Grade 4 Dance and Math

The following lesson is a cross-curricular lesson blending Dance and Math designed for Grade 4's. This lesson focuses on creating repetition and pattern in order to create harmony and interest in dance phrases. Students will use their bodies to create a wide variety of shapes while using the space in different ways to show these shapes. What kinds of shapes can I make with my body? How does the negative space we create when we make a shape with our bodies look to others? How do structure and pattern change a dance phrase?

Expectations

A1. creating and presenting: apply the creative process.
A1.3 create dance phrases using a variety of pattern forms.  
A2. reflecting, responding, and analysing
A2.1: demonstrate an understanding of how the elements of dance can be used in their own and others’ dance phrases to illustrate or explore learning in other subject areas.
A2.2: identify, using dance vocabulary, the elements of dance used in their own and others’ dance phrases and explain their purpose.
A2.3: identify and give examples of their strengths and areas for growth as dance creators and audience members.

Curriculum Element: 

• The theory of focus for this week in dance was the "Critical Analysis Process" found on page 23 of the Ontario Arts Curriculum. 
• The process has several stages for students to reflect on so that they can build their independent ability to develop and express informed responses to pieces of dance, drama, music, and visual arts.
• The stages include, initial reflection, description, analysis and interpretation, expression of an informed point of view, and consideration of cultural context. 
• Students should be guided through the stages of the process and the teacher should model it to the students. 
• The process helps with making connections, interpretations, and demonstrating appreciation to all forms of art.
• The stages and their flow is shown in the diagram below.

Elements of Dance: Body, Space, Pattern.

What kinds of shapes can I make with my body? How does the negative space we create when we make a shape with our bodies look to others? How do structure and pattern change a dance phrase?

Warm-up Activity: 

• The strategy we tried for our warm-up on our third week of classes was “mirroring”. 
• Students work in pairs where one student leads and the other student mirrors the leaders movements. 
• The goal is to have both people moving at the exact same time. We started with slower movements and then added quicker and more complex movements to mirror.
• We took turns being leader so that each person got a chance to be the lead and the person mirroring.

Ask students to swing to the left (arms reach sideways and across the body, opposite leg extends), swing to the right, swing back to the left, allow arms to swing overhead into a gallop and recover with a swing to the left, reverse, repeat. Use 8 counts to change places, find the person closest to you, repeat several times facing them. 

Prompt: Now, what words would you use to describe the shapes we were making with our bodies when we were doing our swinging warm-up?

Record responses on the chalkboard/whiteboard.

Prompt: What other kinds of shapes might we make with our bodies? (e.g.: CURVED, STRAIGHT, TWISTED, BENDY, STRETCHED, ANGULAR, ETC…)

Ask students to experiment with making these shapes with their bodies. Encourage them to use all of the body parts discussed and used in the previous lesson. Encourage them to move throughout general space.

Sculptors and Modeling Clay:

• Invite half of the students to be sculptors while the other half will be lumps of modeling clay. 
• Based on a shaping theme (curved, angular, etc.), the sculptors will dance around the clay lumps, stopping to mold them into shapes that follows the same theme.
• When the music stops, the sculptors will walk around the shape gallery looking at their (curvy, angular, twisted) creations. 
• Switch roles so the clay will become sculptors and the sculptors will become clay.

Small Group: Cards

• Divide the students into small groups. Give each group a set of 4 cards, each with a drawing of a shape (this may be a closed or open shape, it will not be one of the traditional "geometric shapes", i.e. circle, square, rectangle, etc.). 
• The students will then decide in which order they will place their shapes and will create group shapes with their bodies that correspond with each shape on the cards. 
• Have students present these shapes, with smooth transitions between each shape, to their peers and will receive feedback.
• Ask the students to then return to their groups and to choose one shape that they will repeat at the beginning and end of their shapes dance, thereby creating an ABA form. 
• Groups will continue to work on their dance phrases, adjusting them to accommodate the ABA structure.

Theory: 

• Dewey's Progressive Theory in education emphasizes learning by doing, integration, problem solving, critical thinking, and collaborative/group work. 
• The theory also focuses on important aspects such as respect for diversity (individuals should be recognized for their own abilities, interests, ideas, and cultural identity) and the development of critical, socially, engaged intelligence. 
• This enables for teachers to meet the individual learning needs of students and have all students engaged or able to participate in their classrooms. 
• This is a major focus in today's classroom, with such a diverse community in the schools, it is important for teachers to consider appropriate accommodations and modifications to meet the needs of the entire class.

Application and Reflection:

• Following the integration of mathematics, we combined mirroring with symmetrical and creating geometric dance moves to create a three part choreographed performance.
• The mirroring and elements of body connected to lines of symmetry, pathways, translations, and reflections. 
• Students also used their bodies to create a wide variety of shapes while using the space in different ways to show these shapes.
• We spent some time also deciding on body movements that would correlate to the music we chose.