Resource ID :61680 Moving Imagery: Exploring Movement Through Poetry

Resource ID :61680 "Moving Imagery: Exploring Movement through Poetry" Resource ID#: 61680 Primary Type: Lesson Plan This document was generated on CPALMS - www.cpalms.org

Students will explore a poem by T. S. Eliot and, after close reading experiences, use it as a source of inspiration in the creative process for movement sequences. Students of varying mobilities will explore their personal range of movement as they explore how various gestures and movements can represent the characteristics of an animal, person, etc. The lesson allows students to use varying modalities, including dancing and writing, to demonstrate their understanding of the concepts.

Subject(s): NGSSS: Dance Grade Level(s): 6, 7, 8 Intended Audience: Educators Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, Internet Connection, LCD Projector Instructional Time: 2 Hour(s) 30 Minute(s) Resource supports reading in content area: Yes Freely Available: Yes Keywords: dance, close reading, poetry, creativity, interpretation, T. S. Eliot, mobility, mobilities, gestures Instructional Component Type(s): Lesson Plan , Learning Goal Instructional Design Framework(s): Structured Inquiry (Level 2) Resource Collection: iCPALMS

LESSON CONTENT

 Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan  Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson? Learning Goal (Posted on wall for the Unit): We are exploring the use of inspiration in the creative process, and learning how movement can be representative of animals, people, times, and more. Success Indicators (Posted with Learning Goal): I can …

o Read and understand complex text at my grade level. o Explore how an individual body moves. o Work collaboratively to discuss text and create responses to the reading and discussion. o Use selected text(s) to inspire movement. o Memorize and present movement sequences. Lesson Objective (Posted on the wall for the Lesson):

o Students will explore a poem by T. S. Eliot and use it to inspire movement sequences. o This lesson introduces or reinforces the use of inspiration in the creative process. It also explores how movements can represent the characteristics of an animal, person, etc. The lesson allows the students to use varying modalities, including dancing and writing, to demonstrate their understanding of the concepts. Students of mixed mobilities explore the range of movement in which they are individually capable of performing.  Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?

o How are artists inspired? o How does movement reflect character traits? o How do dancers improve movement/performances?  Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?

o Students should have some previous movement background in modern dance and appreciation for dance choreography.  Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?

o Introduction: The teacher will pose this question to the group, “Do you have another side to your personality that emerges: frequently, sometimes, never?” After students think about the question, ask them to stand in groups according to how they would answer the question. Solicit answers from groups about their experiences. o Frontload the following vocabulary: jellicle, airs, graces, roly-poly, gavotte, jig, toilette, repose, terpsichorean, caper. Randomly distribute the vocabulary and definitions cards, and have the students move around the room in an effort to match words to their definitions. After everyone is paired, students reveal their words and definitions. Make changes to pairs, if necessary. Students remain in these pairs for their first reading. o The teacher will briefly introduce or review the keys terms (see Prior Knowledge list), and then introduce the poem, the poet, and the first guided-practice activity. Discuss the term inspiration and note to students that T. S. Eliot appears to have been inspired by cats to write the poem.  Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance? Part 1 – Reading Complex Text 1. First Read: Read the poem “The Song of the Jellicles” and mark the text with “N” for normal behavior and “P” for playful behavior. After students are finished, have them share with their partner how they marked the passages. Ask students to share with the entire group places in the poem where they recognize normal behavior vs. playful behavior. 2. Respond: Write a response to the focus question (or discuss). Focus question: How is the behavior of Jellicle Cats influenced by environment and time? 3. Second Read: Re-read the poem to find descriptions of “cat actions” and categorize them as normal and playful on the graphic organizer. 4. Third Read: Read the poem again and add environment or time descriptions next to each cat action on the graphic organizer. In pairs, analyze whether there is a pattern related to cat action and time or environment. Ask the students to share their findings. 5. Respond: Using the findings noted on the graphic organizer, ask students to answer the question again and use examples from the poem to support their statements. 6. Summarize: Discuss the poem’s message about cats. Ask students to consider the following: If the poem was about people, would they expect to discover that people change to match their environment and time of day? Ask students if they thought T.S. Eliot used cats to represent people? Part 2 – Poetry into Motion 1. Warm up students for movement exploration. Present physical warm-up that conditions the body and works to increase flexibility. (This is a place where a parallel modern technique focus is presented (e.g., an on-going unit on Graham or Limon technique). 2. Review or teach eight basic locomotor movements: walk, run, jump, hop, leap, gallop, skip, and slide. 3. Divide the class into groups of 3 or 4 students. Ask students to identify 3- 5 “normal” cat movements identified in the poem. Have students repeat the previous process, identifying 3-5 “playful” cat movements. Encourage students to explore how their body moves. Ask each group to select an index card, on which times of day have been written (e.g., morning, afternoon, midnight). Allow time for groups to develop movement sequences that represent the time on their cards. Present the phrases to the class and allow students to guess at the time of the day the group was trying to express. 4. Have students discuss how each group used movement to express the character of the cat. What kinds of movements were used to represent “playful?” What kinds of movements were used to represent “normal?”  Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the lesson? Part 3 – Creating Movement Poems 1. Assign groups a stanza from T. S. Eliot’s The Song of Jellicles. Instruct students to create a dance sequence, using previously created cat-like movements and the eight basic locomotor movements. Ask the students to use the poem as inspiration and the rubric as a guideline for performance characteristics. 2. Ask groups to complete their movement sequences, select a narrator for their portion of the poem and rehearse the movement with the narrator’s spoken word. 3. Set the groups around the room and initiate a performance sequence that allows each group time and space to perform their section of the poem in written order. 4. Ask students to suggest how dancers might improve their movements over time. Give groups time to revise, practice, and give feedback to each other. Perform the work for an audience, such as a nearby class or an open house. Record the performance to play back for students during the self-assessment process. 5. As an optional follow-up activity, tell students that this poem inspired a Broadway show. Show an excerpt of “Jellicle Ball,” using an appropriate source, and open a discussion with students using this question: “How did the choreographer express the poem through movement?”  Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson? The teacher will be able to point out that students now understand the role of inspiration in creativity. Some questions the teacher might wish to ask are: o How effective are visual images in helping an artist create? o Can you re-choreograph your sequence using the characteristics of another animal? o How important is physical fitness to the performance of your movement? o If the Jellicles poem inspired us to create a dance, what other resources can inspire us to create a dance or write a poem?

ASSESSMENT

 Formative Assessment: M-J Dance Celebration.Graphic Organizer.docx

o Vocabulary match-up is used to establish familiarity with terms found in the poem. o Responses on graphic organizer demonstrate analysis and understanding of the poem. o Observation of students in movement warm-up helps the teacher establish level of fitness abilities of students. o As groups are working through the activities, the teacher will rotate to monitor and assess student understanding.  Feedback to Students:

o Students will receive feedback from their group as they are working through the activities. The teacher will also monitor each group to ensure that they are on task. o The teacher answers questions, gives suggestions, and provides positive and corrective feedback. The students will also receive feedback from the class and teacher when each group presents.  Summative Assessment: The teacher will evaluate student understanding as the group activities progress and through the group presentations, using the attached rubric.

The teacher will assess the group presentations of the dance poem on the accuracy of their portrayal of each verse. o Are the characteristics of the cats clearly and easily identifiable? o Did the students put an adequate amount of effort into their presentation? o Did all group members participate? o Did students take the assignment seriously? M-J Dance Celebration.Rubric.docx

ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

 Accommodations:

o Adjust the groups so there is a positive role model in each one, if needed. o Allow the use of dictionaries. o Provide frequent feedback. o Provide more time to complete activities. o Encourage students to modify their movements based on exploration of individual movement abilities.  Extensions:

o Students may self-select (or teacher may provide) additional poems for students to use for movement inspiration. Completed movement studies can be set to oral interpretations of the poems or music. A full concert of poetry-inspired dances may be presented.  Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, Internet Connection, LCD Projector  Special Materials Needed:

o Variety of music o Index cards with key vocabulary words and their definitions on separate cards o Graphic organizer for reading process o Index cards with time periods written on them (i.e., morning, midnight, afternoon, etc.) o Appropriate copies of T. S. Eliot’s The Song of the Jellicles o Copies of Performance Rubric o Optional: Cats (the musical) – an appropriate source, cued for “The Jellicle Ball” o M-J Dance Celebration.Graphic Organizer.docx o M-J Dance Celebration.Rubric.docx

PUBLIC REMARKS

By Author/Submitter Students with mobility issues alone do not suffer from learning issues at any greater rate than their "able-bodied" counterparts. It will always be important to work with a "mixed mobility" class in a manner that consistently supports a safe, open, respectful, and generously accepting learning atmosphere in which the focus is on each student's ability, rather than any perceived disability. Students will be excellent resources for creative ways in which they can move, and the Internet will provide them and you with myriad ideas that will inspire greater creativity in a physically and emotionally safe environment. Enjoy!!

SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION

Name of Author/Source: Patty Gair Is this Resource freely Available? Yes Access Privileges: Private Related Standards Name Description PE.6.M.1.11: Apply proper warm-up and cool-down techniques. Examine and discuss exemplary works to gain ideas for creating DA.68.C.1.1: dance studies with artistic intent. Identify and discuss the function and importance of physical and DA.68.C.1.4: cognitive rehearsal in the retention, recall, and performance of movement. Analyze the possibilities and limitations of the body through short dance sequences. Remarks/Examples: DA.68.S.1.3: e.g., developmental level, safe transitions, jump height, physical safety, speed, anatomical function (knee: hinge joint; hip: ball joint)

Demonstrate response and reaction, through movement sequences, DA.68.H.3.1: to various sources of inspiration. Demonstrate leadership, preparedness, and adaptability by sharing DA.68.F.3.1: ideas or teaching skills to others in small and large groups. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis LACC.68.WHST.3.9: reflection, and research.