Lesson Plan and Rubric: Dance of the Scary Hole

Kids Make Dance – Grades Pre-K-2 Kathleen Isaac, Dance Educator

Title of Learning Experience: The Dance of the Scary Hole Written by Kathleen Isaac ©2000 Based on Children’s Folk Dance from Denmark, The Scary Hole

LEARNING CONTEXT Teacher/ er/Learner ner:

Teacher her(s) as as facilitator( or(s); st students as dan dance le learners, cr creators ors, photographers, assessors, and dance advocates

Curricular:

Grades Pre-K-1 - Dance, Music, Visual Art, Technology and Literacy (Reading, Responding, Dancing and Recording)

Scho School ol//Comm Commun unit ity y:

Stud Studen entts val value ue danc dance, e, musi musicc and and art art, con conne nect ctin ing g it it to to wha whatt the they y kno know, w, learn are able to do about being scared. By sharing their dances, students reinforce and celebrate working collaboratively, making c hoices, completing tasks, developing dance, good work habits and building community by sharing sharing accomplishments with with others. These are core values at P.S. 165.

STANDARDS ADDRESSED IN NEW YORK CITY BLUEPRINT FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING IN DANCE PRE-K-12: Dancemaking: Develop Skills and Techniques Through participation in dance classes, students achieve the ability to: Articulate body parts, shapes and actions. • Execute basic locomotor (traveling) movements. • Control traveling and freezing, starting and stopping. • Replicate and recall movements and patterns. • Move with a range of dynamics. • Move in different levels, (low, middle, high) and directions (forward, back side, up, down). • Execute simple basic elements of various dance forms. • Improvise Students explore dance movement through improvisation, demonstrating the ability to: Work with focus and concentration. • Invent original body movements in response to music, images, words, ideas or symbols. • Distinguish a range of movement qualities to express feelings, characteristics, sensations and • environments. Vary the size of movements. • Combine levels, directions and pathways with body actions. • Respond to musical mood, tempo and beat. •

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Kathleen Isaac Dance Educator Lesson Plan – The Dance of the Scary Hole ©2000

Perform Students perform, demonstrating the ability to: Recall, repeat and refine movement sequences. • Dance with fullness of movement. • Dance with expressiveness. • Dance in coordination with a musical beat and mood. • Understand appropriate performer and audience behavior. • Respond, Reflect, Revise: Evaluate informal in-class performances and video evidence of student performances, using • observation, discussion, drawings, video and simple simple rubrics designed by the class. Consider questions such as: In what ways can dance look different to an audience from the the way it feels to to a performer?

Developing Dance Literacy: Apply Dance Vocabulary, Terminology and Symbols Students develop a basic dance vocabulary, demonstrating the ability to: Use words and symbols to describe and name dance activities and ideas. • Respond to action words and symbols with appropriate movement. • Understand and demonstrate choreography ideas (e.g., solo, duet, unison). •

Making Connections: Understand Dance History and the social and Cultural Significance of Dance (Theatrical, Ritual & Social Dance) By actively observing the movement of other students, people and things; and learning dances from various cultures and historical periods, students will: Apply dance concepts to the world outside the classroom. • Connect Dance to Other Arts and Disciplines Through activities including other disciplines in dance study, students will illuminate understanding of dance, demonstrating the ability to: Respond to other arts and disciplines in dance movement. • Understand how other art media combine with dance. • Utilize Technology in Connection With Dance Students respond to and discuss videotapes of student and professional dance performances, demonstrating the ability to: Discuss the difference between a moving image and a photograph, and between dancing and posing. • Use digital technology as a tool for assessing criteria for dance. * • Use digital technology as a tool for making dance visible to the school community* • * These are not indicators from the Blueprint, but are indicators in technology specifically specifically addressed in this lesson.

