No tags yet.
After teaching 5th grade and Kindergarten, I saw a common theme of animals. After teaching the adaptations unit in 5th grade and seeing the creativity that occurred, I just had to keep the unit going in some way. Giving the students a chance to perform and expound this knowledge to teaching was the perfect way. I wasn't sure how I would make this into a culminating project. After brainstorming with my BYU mentor, we came up on the idea of mapping. The students would create a map using different places in the room for still shapes, different pathways, then would choose an animal to move like throughout the space following their maps. In each of their still shape locations, they would demonstrate an adaptation. The class was split in half and this was completed. I loved watching as we rehearsed and practiced this over several days how the students improved, became more creative and invested in the process of the movements.
Soon noises were added for playing dead, and the movements were percussive, smooth, slow, and innovative! There was such a variety to students movements, and choices. It allowed me as a teacher to see who was understanding, and what the students were thinking as they talked through their ideas, moved, and asked questions. The students asked if they could dress up, and were so excited to be able to perform this for the Kindergartners!
On the day of the performance, the students rehearsed with a vigor and a passion that I had never seen in the class. They were thrilled to show the young students and I could feel the excitement in the room. The fifth graders wanted to engage with the students afterwards by asking them what animals they were, what they noticed, etc. and were so invigorated by the responses and observations of the Kinders.
It was then the Kindergarteners turn to perform. I loved that it worked out where both of my classes could perform similar ideas to one another and in turn each help each other to learn and solidify ideas. For the Kindergarten dance, we combined the ideas of senses with animals. The students began in a circle shape, then moved like the animal and used the senses we had identified with each animal I held up. The students then ended again in a circle shape. At the end, the Kindergarteners were able to tell the older kids about the fun facts relating the sense and animals that we had discussed and learned.
I just loved how this activity brought school together in learning and in purpose. Both of the classes were excited to perform for one another, the interest was genuine, and the learning bidirectional. It made my teacher heart so warm to see the students that I had grown to love work with and alongside one another in creative ways. After watching them perform, I couldn't help but think of how wonderful it would be for them to perform together, to collaborate in creativity, and blossom in knoweldge. These concepts displayed were so perfectly connected that when paired with the arts magic occurred.
View Videos Here: