| 1.
What did your project set out to do? What outcomes did you identify for your
project? |
Our goal was to improve literacy through the art of dance. Artist, Rachel Swenson provided 10 hours of in-service training sessions for all teachers at Chief Joseph Elementary School. The teachers implemented the elements of dance learned from Rachel into their literacy lessons within their own classrooms. Each classroom also participated in a model lesson taught by Rachel. As a culminating activity, on March 18th, each classroom of students performed Master Project for an audience (visiting classroom). |
| 2. What
did the project accomplish? Who was served and how did they benefit?
|
All students at Chief Joseph Elementary participated in a Master Project with their classroom. With Rachel's mentoring, each teacher developed an idea that would turn into a creative dance performance. Students' demonstrated creativity, cooperation and problem solving as they planned, practiced and performed their final projects in front of an audience (neighboring classroom). Some examples that turned into Master Projects: metaphor dance, fairy tale dance interpretation, dancing multiplication arrays, firefly dance, lady bug dance, butterfly dance, buzzing bee pollination dance, etc. Teachers were stretched to step out of their comfort zones and integrate creative movement with basic curriculum. (This was not easy for some.) As a result, students had a deeper understanding of a particular piece of curriculum, more confidence as a performer, respect for each other due to cooperation, and the satisfied feeling of accomplishment. |
| 3. How
do you know that your project accomplished these things? What evaluation
methods did you use?
|
Student audiences "threw stars" to the performers at the conclusion of a performance. Example: "My eyes saw...," or "I liked________because________". Some Students wrote thank you notes to the performers. The song and dance performance by the 1st grade demonstrated evidence that the students understood the stages of the butterfly and the pollination of the flowers by bees. A 3rd grade class performance of space metaphors (also for the entire school audience) demonstrated the students' understanding of writing metaphors and their knowledge of the universe |
4. How
will you share the results of your program with others?
(These might be other school personnel, parents, press/media, PTO/PTA,
local or state policy makers, etc.) |
|
The first grade classes integrated their dances with songs and performed once for the entire school body and again for their parents. 3rd grade students performed a Multiplication Array dance and a Space Metaphor dance. Many classrooms invited parents and students of other classrooms to watch their performances. At least two grades performed for the entire school.
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Please
attach photographs (please limit to 400 pixels wide) or other documentation
that helps others to understand your project. Label the documentation with text
that explains what it is and how it shows the project’s accomplishments.
(nothing to display) |
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