Dance Sample 3: Grade 4

Topic:

Prescribed Learning Outcomes:

Elements of Movement

• use elements of movement in combination
• demonstrate an awareness of the principles of movement in dance

Creation and Composition

• interpret and move in response to a variety of sounds, images, feelings, and music
• create movement sequences based on a given choreographic form
• apply the creative process to revise dance sequences

Presentation and Performance

• rehearse dance for presentation
• identify performance skills and audience etiquette appropriate to a given performance situation
• apply established criteria to analyse their work

Overview

Planning for Assessment and Evaluation

Tableaux of Emily Carr's Art

• The teacher introduced the unit by assigning small groups of students each a different example of Emily Carr's artwork. The teacher asked students to respond by creating tableaux to represent the pictures, encouraging them to create tableaux that showed shape, strength, and relationship.
• Students formed a circle, and individual groups presented their tableaux. The teacher gave the audience one minute to sketch each tableau and try to capture its form and relationship.
• Following the presentations, students collected their tableau sketches. Then they used pastels to create visual representations of Emily Carr's art by changing one element (e.g., adding people, changing colour, using a different setting). The teacher collected the sketches and added them to student portfolios.

The Dance of Emily Carr

• Students had a series of opportunities to learn about the work of Emily Carr through poetry, literature, stories of her life, films, and a display of her art. The teacher focussed discussion on the rhythm and movement of Emily Carr's art and how it became more intense and dramatic over time.
• The teacher chose Emily Carr's painting Zinoqua and the Cat Village (1931) as the basis for a dance. The teacher selected music that simulated the wind in the trees, and other forest sounds. As students viewed the picture and listened to the music, the teacher asked them to make connections to what they saw.
• Together the teacher and students developed a story based on the music and the painting. They talked about the characters, which included the wind, cats, trees, and the artist. The teacher listed the characters on a chart, and students discussed movements associated with each of them. The chart was displayed in the gym for student reference. Then the teacher played the music, and students explored the movement of each character. The teacher instructed students to listen for changes in the music, marking the introduction of different characters, and asked questions. (e.g., How would the trees move? How are the movements of the cats different from those of the trees? What props could you use to enhance the movement of the wind? How would Emily feel walking through this forest? How could we make this into a sequence?)
• Students each chose one character and created a sequence of movements that connected with the story and music. As students practised their sequences in small groups, the teacher worked with them to revise and refine the movements. All the sequences were then combined to create the "Dance of Emily Carr," which ended with a tableau matching the painting Zinoqua and the Cat Village.
• The students' pastel representations were used as an art backdrop for the presentation. The class presented their dance at a school-wide Fine Arts Day.

Defining the Criteria

Tableaux

• demonstrates strength, shape, relationship, and mood
• uses principles of movement appropriately (balance, strength, alignment, flexibility)
• shows sensitivity to picture
• shows originality and creativity

Characters

• uses clearly defined movements that show strength, shape, relationship, and mood
• uses exaggerated shapes, extended arms
• includes a variety of levels of movement
• has accurate sense of timing
• uses interesting shapes to interpret character

Attitude as a Performer and Participant

• engages willingly in class activities
• shows energy and enthusiasm
• perseveres and concentrates
• commits to improving­seeks and accepts feedback
• revises work using feedback from others and self-evaluation
• supports other dancers with encouragement and feedback

Assessing and Evaluating Student Performance

Tableaux

• How has this group interpreted the Emily Carr picture to show strength, shape, and relationship?
• What is one way you could change a presenter's shape to emphasize strength and relationship?
• How does your change improve the strength of the group's tableau?

Characters

• What part is working well?
• Can you show me a movement that demonstrates strength and relationship?
• What is the most interesting shape in your dance sequence that represents your character?
• What part do you need to practise?
• How can you change your movements to make the sequence look more like the character? (Possibilities include low, fast, quick movements for the cats; flowing, strong, fast movements for the wind; expanding and contracting shapes for the trees.)
• How can I help you with this?

Attitude as a Performer and Participant

Criteria	Rating	Comments and Suggestions
engages willingly in class activities
shows energy and enthusiasm
perseveres and concentrates
commits to improving­seeks and accepts feedback
revises work using feedback from others and self-evaluation
supports other dancers with encouragement and feedback

Key:  3­Strongly Evident
       2­Frequently Observed
       1­Some Evidence
       0­Not Observed

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