Connect Dance to Health and Well-Being Understand personal space and its relation to safety and well-being. •

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Working With Community and Cultural Resources Share Dance Experiences in and Between Schools Through in-school experiences in dance class, between classes or with visiting schools, students will: Understand that dance is part of the school day. • Demonstrate dance learning to other students. • Share dance learning with parents. • Discuss dance with the classroom teacher. • Share dance experiences with an older dance buddy. •

LESSON (Session 1): Teaching Points:

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Danc Dancer erss use use the their ir bodi bodies es to expr expres esss emot emotio ions ns.. They They do this this without making any sound. 2) Dancers Dancers make dances dances based based on their their own ideas as as well as ideas ideas they get from stories, and pictures. 3) When people people read, read, talk, talk, think, think, plan and and make dances dances together together,, they are are creating a dance community.

Materials/Class Materials/Class Set-up: •

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Class folder and a pencil are placed on floor. Some Things Are Scary, written by Florence Parry Heide is placed in front of room. Blank Chart Paper is hung or taped up, with markers available Music for warm-up (and dance making activity is accessible)

Motivation: Dance Educator begins class by asking the children if they are ever scared of anything, and if so, to raise their hand and share. share. Responses are recorded on a list or web. Students are asked asked to make a shape with their body and an expression exp ression with their face, without making any sound that shows what it looks like to be scared or frightened. Dance Educator turns his/her back, covers eyes, eyes, counts to three and turns around to face children, who make silent shapes and facial expressions e xpressions reflecting the feeling of being Scary, by Florence Parry Heide is shown and the dance educator states that scared. Some Things Are Scary, there is a book written about scary things that we will read either at the e nd of class or the following week. The same process is repeated, repeated, with Dance Educator asking if the children children are ever happy about anything, and if so, to share what it is. He/she then proceeds to say that in this lesson, dancers will learn to show both being scared (fear) and happiness, using silent body shapes and facial expressions.

Warm-up: •

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Using the student-generated list of words describing things that are scary and happy, the dance educator elicits movement ideas and combines them with body isolations, shapes, locomotor and non-locomotor movement. Example: Head - You are a big spider. Look all around to see if you can spot a fly. fly. Look up, look down, right, left, all around, and do you see one? Use your long, long spider spider arms/legs to reach and pull that fly into you very, very tightly. tightly. Curl yourself up around that juicy fly and eat it up! 3

Kathleen Isaac Dance Educator Lesson Plan – The Dance of the Scary Hole ©2000 •

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Musical Suggestions: Danse Macabre by Camille Saint Saëns, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas, The Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter Soundtrack) by John Williams After exploring several words, take a moment to practice freezing in silence, using scared and happy facial expressions and body shapes on different levels.

Review of Prior Knowledge: • • • •

Direction – forward and backward Time – quickly and slowly Locomotor Movement – skipping Pathway - circular

Development: Place a scary object, such as a stuffed snake, spider puppet, or a large picture of a scary object in the center of the room. Remind students that they will listen carefully carefully to directions, remembering remembering that dancers use their bodies and not no t their mouths to do this dance. Demonstrate a slow walk (long, slow strides) in a forward direction 4 times moving toward the scary object. This takes 8 counts (each step step taking 2 cts.). Ask students to quietly demonstrate demonstrate this, using the quiet, scared expressions they practiced in the Motivation section of the lesson. Demonstrate a quick (small, skittering steps) in in a backward direction. This also takes 8 counts. Students repeat. The slow forward strides towards the hole, and quick backward skittering steps away from the hole are repeated. Depending on the class and their abilities, abilities, you may wish to repeat this more than than once. The children are happy that they “got away” or weren’t stopped by the scary thing in the imaginary hole, so they clap and skip in a large circular pathway, around the room in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. One child follows the other, other, and no dancer passes another as they follow around in the circular pathway. The above sequence is practiced and repeated as many times as time or the children’s abilities allow. •

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Music Suggestion : Funeral March of the Marionettes by Charles Gounod

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Culmination: •

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Dancers are asked to sit in in a circle, following the the dance. Teaching points and concepts covered in the dance are reviewed. All dancers are asked to show a body shape and expression representing “scared”, and a body shape and expression representing “happy.” Dancers breathe together slowly, moving moving arms upward and downward slowly with breath. Repeat 3 times.

