Dance and Science

Let's get scientific..

I used to love science as a student and the only thing I could think of that would make it better is by incorporating dance into it! In one of the dance classes we had this term we danced out, using a series of movements, how pulleys and gears would work, in small groups. When I went into my grade 4 placement they were just about to begin simple machines! I used this activity with them and they LOVED it. Not only did they love it and were engaged, but they also understood pulleys and gears in a new way because they were able to use their bodies and movement to explore how they worked. I was able to use the activity in class and the acitivties in the video attached below to make my students understand more about what they were learning in science. 

Teaching Simple Machines with Dance

Dance does not only work when studying subjects such as simple machines but can help students explore the human body units, space, substances and solvents and solutes. Students can use their bodies to help demonstrate solids, liquids and gas and the changes in their states using different movements. 

One activity students can do, when studying the solar system, is using their bodies as the planets and choreographing movements that will show the movements of the planets. This can be observed by other peers and everyone could provide feedback on who they thought was which planet, based on the elements of dance they're projecting while moving like the planet. 

Science lessons that incorprate dance can also be linked to health and Phys-ed activities in my last post!

Here are some additional links to some great articles and ideas for bringing dance into science and technology!

http://blog.eie.org/mix-engineering-and-dance-in-the-classroom

http://theconversation.com/lab-coats-and-leggings-when-science-and-dance-connect-its-quite-a-show-46385

Dance, Health and Physical Education Are Best When They're Together!

Dancing your way through Phys-ed and Health

As a student, I remember hating health because it was strictly textbook. I remember one year my teacher bringing in a skeleton and for me, that was my favourite health related memory. Fast forward to high school Phys-ed class and it was all about memorizing the material for the exam and doing the physical tests to pass the class (not including that I had gym 1st period and hated to sweat!!) 

Second year of university something in me changed, I began to love physical activity and everything about the human body. I became healthier, I got into a gym, I read, I studied. I became a Zumba Instructor and lost, in one year, 115 pounds. The only physical activity I used to enjoy was dance. Now I could dance in Zumba and see the benefits of movement on my body, mind and spirit. 

I have been able to bring Zumba to many of my kids in school during placement and as volunteer, both for elementary grades and many visits to high school grades as well. 

Zumba is nice for me to teach to the younger grades in particular because it is all about moving the body. Students who are studying the human body in science, in particular the cardiovascular system, love doing Zumba! We stop in between moving to feel our heartbeats, calculate our heart rates and see the differences in our bodies from beginning to end! Students learn that moving can be fun and is important and are able to relate what they're learning in health about their hearts into real life. Zumba, acting as a physical release, can also contribute to the mental well being of students and the benefits they feel they can bring back to learning about mental health illnesses in health. 

Zumba gets kids moving - Bring it into the classrooms

The picture above was taken in my last placement where students and I danced a series of movements and after were able to see the difference in our heart rate and breathing rate.

Another activity that can be related to dance and health is when learning more about the human body (which also happens in science). Students will learn about the parts of their body and how they can take care of themselves, being active is one of the ways. Students who learn about certain bones, or systems can create movements and explore how each part of their body moves. This can be done in small groups or individually. Each student can pick one specific part of their body and move how they think their body part would/ can move.

Another activity related to health that students can bring dance into is when studying diseases. They can create a series of movements and study the disease. They can then present these powerful pieces, by using the dance actions cards, to the class and then explain why they chose the certain movements. How did the movements they pick help represent the disease or illness they chose to study? For example, if students chose diabetes, some of their movements could be to melt, shudder or others. They will then explain their new found knowledge on the disease chosen. 

Students can also study the benefits behind dancing on their own health and create a report based on their findings as an introduction to the acitvity. They can then present their findings to their peers and in groups that have similar benefits, join together to create a series of movements and dance.

Here are some other articles where bring dance, zumba, and physical movement into health and physed is so important!!

https://www.thepespecialist.com/dance2/

https://www.childtrends.org/programs/dance-for-health/

Dance and Social Studies

Social Studies... dancing through the history

It is easy to infuse dance into social studies for many different reasons. When teaching your students about culture, backgrounds, history, and traditions they can study these and express them through different movements.

Think back to your experience of social studies as a student, where do you think dance could have been connected or brought in? Whatever you're thinking of, you're probably right! Dance can enhance the learning experience of social studies in so many ways. Think of learning of our past and the eras. Social studies does not need to be just history books and memorizing facts, but instead can be an exploration of movements that bring the students into the events while at school.

