The post also appears at Teaching Artist Journal’s ALT/Space. Creating a permanent place for the arts in public education requires some adjustment between the two in order to create a fit — a whittling process that usually affects the art more than the public institution within which it’s finding a home. Given the current trends […]
Entries Tagged as 'intermediate'
Math In Your Feet
December 27th, 2011 · 1 Comment · Uncategorized
I may be a dance specialist, but I’m no step dancer! Nonetheless, it’s been great to see my students working on precision footwork, thanks to Malke Rosenfeld’s Math in Your Feet unit, published last year in the Teaching Artist Journal (one of the sources I count as part of my Professional Learning Community). Through a […]
Tags:curriculum integration·intermediate·lesson plans·management·teaching
Dancing your own way
July 17th, 2011 · Comments Off · Uncategorized
My 5th graders want to dance their own way, which has as many meanings as I have students. As I work on expanding their interest in all kinds of music & expressing all kinds of ideas their own way, this video should help. I’m filing it here, so I can use it next year to […]
A musical — with dance, of course
July 2nd, 2011 · 1 Comment · dance arts integration into academic subjects
My students were thrilled to do a musical! Speaking lines! Acting! Being characters — & fairy tale characters at that! Singing! Dancing! We were using the musical Character Matters, by Ron Fink & John Heath at the Bad Wolf Press. It’s a great resource: script, teacher’s guide, CD with songs & intrumental accompaniment. A fun […]
Tags:choreography·dancing·intermediate·music·performance·primary·rehearsal·thinking skills
A backstage story
June 15th, 2011 · 1 Comment · why dance matters
A story unfolded during the lead-up to our End-of-Year Performance this year, which is hanging with me, wanting to be pulled together. It’s about two 5th grade boys in particular. Adiel is a 5th grader in one of our regular classrooms. I’ve been working with him since kindergarten & he’s always been a bit of […]
Colonial Dance Resources
March 7th, 2011 · Comments Off · dance arts integration into academic subjects
Looking for resources on Colonial dances? Here are suggestions from NDEO (National Dance Education Organization) members from across the country**: The Colonial Williamsburg website has a rich resource teacher site. from Eileen Sheehan, Illinois “Colonial Singing Games and Dances,” produced by the Williamsburg Foundation, has dances which are notated and easy to follow. from Elly […]
Persistence — learned in dance class
February 11th, 2011 · 5 Comments · Uncategorized
Yesterday I was preparing 4 groups to perform on Monday. It’s always touch-and-go. I want whatever we’re rehearsing to challenge them to practice new skills. But I don’t want rehearsal to usurp too many of our sessions together. I taught my 3rd graders a lovely dance I learned from Sanna Longden last week — “I […]
Oh %$#&, another broken toe
January 8th, 2011 · 4 Comments · Uncategorized
Occupational hazard? Maybe. But I’ve only had one break dancing. Not to shift the blame, but I couldn’t help noticing this week as I was reflecting-to-learn, that 3 of the 5 times I’ve broken a part of my foot have been with 5th graders. Not generally the 5th graders that still look like 4th graders, […]
Whispers barely heard in the current cacophony on education
November 14th, 2010 · 4 Comments · Uncategorized
Yipes. I’ve had too much on my plate of late to blog. But this is still a place to capture & share thoughts for later.. Play is a central condition for learning. There are & have always been teachers who know that play is central to learning. When I have time, perhaps I’ll elaborate on […]
Tags:African American·dancing·intermediate·lesson plans·management·primary·why dance matters
It’s early yet…
September 15th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Uncategorized
This year we have 3 fifth-grade classrooms instead of 2. Two of them share a space, while the 3rd is located between the two 4th grade classrooms. Among 5th graders, anticipation about their end-of-year choreography (that’s June of 2011!) is so high that they arrived to dance class on the first day last week, worried […]