Part Five: Curriculum Development
Draft curriculum #1
Introduction
This form of curriculum is the one I am most acquainted with due to working with as small dance company in the early 2000’s, before I became a full time arts educator. Our curriculum was grant based and we were responsible for measurable/achievable student-learning outcomes.
Draft curriculum #1 is based loosely on my in school syllabus that I adapted from my teaching artist days. I have also viewed a variety of smaller teaching artist sites, cited below to flesh out my ideas in this draft.
Learning on Our Feet (LOOF) Creative Movement as a Bridge to Learning
Overview
A quality arts education is a fundamental human right, as important as learning in math, language arts or science. Dance education enables students to explore fresh approaches to communication, problem solving and self-expression. Students’ social-emotional intelligences are enhanced as well. Learning through the movement arts enables a kinesthetic awareness that transcends traditional learning.
Students will learn to embrace the acronym B.A.S.T.E., which stands for Rudolf Laban’s elements of body, action, space, time and energy, will serve as a tool for movement analysis. They serve as the basis for creative movement as students begin entering into crafting choreography.
As students discover and explore a full range of movement as the foundation for their creation, this expanded understanding of the body and its capacity for movement will serve as an integration link, into traditional ELA (English Language Arts) curriculum.
Rudolf Laban analyzed movement in a manner, which has been used in both drama and dance as well as the development of performance skills and enhanced critical thinking.
Curriculum Components
Performing
Students will…
Participates in dance activities while demonstrating an awareness of body parts, self-control and expression.
Composing
Students will …
Explores movement in response to a stimulus provided to make connections between expression, ideas and ideas.
Appreciating
Student will…
Respond to and communicate about dance.
Interconnecting
Students will …
Integrate dance concepts into the ELA curriculum.
Student Learning Outcomes
Body/Action
Move safely within both personal and shared space
Consider and explore the way parts of the body moves
Develop a working vocabulary to describe dance
Experiment with travelling movements, focusing on specific body parts
Devise actions that form the basis of short composition sequences
View the dances of peers
Demonstrate the basis of safe practices-body awareness and control
Experiment with various actions performed manipulating and revising your work
Perform basic movements, demonstrating control over body and parts of the body
Space
Create and explore body shapes on all three levels
Explore the space (personal and general) in a variety of ways
Incorporate level and dynamics in your improvised movement
Manipulate action in space with control
Organize your elements to reflect an understanding of basic composition
Time
Change the intention of a dance phrase by changing tempo
Explore use of rhythms, meter and dynamics in dance
Demonstrate an understanding of beat competence
Effort
Explore elements of dance with awareness to the effort exerted
Perform actions using varying dynamic qualities of movement, timing, spatial awareness and relationship
Utilize this technical vocabulary within dance making and appreciation
Benchmarks for K1 through 1st grade (Early Childhood Education)
Body Awareness: ability to move safely through space, alone and with others
Elements of Dance: skillfully use of body, action, space, time, and energy
Form/Organization: ability to improvise dances with a beginning, middle, and end
Communication: demonstrating a connection to feelings and ideas through movement
Response: beginning to talk about dance using specific vocabulary
Benchmarks for 2nd-4th grades (Upper Elementary)
Body Awareness: maintain previous skills while expanding into small group work and specific choreography
Elements of Dance: building upon skills, students begin to learn technique including dance warm-ups, steps in combination with effort actions and performance skills
Form/Organization: utilizing basic choreographic forms including canon and ABA.
Communication: investigate the different ways dance is used throughout various cultures
Response: begin to critique dances in writing and verbally
3. Draft curriculum #2
Introduction
I am intrigued with teachers of the arts who make a career change after decades, to work in Education Departments within a large arts organization. Early on, I taught at just such an arts organization in Boston. The woman who was the Arts Education Department director, and who operated both in-house programs, and professional development opportunities works, established that as an outreach educational opportunity might be something I would pursue later in my career. Another arts organization, American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) overhauled their education recently and it offers education toolkits to educators to align with shows that are offered as matinees for students of all ages. On my dream board, is a picture of me working in an education department such as A.R.T’s. Curriculum development fascinates me these days, and my experience would be beneficial in developing assessments, learning outcomes and activities. In this scenario, I would create lesson plans that engage pre-performance audiences. Collaborating with a team could enhance my professional development too. My proposed curriculum is to create a way of enhancing the Visual Arts experience, through movement and theater.
Class: Learning About Sculpture Through Creative Movement and Theater
Place: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts
Age/Grade: Designed for 3rd-5th graders
This six-week after school class, focuses on learning about sculpture through dance and drama techniques. Each hands-on session will offer students an opportunity to embody their learning before creating their sculptures.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will learn to:
Identify visual forms noticing shape, texture and movement
Compare 3-D to 2-D; noticing positive and negative space
Use different materials, and techniques, to make sculptural objects
Compare sculptures through visual thinking strategies
Create a sculpture that works in a specific site. (real or imagined)
Present work in an studio setting, critiquing work of self and others
Session 1: Noticing Shape, Texture and Movement of Visual Forms
Activities
If You Knew Me (community building activity)
Human atom and knot as warm up
Gallery walk-identify two contrasting sculptures and sketch
What do you notice? What surprised you? What do you wonder?
Present your sketch
Session 2: Sculptural Principals
Activities
Human atom and knot as warm up
Explore shapes through activity, Sculptor and Clay
Rapid tableau (which shapes can you make 3D and which are easier 2D)
Draw a picture and translate the shape into 3D using various materials
Critique self and others
Session 3: Different materials, and techniques, to make sculptural objects
Activities
Name and gesture (warm up)
Sculpture garden – illustrate words in body shape. (partners)
Create sculpture, based on words, with a variety of materials
Using visual thinking strategies, describe the work of others
Critique self and others
Session 4: In the Gallery-Compare and Contrast Sculptures
Activities
1. Play the game “museum”
2. Make a group shape to form sculpture identified by teacher
3. Describe positive and negative space
4. Notice the texture and movement
5. In studio use clay to explore positive and negative space, movement and texture
6.Create a group sculpture with classes’ clay shapes
7 Critique self and others
Session 5: Create a site-specific sculpture
Activities
Pick a gallery and notice the work you see there (make note of exact location)
Photograph the place you would add your sculpture
Sit and sketch the sculpture you could design
Back in the studio, create your sculpture and write a brief description
Give your sculpture a title
Session 6: Presenting your work
During this final session, students will present their sculpture in the gallery in which they would have added their piece. Spend time using VTS to analyze the choices and veracity of those choices, by responding on the card provided.
Vocabulary
Tableau
Shape
Positive space
Negative space