Social Studies & Dance Integrating SSHG & The Arts Information Video

One great activity that can be done with students that is cross curricular with social studies and dance is Aboriginal and Indigenous Studies. Students can pick a form of dance that belongs to that culture and, with their group members, study it, study the history, background and importance of it and present the movements and the context of it to their classmates. This would be bringing the students into the culture as opposed to having them just read through the text and write a test on it. This makes the students move, makes them feel how indigenous peoples feel when dancing their traditional dances. If you, as an educator, have access to someone within the culture who could come in and share their experiences with the students, the students will be even more engaged and respectful towards the material. 

When students are learning about Residential Schools, in groups they can be provided with a piece of history on one individual who shared their experience. You could then have them, using their bodies and the action cards, create a series of movements that helps to share that individuals experience, through dance. http://www.cbc.ca/arts/telling-the-dark-story-of-canada-s-residential-schools-through-ballet-1.3640355

Another activity that can be done with both dance and social studies together could be looking at the different dances of the different eras. For example, each group could be given an era (1960s, 1990s) and have to study the dance of that era. They can then create a dance performance that includes the movements of the era but also their own, giving it a twist. 

Teachers can incorporate dance into geography by looking at the different styles of dances based on their locations and in pairs they could create their own dance while incorporating some of the movements from their chosen geographic point. 

Some extra resources about bringing dance and social studies together in the classroom. Students will only benefit from being able to see their history, traditions and culture through movement. 

https://education.byu.edu/sites/default/files/ARTS/documents/educational_movement.pdf


https://culturalmovement.weebly.com/teaching-social-studies-through-dance.html

Cannot wait for you to see what I post next! Until next post,

Emily

Dancing through Mathematics

Finally... a reason to love Math class

Throughout the entirety of my educational career, I have never been a fan of Mathematics. This was mainly because I had not experienced a growth mindset and the benefits that it can have until first year of teachers college. After having the opportunity to teach math to my students in grade 7 and 8 on rotary I fell in love with teaching math, of course not nearly as much as my love for teaching dance and the arts. This post will share with you one of the amazing activities that teacher candidates and I did during these six weeks and how easy it is to bring dance and math together.

Bringing dance into probabilities

Teacher candidates were all grouped into small groups and given a die. Teachers were then instructed on just rolling the die and whichever number it lands on the actions on the paper are the movements they will do in their dance sequence. This was just practice. This lesson extended to then predicting. Students were instructed to 'predict the outcome of 3 rolls, roll the die three times and connect the 3 action phrases.

Students were directed to then perform the action phrases as a part of their dance routine, awhile making one action have a different tempe and to layer on space. This was not just a math activity and practice but also gave students a fun twist on being able to express their mathematical findings through movement.

Another way an activity like this could be done is, for instance in a grade 4 classroom practising multiplication. After students complete their multiplication sheet they must attach the different answers they have to the actions attached to the number. For instance, projected on the board could be 36- lunge, pause, rise, sway and 10- dart, melt, clap, slide. If a student has 6 x 6 = 36 on their paper they know their actions for 36 (their solution) will be to lunge, pause, rise and sway, etc.

Here is a blog on the benefits of dance and mathematics together in a classroom: https://blogs.ams.org/mathgradblog/2016/07/07/mathematics-dance-enhancing-understanding-movement/

When people talk about school and about the curriculum it is so easy for them to stress the importance of mathematics, science and language. Most classes have two periods dedicated a day to mathematics to ensure time for problem solve, learn and explore. Why is the arts not being taken as seriously? Dance can have so many different benefits to students, just as math can have. The article below stresses why dance class is just as important as math class. 

https://ideas.ted.com/why-dance-is-just-as-important-as-math-in-school/

One activity that I did with my students, after learning about the dance action cards and realizing that dance can be brought into every subject, mathematics included was with my grade 4s. Students were given a time frame, a sheet of multiplication questions to solve, suspenseful music, and a treasure box that was chained shut with chains and 6 different locks and 12 keys. Students had to work through their math problems, find all the solutions, problem solve and open the treasure box while feeling like they were in an escape room. Inside the treasure box was a variety of different actions on slips of card stock. Students had a number (1-4, grouping them into 4 groups) and the three actions/ movements they MUST incorporate into their dance routine. Unfortunately, like stated in a previous post I was not required to teach my students the arts but luckily my associate teacher allowed me to bring in my creativity and love for the arts into their other subjects. Students then worked with their small groups to perform their routines. This was a great activity and a success story that had students excited, engaged and motivated, not only int heir math work but also in their creation of their dances. 

