Sample Lesson Plan

I went to Miliken Middle School last Wednesday, which is an Performing Arts Magnet school. When I got to the school, I was amazed to see a lot of students dancing, singing, and playing music. I wish I went to a school like this one because it would have allowed me to tie my dance interest with other subjects. I was also glad to see girls and boys dancing together. I was worried about creating a curriculum for boys and girls, but as long as I don't just teach movement that is specifically meant for girls I think the material should be appealing to the boys. I also got advice from the dance teacher that I should not just teach movement that is too basic because the students will get bored. I need to incorporate the basic movement with something challenging like a jump or a turn. I was happy to hear that from her. My trip to Miliken Middle School got me more excited and motivated to teach dance.
I am still putting my curriculum together for my internship with ArtsIn and ArtsBridge. I met with Amy last Friday to discuss my lesson plan ideas in more detail. For my first lesson I will be teaching ballet. In addition, I will discuss with the students the origins of ballet and show them pictures of different body types of ballet dancers. I want to show the students visually that any one can dance regardless of body type. Hopefully, this will get them motivated to dance, and I also hope that will gain some confidence. Then I plan on teaching the students jazz and I want to use the musical Chicago as the main concept for the jazz portion. I want the students to analyze the various body types and body images that are portrayed in Chicago. I also want to
incorporate a nutrition journal for the students so that they can record what they are eating at home and also write down the types of fruits and vegetables they are eating. In this way, I can keep track of of what they are putting in their bodies. I also want them to write down how many times they eat fast food. I am also planning to use the farmer's market as a means for the students to be aware of the farmer's movement in Delano. The concept of my curriculum is movement: movement in dance, fast food movement, and social movement. My planning process is coming to a close and I will be executing my curriculum next quarter. I can't wait! I will let you all know how it goes!