluntary movement, teachers may want to use or create a tool such as the Simpson Board that will allow them to direct the movement of others. 

Anchor charts (listed above), including success criteria for this lesson, should be available for students to refer to throughout the lesson.

Quick Tip

Comments should focus on describing and highlighting students' efforts without passing judgment or suggesting that one response is better than another.

Link and Layer

Individual > Body storming

Explain to students that you will give them a series of two-worded pictures. Draw an imaginary line down the centre of the room and explain to students that if you choose the first word you will go on the one side of the room and if you choose the other word, you will go on the other side. Put the words up on the board (or LCD/Overhead projector). Explain that when you say "Switch," students will change sides of the room and try dancing in response to the other word.

Sample word pairings: swirling/calming, floating/zooming, whispering/whipping, twirling/fading, scattering/settling, pouring/drizzling, tumbling/dripping, erupting/crumbling

Exemples d'associations de mots : tourbillonner/calmer, flotter/zoomer, chuchoter/siffler, tournoyer/se faner, se disperser/se déposer, verser/éclabousser, culbuter/éclabousser, éruption/effondrement.

Debrief with students. Prompt: What did you notice while you were dancing these words? How did the way you used the elements change? How did you use your body/space/time/energy to communicate the idea of each word?

Déclencheur : Que remarques-tu pendant que tu danses ces mots ? Comment la façon dont tu as utilisé les éléments a-t-elle changé ? Comment as-tu utilisé ton corps/espace/temps/énergie pour communiquer l'idée de chaque mot ?

Whole Class > Examining Poetry

(Adapted from Dance and Language Experiences with Children by Joyce Boorman) 

Present four short poems (or one stanza from a longer poem) to the students, each capturing a natural event or phenomena (e.g., seasons changing, a forest fire, exploding volcano, ice breaking up in a river, rain falling on dry ground, etc.) Read the poems aloud both alone and as a group. Place a chart-paper sized copy of the poems in each of the four corners (1 poem per corner) of the room. Ask students to choose which poem they’d like to work on and to go to that corner. If some of the poems are very popular, divide that group in two so that two smaller groups are working on the same poem. 

Small Group > Creating Dance Piece with Poetry as a Stimulus

Using their understanding of the dance elements, ask students to choreograph a short dance that seeks to explore, describe, communicate and interpret the poem they’ve chosen. You may choose to assign particular lines to individual students and have them responsible for creating the choreography for that particular line. 

With the students, co-create success criteria that reflect the elements you’ve taught so that they can self-assess during the creative process and provide feedback. (e.g., The dance shows effective use of body/space/time/energy to communicate ideas from the poem.)

Extension: Students could also write their own poetry that responds to one of the pieces presented by their peers or that describes the experience of dancing from a somatic perspective. 

Small Group > Sharing Dance Pieces

Students will present their dance pieces and receive feedback from their peers using the posted success criteria.

Extension: Students may be given time to rework their dance piece incorporating the feedback they were given prior to evaluation.

Individual > Unit Reflection

Students write a journal entry reflecting on their experiences and successes in this unit and where they feel they can improve and extend their learning.  This final journal entry should focus not only on the work in this lesson but should summarize their experiences of the entire unit.