Weeks 5, 6, & 7
For week 5 I prepared a lesson on the geography of Ancient Egypt. I focused on the Nile River and the different regions of land that surrounded it. I placed tope on the floor to represent the river and the various regions, and had the students play with different energy qualities that might be found in each. For example, I had them use sustained energy to represent growth in the fertile lands and collapse to represent the dry desert lands. After they masted the energy qualities, I had them play with mirroring a partner across the river. This was a really fun activity that they seemed to like a lot. Overall the lesson was really great, and I think it helped them understand the content. This was the first lesson I taught in which the students had not done reading on the subject before hand, so I was teaching them all new information. They seemed to pick it up quickly and it will serve them well as they begin their Egypt unit in the next coming weeks.
The next week I taught a lesson social class and government of Ancient Egypt. I decided to focus on flocking to help them understand that the Pharaohs led as they pleased, and everyone had to follow them. While the students seemed to understood the concepts well, they had a really hard time with leading the flocking. I think having all the focus on them was overwhelming for some. This caused them to just do small familiar movements. I tried to give them a variety of prompts to encourage more creative and confident movement, but they still seemed to be nervous. I think if I were to repeat this lesson I would ease them into flocking by maybe starting with smaller groups or just doing a bit of improv before hand so their creativity was at a high. So while the flocking was kind of a flop, the curriculum was well received.
For the 7th week I created a lesson plan about hieroglyphics and timing. We created shapes to represent the letters of the hieroglyphic alphabet, then spelled out a variety of words at different speeds. I was really happy with how involved and creative the students were! Especially because the week before was low in creativity, I was really pleased with their work. They were all challenged when the speed got faster, and laughed when it became to quick. They were just having a great time which I loved! At the end of the lesson I had them create a short composition with a small group and challenged them to use some of the elements of dance they had learned up to that point, such as levels, facings, and timing. Their compositions were all really impressive! I was really happy about this lesson and am excited to keep that momentum going in to next week!
Overall these last three weeks have been pretty successful. I am really happy with my students progression and think that they are learning a lot. It will be fascinating to see how their knowledge of the social studies curriculum is being affected. This experience really is amazing and I'm so happy I have the chance to take part in it!
The next week I taught a lesson social class and government of Ancient Egypt. I decided to focus on flocking to help them understand that the Pharaohs led as they pleased, and everyone had to follow them. While the students seemed to understood the concepts well, they had a really hard time with leading the flocking. I think having all the focus on them was overwhelming for some. This caused them to just do small familiar movements. I tried to give them a variety of prompts to encourage more creative and confident movement, but they still seemed to be nervous. I think if I were to repeat this lesson I would ease them into flocking by maybe starting with smaller groups or just doing a bit of improv before hand so their creativity was at a high. So while the flocking was kind of a flop, the curriculum was well received.
For the 7th week I created a lesson plan about hieroglyphics and timing. We created shapes to represent the letters of the hieroglyphic alphabet, then spelled out a variety of words at different speeds. I was really happy with how involved and creative the students were! Especially because the week before was low in creativity, I was really pleased with their work. They were all challenged when the speed got faster, and laughed when it became to quick. They were just having a great time which I loved! At the end of the lesson I had them create a short composition with a small group and challenged them to use some of the elements of dance they had learned up to that point, such as levels, facings, and timing. Their compositions were all really impressive! I was really happy about this lesson and am excited to keep that momentum going in to next week!
Overall these last three weeks have been pretty successful. I am really happy with my students progression and think that they are learning a lot. It will be fascinating to see how their knowledge of the social studies curriculum is being affected. This experience really is amazing and I'm so happy I have the chance to take part in it!
When I was an Arts Bridge scholar I worked with the curriculum on Egypt as well. We created a dance as a class about the geography and topography of Egypt and particularly loved being locusts in the desert.
ReplyDeleteI too have had troubles with flocking in elementary schools. I thought of two suggestions for you: 1) could students get into groups of three and shadow each other in turn so there is less pressure to perform in front of the whole group, or 2) could students create movement before flocking in a whole group instruction experience that prepares them with creative material to use when they become the leader later? Just a few thoughts. I love the way you're communicating the curriculum through movement! Excellent work!
I really enjoyed watching Kadyn teach this material It was a wonderful way to introduce what they would be learning about in their upcoming social studies/geography unit. The students were very engaged in the activities and I was most impressed with their ability to retain the vocabulary about Egypt Kadyn introduced, in the final discussion. Enthusiastic class and fun to watch!
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