Another great example of a math and dance crossed activity is to have one movement dedicated to every number (ex. up until 30) and students can dance out an equation, leaving the remaining students to solve the equation by watching the movements and relating them back to the number they represent. 

Check out my next post to see what else dance can be brought into! Thanks for tuning in today to read about dance and math! Let me know in the comments if you have another insight into dancing through math!

Emily

Dance in the schools and Language Arts

BRINGING DANCE INTO THE CLASSROOMS

Welcome to my Dance in the Classroom Blog! I cannot wait for you to follow me along this journey of bringing the arts into all areas of curriculum. Having grown up as a competitive dancer and continuing my education throughout university in the Arts, I am very excited to see what this course can offer to me as a future educator. Please feel free to comment, leave your words of wisdom and share resources!

Its more than just moving around...

Dance curriculum is so much more than just moving around in a space. Behind the movements that the students do there is intention, purpose, meaning, emotion, etc. By bringing dance into the classroom, students are able to express their emotions, tell a story and express themselves. 

Before the first class, I had only known dance in school as, here is a series of steps, learn them, practice and perform. But I was so unaware of how much more, us teachers, can provide our students with. On the first day, we were able to explore different dance moments by using cards with movements on them. There were so many different options for students, walk, creep, dodge, shudder, melt, etc. These cards all provided students with a movement to complete, and by connecting the movements together they created their own dance. 

Dance and Language Arts

Throughout the six weeks of Dance, teacher candidates and I were able to explore different dance lessons that were linked to language arts that I feel that I can implement into my classroom as a future educator. These two were my favourite:

1. Exploring dance/ movement through poetry

2. Exploring dance through emotions

Exploring dance through poetry and emotions

There were multiple activities that were done through poetry. One activity was done by rearranging the lines of the poem and creating movements that reflected the words in the best way. Another activity we were able to do was after reading through a variety of passages in a children's book. After grouping with peers in the classroom we were able to create a series of movements, with the assistance of movement cards provided, that worked best with the passage we were assigned. I I enjoyed working with dance through language arts because it was clear how easy it was to incorporate the arts into such a crucial strand in the schools. Growing up loving the arts, I was lucky enough to have great classroom experiences, with teachers always teaching dance and drama. Sadly, in some schools today, the arts are taught directly by specific teachers, leaving homeroom teachers with no art lessons to deliver. Now that I have learned ways to incorporate dance into laguage arts, in more ways than just the few activites shared here, I am confident and excited that I can bring the arts into my classroom, regardless of whether it is my job to or not. 

There were multiple activities that can be done in the classroom in regards to expressing emotions through dance. Students can move to different types of music that represents a certain emotion. Students can pick from the Dance pack of movements over which one best represents their emotion they were given and use the given movements to create a dance sequence. Activities like these can be done in addition to writing emotion poems, which was what my group and I presented on. We felt that having students create their own emotion poem, and then having them present them through movements, can help them express their emotions. Below are some of the resources we used with the teacher candidates to show them this language and dance lesson that can be done in the classroom. 

Activity Using Language and Poems on emotions: Using poems allows for individuals to create a cross curricular dance lesson between dance and the language arts. Poems allow students to develop their creativity and use their imagination. They allow students to think of writing in a different aspect. Students will showcase their creativity by composing their emotion poem and displaying it to their peers through dance. Students will have the luxury of creating an emotion poem, in groups, and then deciding on which dance moves will best interpret/flow with their poem. They can also adjust their poem to the difficulty of their dancing, in other words, if they believe that one part of their poem will be too difficult to dance to, they can change it and make it easier for their group to convey through dance. Poetry is a beautiful art form that correlates exceptionally well with dance. Appropriate instrumental music will accompany each emotion poem so that the students can freely dance.

Here are a few resources that can assist you in teaching dance and language in your classroom!

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/arts18b09curr.pdf

http://artsonline2.tki.org.nz/resources/lessons/dance/poemdance/index_e.php

http://artsonline2.tki.org.nz/resources/lessons/dance/journey/index_e.php

The above resources have a variety of lessons including dance and language arts (poetry, storytelling).

Until I post again, enjoy the resources and feel free to comment and follow along the dance in the classroom journey!

Emily