Word Wall/Vocabulary: Wall/Vocabulary: Fear Scary Scared Low Medium High Clockwise Counterclockwise

Happy Happiness Body Shape Levels Directions Forward Backward Up Down Circular Pa Pathway Silence Expression Community

Next Steps: •

Students will review dance, and create their own drawings representing things that are scary to put inside the scary hole. 4


LESSON (Session 2): Teaching Points: 1) 2)

Danc Dancer erss can can use use prop propss (Th (Thee Scar Scary y Hol Hole) e) whe when n the they y danc dancee to to give give dance a personal meaning. Danc Dancer erss can can use use phot photos os of thei theirr wor work k to to eva evalu luat atee it. it.


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Class folder and a pencil are placed on floor. Some Things Are Scary, written by Florence Parry Heide is placed in front of room. Brainstorm or Word List is hung or taped up Music for Warm-up and The Scary Hold Dance is available Large Black Paper, shaped into a large round shape White drawing paper Markers or crayons 2 digital cameras Computer or Television Monitor

Motivation: •

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Dance Educator reviews Teaching Points, explaining that the students will draw pictures that represent things that are scary, and glue them inside the Scary Hole. Dance Educator reads excerpts of the book, Some Things Are Scary.

Warm-up: •

Warm up from Session One is repeated, and new movements are added, based on any new ideas or insights from the book such as: Grabbing someone’s hand, thinking it’s your Mother, and finding out it’s not o Skating down a hill when you don’t know how to stop o Being with your Mom when she can’t remember where she parked her car o Seeing something you don’t like on your plate at dinnertime. o Musical Suggestions: Danse Macabre by Camille Saint Saëns, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas, The Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter Soundtrack) by John Williams After exploring several words or ideas, take a moment to practice freezing in silence, using scared and happy facial expressions and body bo dy shapes on different levels. o

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Formative Assessment: Assessment: •

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Students take individual or small group photographs of scared and happy facial expressions to use for assessment, along with the Dance the Dance of the Scary Hole Rubric. Students upload images from digital camera onto computer or television and assess their facial and body expression, using the third criteria in the Dance the Dance of the Scary Hole Rubric. Hole, Dance Educator uses rubric with students before they review the Dance the Dance of the Scary Hole, reminding students that they will practice it, and try to achieve the highest level for all criteria.

Review of Prior Knowledge: •

Review the sequence of the Scary Hole Dance: Move forward SLOWLY, 8 counts towards the ho le, taking big long steps, using facial o and bodily expressions of fear. Move backwards QUICKLY, 8 counts away from the hole, taking little tiny steps, using o facial and bodily expressions of fear o Repeat forward and backwards movement. o Skip happily around the scary hole, clapping to the beat (either clockwise or counterclockwise) o Begin again and repeat one or two more times. o


Development: • • •

Place a large circle or oval of black paper, approximately 4 ft. X 4 ft. in the middle of the room. Pass out drawing paper and markers or crayons Ask students to draw a picture of something scary. If time allows, the students may glue their pictures into the hole.

Culmination: Students talk about their pictures. Some students may want to write about their their scary pictures. pictures. This can be done on the drawing paper, or on another sheet of paper to be glued in the scary hole. Teaching points and concepts covered in the dance are reviewed. Dancers breathe together slowly, moving moving arms upward and downward slowly with breath. Repeat 3 times. End with bodies still and silent. •

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Word Wall/Vocabulary: Wall/Vocabulary: Any new words from the book, or words that are elicited from students Digital technology Digital cameras Computer Rubric

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Next Steps: Students will perform The Scary Hole Dance, take photos around the scary hole filled with the students’ artwork, and use The Scary Hole Hole Dance Rubric to conduct self and peer assessment. Dance Educator uses rubric to assess the students individually or as a class.

LESSON (Session 3): Teaching Points: 1)

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Danc Dancer erss can can use use digi digita tall came camera rass to to take take pho photo toss of thei theirr wor work k and and look at the photos to evaluate their scared and happy body shapes and facial expressions. Dancing Dancing gets better better with practice practice and revision, revision, based on peer and teacher feedback.


