This book offers a creative and practical guide for K-6 teachers on how to effectively integrate movement into the curriculum to increase student engagement, deepen learning, improve retention, and get kids moving during the school day.
Chapters offer concrete ideas for integrating creative movement and theater into subjects such as math, science, literacy, and social studies. Drawing on two decades of experience, Dr. Becker outlines key skills, offers rich examples, and provides adaptable and flexible classroom tested lesson plans that align with Common Core Standards, the NGSS, C3 Social Studies Standards, and the National Core Arts Standards. Activities are grounded in arts integration, which is steadily gaining interest in school reform as an effective teaching strategy that increases student outcomes academically and socially—particularly effective for students who have traditionally been marginalized.
This book will benefit practicing educators who want to invigorate their practice, preservice teachers who want to expand their toolkit, and school leaders looking to employ policies that support movement and arts during the school day. Jump in and get your kids Learning Through Movement and see how active and engaging learning can be!
Author(s): Kelly Mancini Becker
Publisher: Routledge/Eye on Education
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 220
City: New York
Cover
Half Title
Series Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
1. Introduction: Let’s Get This Moving!
Picture This …. The Body as Integral to Learning
Now Is the Time to Get Moving: Changing the Way We Teach and Learn to Improve Educational Outcomes for All Students
Shout Out to the Teachers, Students, and Theater Artists Who Have Moved Me Forward
What You Will Find in This Book
Why Get Kids Learning Through Movement?
Start with Students’ Health and Well-Being
Movement and the Brain: What We Can Learn from Neuroscience
Embodied Cognition: Connection of Mind and Body in Learning
Acting and Cognitive Function
Transmediation: Using a Multimodal Approach
Benefits of Arts Integration
Diversifying Our Teaching Methods to Better Serve Underserved Student Populations
Importance of Student Engagement
Book Overview
Conclusion
Note
References
2. Getting Ready to Move
Picture This….
Routine and Novelty: Finding the Balance Between the Two
Ok, I Moved the Desks Aside, Now What?!
Two Thumbs Up for Establishing Boundaries and Agreements
Agreement 1: Safety First
Agreement 2: Try Everything … (at Least Once)
Take 5
Community-Building & Collaboration
The Importance of Building Community
Learning How to Collaborate: Foundational Skills
Lesson Plans
Bubbles
Freeze
Diamonds
My Journey Today
Rock Passing Game from Ghana
References
3. Setting the Stage for Success
Picture This….
Theater Basics
Building an Ensemble
Key Ideas to Instill to Support Creative Work in Your Classroom
Be Bold, Be Brave, and Make Strong Choices
It’s More Than Ok to Be Silly
Speak Up—Please Speak Up!
The Body Is Your Instrument: Use It!
Improvisation 101
Say Yes
Decide on Who, What, Where in Your Scene
Foundational Structures for Integrating Theater and Movement into Your Classroom
Sculpture Work
Sidecoaching
Use of Gestures
Benefits of Performance and the Role of Audience/Observer
Importance of Music
Lesson Plans
What Are You Doing?
Sculptures
Establishing a Where
Freeze Improvisation
Brown Bag Improv
References
4. Leaping for Literacy
Picture This….
Research on the Benefits of Integrating Movement and Theater with Literacy
Maximizing Learning with Multiliteracies
Using a Multimodal Approach to ELA
Transmediation and Literacy
Storytelling and Theater
An Example of Using Storytelling in Your Classroom
Teaching Perspective
Storytelling and Writing
Integrating Theater into Your Literacy Lessons
Reader as Actor
Dramatizing a Scene from Your Read Aloud
Staging a Fable or Folktale
Lesson Plans for Integrating Theater and Dance with ELA
Verb Dance
Choral Reading
Adverb Walk
Poetry in Motion
Vocab Fun
“Run”—on–Sentence
References
5. Moving Through History
Picture This…
Packing the Wagon: How Do We Make History Real and Relevant for Students?
C3 Skill Building Using the Arts: Learning Skills that Prepare Students to Be Active Citizens in a Healthy Democracy
Teaching Empathy
Using Theater to Practice Empathy as Communication
Teaching the Skill of Understanding Varying Perspectives
Embodying Democracy
Active Listening for Understanding
Collaboration
Playbuilding and Creating The Pioneer Musical: Integrating Theater and Movement with Westward Expansion Content
Lesson Plans that Integrate Dance and Theater with Social Studies
Writing Monologues
Talking Tableaux
Warming Up to History: “Chores”
Diamonds and The Civil Rights Movement
Scene Building for Historical Plays or Musicals
Compass Rose and Moving Maps
References
6. Moving Math
Picture This…
Embodied Cognition and Mathematical Understanding
Use of Gesture to Learn Math Concepts
Types of Gestures to Be Used in Math Class
Metaphorical Gestures: Creating Gestures that Convey Meaning
Gestures for Expressing Mathematical Concepts
Using the Body to Explore and Model Complex Concepts
“Acting out” Math Concepts
Human Models
Moving Math Lesson Plans
“Square” Dance (Exploring Shapes)
Math Groupings and Remainders
Exploring Symmetry
Living Lines
Multiplication Square Dance
Twirling 2s
References
7. Science in Motion: Don’t Lose STEAM!
Picture This…
Embodied Cognition and the Use of Gesture in the Learning of Science
Lessons from the Renaissance: Science and Art Are More Similar than Different
Similarities in the Scientific Process and the Creative Process
Dancers and the Body
Following Curiosity: Inquiry in Science and Art
Theater and Observation Skills
Example of an Inquiry Science Lesson that Is Integrated with Movement to Explore How Animals Work Together to Survive
“Acting” Out Scientific Concepts
Science in Motion Lesson Plans
A Storms a Brewin’: Dramatizing Weather Fronts
Flocking
Force and Motion: Types of Force
Protons, Neutrons, and Atoms: Do opposites really attract?
The Journey of a Monarch Butterfly, A Dramatization
The Solar System: Dancing Through Space
References
8. Moving Toward Authentic Assessments Using the Arts
Picture This…
The Benefits of Art Making for Assessment
Becoming a Connoisseur or Curator: Viewing Assessment with an Artistic Lens
Authentic Assessment and the Arts
Evaluating Authentic Assessments
Process over Product
Assessing Students’ Developing Skills in Artmaking
How to Assess Students’ Work in the Arts
Using the National Core Arts Standards as a Guide
Picture This…
Sample Assessments
Rubric for Assessing Competencies in the Performing Arts
Self-Reflection Tool
References
