Reflection 3 Dance!

I think children's dance specialists might focus more on creative dance for education because most studio or social dance follows specific movements that must be learned over a long period of time. In the classroom we might not have enough time to devote to learning these skills. These types of dance might not appeal to boys or even some girls. Studio or social dance would be harder to integrate into other lessons and might not allow for as much creativity. I don't remember for much dance in my elementary school except for children who had been taught studio dance performing.
I really liked the dances we learned last week-the flocking, machines, the harvest dance, and the nature dance. I would like to use dances like these in the classroom. I think they are (relatively) quickly learned and allow the children to express their creativity and emotions. I would like to use them within the curriculum like you said by teaching them about who performed the harvest dance and why. My son's 5th grade classes did an impressive veteran's day program in which they sang and danced wearing simple costumes from different time periods from various wars. It was a memorable learning experience for the students and parents.
I enjoy when schools perform a yearly dance program but I would like to use dance more often and more fully integrated with what is being learned. I was impressed that I wouldn't have to demonstrate much dance to get students started and let them use their imaginations. I would also love to do dances such as the skeleton dance or demonstrating fractions through dance. I would also like to teach my students how to do a dance and then take them on a field trip to see professionals perform. I think learning to do a dance and then see it performed would give them a richer experience. I'm excited to use dance in the classroom!

Dance!

I have been reading about integrating dance into the classroom. One of my favorite quotes was, "There are shortcuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them." I love dancing. I love listening to the music and watching the band and the other dancers. I also enjoy watching dancers on TV or live. I think it will be neat to incorporate dance into the classroom. It would be neat to learn the dance of a people you are studying such as pioneers, Hispanics, people from Russia, etc. I think dance allows you to feel a people's personality and passion. I would enjoy integrating dance into science by doing things such as the skeleton dance. I also liked the idea that we read about students acting out fractions. Students enjoy sharing a bit of themselves through dance even though it might come easier to some than others. I also am excited to teach children the history of dance and to show them videos or even live performances. I think experiencing dance truly does make a "whole" person.

I'm really excited about this arts integration class. I have always loved art, music, and drama so I'm excited to be able to do these things with students. I enjoyed the reading and was happily surprised to learn that the arts help students to have less discipline problems and that it helped students, even the low-income students. It's amazing that it also helps them have increased concentration, more cooperation, and greater self-discipline. I think it's true that the arts bring energy to the classroom and the students have a natural interest in them.
I have enjoyed the activities that we have done like "who started the motion," mirroring, and process drama. I know that I'm a little intimidated by drama but these were a fun way to break into drama. I liked the fact that some of these activities only involve two people which isn't quite as scary.
I would love to use the arts in the classroom. I could imagine playing soft music while the students work or even having them share music occasionally. I think it would be neat to have them act out novels or history they are reading. There would be lots of fun ways to use art also. One class I saw drew life size portraits of various explorers and hung them in the hallway. My daughter had an assignment where she illustrated the bill of rights. I think she'll remember it forever. I would also like to have the children read plays and dramatize the parts. Even if they just do fun voices it adds a lot of enjoyment to reading. I hope to get many more ideas in this class about integrating the arts into the classroom.