BC Education - Dance 11 and 12

This Integrated Resource Package (IRP) provides some of the basic information that teachers require to implement the Dance 11 and 12 curriculum. The information contained in this IRP is also available through the Internet. Contact the Ministry of Education's home page:
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/

The Introduction

The Introduction provides general information about Dance 11 and 12, including special features and requirements. It also provides a rationale for the teaching of Dance 11 and 12 in BC schools.

The Performance 11 and 12 and Choreography 11 and 12 Curricula

The main body of this document consists of the Performance and Choreography courses of the Dance 11 and 12 curriculum. When other courses are completed, they will be added to this IRP. For each course, an introduction is followed by four columns of information for each organizer. These columns describe:

provincially prescribed learning outcome statements for each subject area
suggested instructional strategies for achieving the outcomes
suggested assessment strategies for determining how well students are achieving the outcomes
provincially recommended learning resources

Prescribed Learning Outcomes

Learning outcome statements are content standards for the provincial education system. Prescribed learning outcomes set out the knowledge, enduring ideas, issues, concepts, skills, and attitudes for each subject. They are statements of what students are expected to know and be able to do in each grade. Learning outcomes are clearly stated and expressed in measurable terms. All learning outcomes complete this stem: "It is expected that students will. . . ." Outcome statements have been written to enable teachers to use their experience and professional judgment when planning and evaluating. The outcomes are benchmarks that will permit the use of criterion-referenced performance standards. It is expected that actual student performance will vary. Evaluation, reporting, and student placement with respect to these outcomes depend on the professional judgment of teachers, guided by provincial policy.

Suggested Instructional Strategies

Instruction involves the use of techniques, activities, and methods that can be employed to meet diverse student needs and to deliver the prescribed curriculum. Teachers are free to adapt the suggested instructional strategies or substitute others that will enable their students to achieve the prescribed outcomes. These strategies have been developed by specialist and generalist teachers to assist their colleagues; they are suggestions only.

Suggested Assessment Strategies

The assessment strategies suggest a variety of ways to gather information about student performance. Some assessment strategies relate to specific activities; others are general. These strategies have been developed by specialist and generalist teachers to assist their colleagues; they are suggestions only.

Provincially Recommended Learning Resources

Provincially recommended learning resources are materials that have been reviewed and evaluated by BC teachers in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Skills and Training according to a stringent set of criteria. They are typically materials suitable for student use, but they may also include information primarily intended for teachers. Teachers and school districts are encouraged to select those resources that they find most relevant and useful for their students, and to supplement these with locally approved materials and resources to meet specific local needs. The recommended resources listed in the main body of this IRP are those that have a comprehensive coverage of significant portions of the curriculum, or those that provide a unique support to a specific segment of the curriculum. Appendix B contains a complete listing of provincially recommended learning resources to support this curriculum.

The Appendices

A series of appendices provides additional information about the curriculum and further support for the teacher.

Appendix A lists the prescribed learning outcomes for the curriculum arranged by curriculum organizer and grade.
Appendix B contains a comprehensive, annotated list of the provincially
recommended learning resources for this curriculum. This appendix will be updated as new resources are evaluated.
Appendix C outlines the cross-curricular reviews used to ensure that concerns
such as equity, access, and the inclusion of specific topics are addressed by all components of this IRP.
Appendix D contains assistance for teachers related to provincial evaluation and reporting policy. Prescribed learning outcomes have been used as the source for samples of criterion-referenced evaluation.
Appendix E acknowledges the many people and organizations that have been involved in the development of this IRP.
Appendix F contains definitions of terms specific to the study of dance.

Explanation of Section

Curriculum Sub-Organizer as seen on the World Wide Web

Grade and Curriculum Organizer

Choreography 11: Elements of Movement

Prescribed Learning Outcomes

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

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
apply an understanding of fitness, health, and safety to choreography
use appropriate terminology to describe movement

Suggested Instructional Strategies

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Have students select everyday tasks (e.g., brushing teeth, eating breakfast, biking to school) and develop them as abstract movements (e.g., whole-body or travelling). Introduce the term pedestrian movement and the concept of broadening concrete movements to the abstract. Extend by debating a resolution such as: "All movement is dance."
Establish a routine of selecting a particular element of movement and having students improvise as broad a range of movement as possible within that element (e.g., energy—from strongest to lightest). Use language and imagery to focus students' movement explorations. Extend by asking students to combine two or more elements of movement in the same way (e.g., change the relationship or level while going from light to strong). Have half the class move while the other half watches. Discuss the range of possibilities for movement.
After movement-exploration activities, encourage students to record their favourite ways of moving. Provide opportunities for students to teach their favourite movements to their peers. Discuss as a class: Are these movements safe? How do they rely on and contribute to fitness and health? Encourage students to keep movement journals for reference in composition.
Select a principle of movement and use it as a basis for group composition. Ensure that students focus on their use of the chosen principle throughout the composition. Provide activities that develop the principle (e.g., maintain breathing while moving).
While students are viewing video clips or live performances, have them use guided-response sheets to record what they see, using appropriate terminology. Use this terminology to direct teacher-led improvisation. Introduce new terminology as necessary.

Suggested Assessment Strategies

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Ask students to observe groups of people engaged in everyday activities in various locations (e.g., school cafeteria, hallways, shopping malls, on the street). Then have them record, on paper or videotape, examples of pedestrian movement that reveal qualities of dance. Invite them to present their examples to the class. Assess presentations for:
- clear and well-prepared delivery
- clear explanations of how the selected movements exemplify their definitions of dance
As students select a particular element of movement and improvise a broad range of movement within that element, set limitations to encourage students to solve problems in new ways. (e.g., Show the movement in three different ways. Do the movement with your back to the audience.) Ask students to work with partners, taking turns observing and then giving feedback on which versions provide the clearest interpretation of the element of movement. As an option, ask students to record in their journals how they solved problems in new ways. Collect their responses and look for evidence that students are able to use appropriate terminology to describe movement.
As students view a videotaped or live dance class, have them use response sheets to record their observations, using appropriate terminology. Ask them to record evidence of the teacher applying principles of fitness, health, and safety in the dance. Collect their response sheets and look for evidence that students are able to:
- accurately describe movements, using appropriate terminology
- make appropriate connections between choreography and principles of fitness, health, and safety

Recommended Learning Resources