Interpretive Dance!

Collaboration!

What a stretch!

Active participation!

Creative planning!

Working on criteria right away!

Today I introduced our dance unit to our class.  As I explained to the class, there are many dance expectations in our physical education curriculum, and there are many physical education expectations in our dance curriculum.  Therefore, we will be integrating the two subjects for the next series of weeks.  The students have been exposed to the definition of interpretive dance, a list of criteria for a successful dance, and they have viewed a rubric for each subject (both gym and dance).  I also showed them a few videos of non-professionals performing short dances to music.  I allowed the students to choose their own groups (of three or four students), we voted on a song that we would use, and they began the process of choreographing their moves to the music.  They worked in the gym today, and they will work again next week.  This first attempt is a formative evaluation - which means it will not count toward their marks, but they will receive feedback that they can use to improve the next dance.  This first dance will have a duration of one minute.

What choreography!

Everyone contributes!

What confidence!

The book fair is here!  Feel free to stop in tomorrow night when you are at school for student-led conferences.  Our class will go together on Monday February 11, for those who need to shop at that time.  Please send money then.  Students are not allowed to roam in the book fair unless supervised by their parent or teacher.  The book fair is not open at lunch.