Advocacy for Dance Education
Living Sky School Division is committed to creating resources for teachers and documenting the work of artists in our schools.
Joyful Learning: Inspired to Dance
Inspiring Movement was a year long exploration into dance, rhythm and music, the creative spirit, healthy bodies and kinesthetic learning with guest artist, Ashley Johnson and musicians Keith Bartlett and Kurtis Kopp at Connaught Community School and McKitrick Community School. Through Random Acts of Dance and Brain Dance, she worked with students, staff and community, from infants to seniors, helping them open up to dance in their everyday lives. This was a Creative Partnership project with Living Sky and Sask Culture.
Inspiring Movement: One School Examines Learning and Dance
“Inspiring Movement” is the story of McKitrick Community School’s exploration into dance and the impact upon learning, creativity, focus, memory and attitude towards movement. Dance builds community as we come together to move, to laugh and to share. Guest artist, Ashley Johnson, uses creative dance and Brain Dance to inspire teachers, students and community.This was an Exploration project with Living Sky and Sask Culture.
Instruction
Dancing Math: Introduction
Sarah Roche introduces how to teach concepts about shape using dance and math.
Dancing Math: a Kindergarten Lesson
Sarah Roche teaches a dance lesson to Kindergarten students from Battleford Central School using Math concepts to explore movement. (You can print a copy of Sarah’s lesson posted on the Lesson Bank page.)
Brain Dance for Early Years
Ashley Johnson teaches PreK students from Connaught Community School the Brain Dance rhymes.
Thriller Brain Dance
Ashley Johnson teaches the Brain Dance to grade 6 students at McKitrick Community School to a Thriller theme. (link to be inserted)
Dance in A Big Way
a) Learn the Dance:
Ashley Johnson teaches a group dance choreographed to the song “One Tribe, 4 Directions” by Black Eyed Peas. Teachers and students are invited to watch the video, learn the dance and then hold your own mass dance.
b) Students perform it as a school yard flash mob:
McKitrick Community School participated in a school wide mass dance to celebrate Culture Days, Sept. 30th, 2011. 250 students, staff and community gathered in the playground to dance with Ashley Johnson, dancer in residence.
Assessment
Assessment Strategy: Co-constructed Criteria
Ashley Johnson, a dancer and dance educator, is in residence at McKitrick Community School. This video highlights co-constructed criteria, an assessment strategy she uses to help motivate students as they choreograph their dances.
Language and Assessment in Dance
Shannon MacFarlane, arts educator at Spiritwood High School, shares her strategies for using formative assessment in her dance class. With an intentional focus on the elements of dance and principles of choreography, she was able to help students explore dance with greater confidence.
Cross Curricular Projects
Healing Garden
Ashley Johnson, Joseph Naytowhow, Kjelti Anderson, Daphie Pooyak and Sherron Burns work with grade 5 students from McKitrick Community School to examine the connections between dance and science.
Story through Voice, Dance and Drum
Ashley Johnson, Nicole Schafenacker and Keith Bartlett collaborated to work with high school students from Cut Knife High School to explore story through dance, theatre and music.
