Whoa! This, via Corey Mahoney, is cool. The kids would love it! Let’s see…
…it’d be most appropriate for the 4th & 5th graders… but the boys probably won’t dig the skirt idea too much, so I need a boy-version of swishy clothing, hopefully with one-size-fits-all for both boys & girls. Then I’ll need 32 of [...]
Entries Tagged as 'curriculum integration'
Pipe dream: integrating dance & the compass rose!
August 4th, 2010 · No Comments · Uncategorized
Transition back from vacation…
April 4th, 2010 · 2 Comments · Uncategorized
A good vacation is when you have no one but yourself to manage. It’s been a good vacation!
As I brought up my lesson plan template for planning this coming week’s classes, I realized why the coming weeks (and months) have been looming large in my mind. Starting Tuesday (tomorrow I’ll be teaching a day of [...]
Tags:choreography·culture·curriculum integration·lesson plans·performance·teaching
Check this out: Math Dance
April 2nd, 2010 · No Comments · Uncategorized
The Math Dance website is the place to go for further information on DanceTeacher Magazine’s K-12 article on the math explorations of Karl Schaffer & Erik Stern (March 2010). They’ve included some versatile lesson plans related to math, as well as a link to a video of their work.
Dancing for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 16th, 2010 · 4 Comments · Lesson Plans
Context: I taught this series of lessons this week in response to a late request for some dances for the school’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day assembly (scheduled for & completed this past Thursday). My initial response was “no can do!” because I’d already planned my classes — focused on introducing the choreographic devices of [...]
Tags:African American·choreography·curriculum integration·intermediate·lesson plans·performance·teaching
Lesson Plan: The Toy Shop
December 31st, 2009 · 1 Comment · Lesson Plans
Grades: Kindergarten-2nd grade
Teaching points: Dancers use free & bound flow. Dancers tell stories through narrative dance.
Targets:
Explore free & bound flow;
Participate in a story-telling dance.
Context: This lesson takes two 30-minute sessions, one to introduce/explore the element of flow and the other to develop/enact the story (or one session of more reasonable length!). Kids love [...]
Tags:curriculum·curriculum integration·kindergarten·lesson plans·primary·teaching
Translating Writers Workshop
August 31st, 2009 · No Comments · Uncategorized
Pedagogy changes constantly. When I was a 5th-6th grade classroom teacher for a few years (15 years ago), the writing pedagogy sweeping through schools was characterized by 6 traits (content, voice, organization, word choice, fluency & conventions). I was trained in teaching the traits & scoring writing samples using rubrics built on them.
Nowadays, however, [...]
Tags:choreography·curriculum integration·getting started·obstacles·PD·teaching·thinking skills
A new year
August 30th, 2009 · No Comments · Uncategorized
As the start of a new school year approaches, it looms large. I write lists to clear my brain. Then I have lists, as well as an overloaded brain. Most ominous among my thoughts is “What am I going to teach and how?” In the largest sense. How am I going to organize everything I [...]
Tags:chaos·curriculum·curriculum integration·getting started·obstacles·problems·teaching
Guest voice: Post-performance blues
June 13th, 2009 · No Comments · Guest Voices
It’s been my hope & intention that this blog might be a means for myself and others to converse with each other from our isolated locations as dance educators. All for the purpose of sharing ideas, anxieties, questions, solutions, hopes, and humor as we hone our skills for the daily diet of dance we serve. [...]
Tags:audience·chaos·culture·curriculum integration·obstacles·parents·performance·problems
Performance: Kids & costumes & sound, oh my!
June 7th, 2009 · 6 Comments · Uncategorized
The silence resounding on this blog since the last entry reflects in reverse the noisy mantra that took over my brain and all spare moments of my life the past few weeks, accelerating toward and recovering from performance. Like the shrill chant of “lions & tigers & bears” in The Wizard of Oz, the details [...]
Tags:chaos·choreography·curriculum integration·intermediate·logistics·management·obstacles·performance·primary
Performance: Learning x 325
May 12th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Uncategorized
Busy time of year… building toward the final performance. We’ve had small performances throughout the year — one class at a time, showing something at the end of a unit. And we meant to have a performance last December, but it was stormed out. So the excitement is bubbling now. Each day, students ask me, [...]
Tags:achievement gap·choreography·curriculum integration·intermediate·logistics·performance·primary·teaching