BC Education - Dance 11 and 12 - Appendix D: Assessment and Evaluation

Sample 3: Choreography Grade 11

Topic: Choreography for Large Groups of Dancers

Prescribed Learning Outcomes:

Elements of Movement

It is expected that students will:

improvise movement:
- to extend understanding of the elements of movement
- to expand known movement vocabulary in new applications
apply principles of movement to dance exploration

Creation and Composition

It is expected that students will:

create compositions for a variety of purposes:
- to respond to or represent a range of stimuli
- for a given genre or style
- to emphasize given elements of movement
- for various performance group sizes
apply one or more of the principles of design to create dances in narrative and pattern choreographic forms

Presentation and Performance

It is expected that students will:

use established criteria to analyse structure, style, and meaning in dance in terms of:
- technical and aesthetic use of the elements of movement
- representation of style or genre
- choreographic form, design, and roles
- use of stagecraft

Overview

This unit explored choreography for large groups of dancers. Evaluation was based on:

double-entry journals
written choreography of a myth
dance creations based on a classic or student-created fairy tale

Planning for Assessment and Evaluation

Through previous activities, students had developed a clear understanding of narrative dance and had done some personal exploration and choreography of their own, primarily for single dancers or small groups.

The teacher reviewed the learning outcomes for the activities in this unit and outlined the requirements that would be used to evaluate their work on the three tasks. The teacher provided copies of the rating scales that would be used to assess students' journals, myth projects, and fairy-tale dance creations.
Students participated in short improvisations and compositional studies that examined some of the elements of movement (e.g., time, levels, quality of effort, dynamics).
The class discussed how choreography for a large group would differ from choreography for an individual or small group. For example, working with more dancers would place different emphasis on some of the elements of movement (e.g., personal and general space, pathways, shape) and choreographic forms (e.g., unison and canon; contrast ing and opposing shapes and movement).
Students worked on some short compositional studies using large groups of dancers (e.g., moving a group of eight dancers across the floor; shifting a group of dancers through a series of tableaux; creating contrast ing but complementary movement). Students kept records of these experiences in their double-entry journals. On one side of the journal, students described the movements or forms they explored (improvised); on the other side, they analysed what was powerful about the movement or forms, when the movements or forms might be effective, and what changes they would make.
Students reviewed the narrative form by watching dance videos and through class discussion. Then, to introduce the myth project, the teacher asked students to brainstorm effective and imaginative ways of presenting some well-known stories through dance. The class developed a collaborative list.
The teacher asked students to individually record and discuss their ideas for presenting self-chosen myths through dance (working with a minimum of 10 dancers). Students were encouraged to select myths that had already been studied in humanities classes. The teacher also encouraged them to be as extravagant and imaginative as possible (budget was unlimited), and to use ideas from the collaborative list they had developed. Students included self-assessments with their projects, using a form provided by the teacher.
Students then worked in groups of eight or more dancers to choreograph dances based on a classic or student-created fairy tale. Each group paraphrased the plot and created significant scenes. Each member choreographed one of the scenes using the others in the group as dancers. The groups analysed their choices, using prompts, and presented their analyses to the class. Prompts included:
- The main scenes in the story are__________. We chose them because __________.
- We would describe the main character(s) of__________as__________.
Individual choreographers analysed their work by responding to questions such as:
- How did you use movement to tell the story?
- Which elements of movement (e.g., space, pathways, groupings) did you use?
- How did you use movement to develop characters?

Defining the Criteria

The class discussed and agreed to the following criteria for the projects in the unit.

Double-Entry Journal

thorough understanding of the element or form
insightful comments
deep commitment to the process
thoughtful responses that make connections with personal experience

Myth Project

Narrative Form

clear beginning, middle, and end
obvious climax
effective character development for individuals and the group

Creative Interpretation

story is represented through movement alone
appropriate use of props, costumes, and lights to develop the story
interesting variety of groupings on stage
effective use of elements of movement (e.g., quality of effort and dynamics to define
characters, use of stage and floor space)
original and unique interpretation

Fairy-Tale Dance Creation

Group Choreographic Work

clear representation of the plot in scenes
effective transitions (e.g., one scene flows into another)
appropriate and creative use of props and costumes
consistent character development throughout

Individual Choreographic Work

clear identification of characters
effective use of movement transitions between scenes
original and creative work
effective use of different elements of movement
effective use of a variety of choreographic forms (e.g., unison/canon; opposition/ contrast )

Assessing and Evaluating Student Performance

Double-Entry Journal

The teacher collected the journals in the middle of the unit and used a rating scale to evaluate the personal reflections. Each student had a list of the required entries and a copy of the rating scale.

Myth Project

Students used a rating scale, provided by the teacher, to indicate the score that they felt they had earned for each of the criteria. The teacher assigned the final rating.

Fairy-Tale Dance Creation

Each group rated its work using the given criteria. Each student also rated his or her individual choreography. Students then rated the work of two peers within their own groups. The teacher considered self- and peer ratings in assigning a final grade.

**Double-Entry Journal**
Rating	Criteria
Excellent	The student demonstrates a thorough understanding of the element or form. Thoughts are consistently insightful and indicate a deep commitment to the process.
Good	Reflections are occasionally insightful. The student demonstrates an understanding of the element or form but does not investigate other ways to represent it.
Satisfactory	Work is complete. Reflections tend to be "safe" and to focus on the obvious and superficial. Comments are similar from one exploration to another, which represents an insufficient understanding of the element or form.
Not Evident	Work is incomplete. Reflections are brief and relate to issues other than the element or form explored.

**Myth Project**
Criteria	Self-Rating	Explanation of Self-Rating	Final Rating
Narrative Form:
clear beginning, middle, and end	/15		/15
obvious climax	/10		/10
effective character development for individuals and the group	/20		/20
Creative Interpretation:
story is represented through movement alone	/10		/10
appropriate use of props, costumes, and lights to develop the story	/10		/10
effective use of elements of movement	/20		/20
original and unique interpretation	/15		/15
Total	/100

Group Choreographic Work:

**Fairy-Tale Dance Creation**
Criteria	Rating
clear representation of the plot
effective transitions
appropriate and creative use of props and costumes
consistent character development throughout
Individual Choreographic Work:
clear identification of characters
original and creative work
effective use of different elements of movement
effective use of a variety of choreographic forms
Comments:

Key:
A—Consistently goes beyond the criteria to demonstrate excellence in dance choreography.
B—Meets all criteria; some aspects demonstrate excellence in dance choreography.
C+—Meets all criteria.
C—Meets most criteria.
C-—Meets most criteria at a minimal level.
I/F—Criteria not yet demonstrated.

Revised: January 25, 1999

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