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Class folder and a pencil are placed on floor. Some Things Are Scary, written by Florence Parry Heide is placed in front of room. Brainstorm or Word List is hung or taped up Music for Warm-up and The Scary Hole Dance is available Scary Hole with student drawings glued on it is ready to be used. 2 digital cameras with batteries charged and ample memory available. Computer or Television Monitor Blueprint Indicators addressed in this lesson typed and printed out in large font, and glued to construction paper

Motivation: • •

Dance Educator reviews Teaching Points, and Dance Educator finishes reading, Some Things Are Scary if this was not done in Session 2.

Warm-up: •

Warm up from Session One is repeated, with new movements added, based on any new ideas or insights from the book such as: Grabbing someone’s hand, thinking it’s your Mother, and finding out it’s not o Skating down a hill when you don’t know how to stop o Being with your Mom when she can’t remember where she parked her car o Seeing something you don’t like on your plate at dinnertime. o o

Musical Suggestions: Danse Macabre by Camille Saint Saëns, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas, The Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter Soundtrack) by John Williams

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After exploring several words, take a moment to practice freezing in silence, using scared and happy facial expressions and body shapes on different levels.

Review of Prior Knowledge: • •

Place the Scary Hole with Children’s artwork in the middle of the room. Review the sequence of the Scary Hole Dance: Move forward SLOWLY, 8 counts towards the ho le, taking big long steps using facial and o bodily expressions of fear. Move backwards QUICKLY, 8 counts away from the hole, taking little tiny steps using o facial and bodily expressions of fear. Repeat forward and backwards movement o Skip happily around the scary hole, clapping to the beat (either clockwise or o counterclockwise) o Begin again and repeat one or two more times. o


Formative Assessment: Assessment: •

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Students take group digital photographs of scared and happy facial expressions as students approach toward and retreat from the scary hole. Students upload images from digital camera onto computer or television, observe, reflect, discuss and evaluate their facial and body expression, using the third criteria in the Dance of the Scary Hole Rubric.

Development: •

Perform the Dance the Dance of the Scary Hole.

Summative Assessment: • •

Using the Dance of the Scary Hole Rubric, students conduct self and peer assessment. Dance educator uses rubric to assess individual student and group student achievement.

Culmination: •

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Dancers find a “safe” personal space in the room, where they breathe, relax, think happy thoughts, and prepare their bodies for slowly getting up to exit dance room. Scary Hole Projects are hung in the hallway, ha llway, along with the rubric and the Blueprint Indicators to create visibility for the dance education program.

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DANCE ASSESSMENT RUBRIC FOR “THE SCARY HOLE” DANCE 2007© Kathleen Isaac

CRITERIA

Able to walk SLOWLY in a FORWARD direction towards the Scary Hole Able to walk QUICKLY in a BACKWARD direction away from the Scary Hole

Able to make a BODY AND FACIAL SHAPE that shows what it’s like to feel scared, WITHOUT MAKING ANY SOUND while moving toward the hole and away. Able to SKIP and CLAP TO A BEAT in a CIRCULAR PATHWAY, around the Scary Hole

☺☺☺ Walked slowly in a forward direction towards the hole

☺☺ Walked forward but was not able to go slowly towards the hole

☺ Was not able to move slowly in a forward direction towards the hole

Walked quickly in a backward direction away from the hole

Walked quickly, Was not able to but was not able walk quickly or to travel backward move in a – turned around backward direction and went quickly away from the hole, forward away or was too from hole distracted to follow the directions Made a body and Made a facial or Made sound while facial shape that body shape, but making facial and showed being not both, without body shape scared without sound any sound.

Able to skip and Able to skip and clap to a beat in clap to a beat, but a circular skipped outside pathway around the circle, into the scary hole – other areas of the one child behind room the other in circle Able to make a Made a body and Made a facial or BODY AND facial shape that body shape, but FACIAL SHAPE that showed not both, without shows happiness, happiness sound WITHOUT MAKING without any ANY SOUND while sound skipping in a circular pathway around the Scary Hole.

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Unable to skip and clap to beat, but able to stay in circle -orAble to skip, but not clap and had trouble staying on circle Made sound while making facial and body shape

Notes/Next Steps

Lesson Plan and Rubric: Dance of the Scary Hole

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