Standard 3: Lessons & Assessments
4 Min Read • Dance
This month we will be looking at Standard_3 :Refine and Complete Artistic Work
Anchor standard 3 focuses on the artistic process of creating with the component of revision. The enduring understanding is how choreographers analyze, evaluate, refine, and document their work to communicate meaning. Although the anchor standard does not change as the grade level progresses the expectation continues to advance.
In unpacking this standard we need to analyze what our students need to know, understand, and be able to do. However, we have two major concepts in this standard, revising work and documenting work, so we will just focus on one. First we need to define the language used in the standard:
Artistic Intent: the artists’ purpose behind the work and intended message to the audience
Choreographic Devices: ways to develop and fill out movement seeds
Dance Structure: framework by which a piece is organized
Artistic Criteria: an agreed upon list of standards and expectations for the piece
Our students need to understand this language, as well as understand the multiple ways they can revise their own work and provide suggestions for revising a peers work. Let’s revisit last month’s lessons and assessment for Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work, and use this lessons and assessment as a jump off point for today’s lesson (click here for the full article).
Lessons Plan/Assessment (Anchor Standard 2)
Grade: 9-12
Materials: newspapers or electronic access to current events
Pre-Instruction: students should have a concrete understanding of structures, devices, and composition of artist statements.
Title: My World
Established Goals:
a. Collaborate to design a dance using choreographic devices and dance structures to support an artistic intent. Explain how the dance structures clarify the artistic intent.
b. Develop an artistic statement for an original dance study or dance. Discuss how the use of movement elements, choreographic devices and dance structures serve to communicate the artistic statement.
Enduring Understanding: What influences choice-making in creating choreography?
Essential Question: How does the use of choreographic structures and devices articulate artist intent?
Objectives: Students will translate current events into movement that articulates their stance on the issue chosen.
Performance Task: Through a movement sample and a defense of choreographic choices via an artists’ statement, students will demonstrate understanding of the use of structures and devices to depict a stance on a current issue.
Learning Activities:
1. Have students research current events that they are passionate about.
2. Either individually or in small groups, have students choose one event to depict their stance through movement.
3. Build an artist intent based on their stance. What comment do they wish to make about the issue?
4. Have students make artistic choices based on their stance. What structure would work best to articulate their opinion? What elements will enhance their perspective? What devices will communicate their thoughts?
5. Have students build movement revolving around their intent.
6. Once the study has been composed, have students write an artist statement describing and defending their decisions.
7. Finally, have students perform their studies.
Lesson Plan/Assessment (Anchor Standard 3)
Grade: 9-12
Materials: ARTISTIC Critique, completed pieces (click here for ARTISTIC Critique article)
Pre-Instruction: Above lesson plan from Anchor Standard 2 or any choreographed piece from Anchor Standard 2
Title: Suggest and Revise
Established Goals:
a. Clarify the artistic intent of a dance by manipulating choreographic devices and dance structures based on established artistic criteria and feedback from others. Analyze and evaluate impact of choices made in the revision process.
b. Compare recognized systems to document a section of a dance using writing, symbols, or media technologies.
Enduring Understanding:
Choreographers analyze, evaluate, refine, and document their work to communicate meaning.
Essential Question: How do choreographers use self-reflection, feedback from others, and documentation to improve the quality of their work?
Objectives:
Students will:
build criteria for analysis
revise choreography based on peer suggestion and self-reflection
document choreography
Performance Task: through the analysis of a choreographed piece by peer suggestion and self-reflection, students will demonstrate the ability to analyze, evaluate, and revise artistic work
Learning Activities:
1. As a class, build appropriate criteria for the analysis of the “My World” pieces on contemporary issues
2. Have each group or individual perform their pieces, film the performances for self-reflection
3. Utilizing the developed criteria, analyze the efficacy of the pieces when demonstrating context and artistic intent for the pieces
4. Utilize the Inquiry & Suggestion sections of the ARTISTIC critique to provide feedback for the choreographers, as well as responses to the class developed criteria
5. Have students view the video in order to self-reflect with the same criteria as their peers
6. Offer students sufficient time to revise pieces based on peer evaluations, questions, and suggestions as well as personal reflections after viewing the video.
7. Have students choose one piece to complete a full ARTISTIC critique to be given to the choreographer.
It is so important to assist students in cognitively analyzing all artistic work whether a compositional study in class or a produced piece for the concert stage, and bringing students in on the discussion of criteria will assist in the metacognition of art analysis.
Next Week: Teacher Talk
Building and Revising Routines and Procedures in the Classroom
As we near the end of the first quarter, it is a great time to reflect on the beginning of the year routines and procedures and question are they still working?
