Our Changing Earth
As with most fine arts classrooms, the end of the year (or semester) is a great time to complete large projects. May ended with all of our technique based courses completing choreography units with corresponding projects. I love watching the classroom become such a student-centered learning environment and most importantly witnessing such creativity in their final products.
Dance 1–4 are survey courses in dance that study different styles of dance throughout the year. Therefore they have a little bit more freedom of style, yet they must fit within the guidelines of the rubric. Students in these courses had 2 written assignments that went along with their choreography. 1 was a “Choreography/Music Chart.” This is where they learn and practice the skill of counting out the music and writing the corresponding dance steps. Even last year as NextGen with iPads we had them write it out on paper to turn in. This year I made it into a Google Doc and posted in classroom to share and they only needed to turn in 1 per group. There are a few choreography recording apps and software that are currently available, but some are paid and none are quite what I need for entry level students. I look forward to what will continue to be developed. Students also had to individually complete reflection questions on another Google Doc to reflect on their process, experience, and outcome.
Our Academy students (Jazz 1–4, Ballet, and Dance & Media) all participate in a more thorough in-depth cross-curricular choreography process. They access their higher level thinking skills to take a topic they are given and create an entire dance project around it. This year we did a cross-curricular connection with World Geography and the unit on natural and man-made disasters. Students were given a list of ideas/vocabulary from our World History department to choose to fit the theme. Once their topic was approved they had to design costumes, choose music, and choreograph a piece to fit the dance rubric.
In addition, they had to research their chosen topic and complete an Adobe Spark Page. Students then presented both their Spark and their dance to the class.
SPARK EXAMPLES:
We turn the studio into our own “black box” of sorts using stage lights. It creates both mood and performance excitement for the dancers.
We then completed an in-class vote for students to choose which of their peers would represent their class in the student Choreography Showcase. This showcase is then open to visitors as well as the school as we present during the day and teachers can bring their classes. Our dancers helped spread knowledge of these disasters to our classes and we then helped bring it to the school as shown through the fine arts. Needless to say it is always one of my proudest days of the year.
Dance and Media also created a video to begin their piece, here is the video link with the live performance available at the end of the blog. They also used Piktochart and Canva to each make unique posters to promote the show. See 1 example at the top of the blog.
Here is a link to the amazing work!
I hope you are able to find some time to find meaningful, engaging, and inspiring PD this summer to bring new ideas to your classroom next year. I will be attending iPadpalooza, be shared in a Case Study for CEDFA, presenting at the Arts & Digital Literacy Institute, and leading a PD session for Pflugerville ISD.
Enjoy your summer and I will be back in the fall!