Learning Goals - Age 6 years

grace · **Posted:** Wed Sep 27, 2000 2:12 pm

Rabbit generously offers the following guidelines. Discussion welcome!

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Learning Goals for Dance Students - 6 years old:1. Listening & looking skills *These skills should be reinforced, as they are important learning tools, however by now they should be part of normal classroom behaviour. 2. Following the rules *Continue to observe the "rules of the classroom" in a more structured manner. Continue encouraging the concept of the correct way of doing things. 3. Concentration & Control Skills *These skills should continue to be reinforced in this age group as they are another important tool for learning. At this age they should be aware of the concepts of concentrating or focusing on something and being in control of their bodies. The students should be aware of the words and their meaning. If they are asked to concentrate or to show control they should be able to respond to verbal cues. 4. Co ordination skills *Start to include co ordination skill in any exercise where possible. For examples when one skill has been mastered add to that a port de bras they have learnt in another exercise. *Add changes of direction *Have them do exercises facing partner. 5. Body Awareness Skills. *Continue the process of learning that physical activity can cause some discomfort (e.g. stretching hurts, standing tall requires muscle effort…) - Continue to educate where applicable the cause and effect between doing things wrong and possible injuries. *As new movements are taught explanations must also address this new level of body awareness. * Continuing the language development skills of this age group pertaining to anatomy 6. Space awareness and Spatial orientation *Continue to motivate the students to be aware of their spacing in various formations.Continue to incorporate as many different formations of lines and spaces (straight lines, diagonal lines, curved lines) Into the class work as appropriate. Be aware hat this skill takes several years to master, therefore, take into consideration the age of the student. *Spatial Orientation vocabulary should by now be incorporated into regular class room communication. 7. Shape understanding *Continue to use the concept of shapes in relationship to the class work being taught.8. Locomotor skills/ traveling steps *Continue the process of "cleaning": Look for ever greater precision and better musicality *Continue to explore the wide range of progressions in locomotor skills so that the student becomes adept at many different directional pathways.: - Free movement in the space - By lines - In lines - With partners - In groups - In patterns - On a diagonal *The new locomotor skills to be added for this level include - Stork walks - Skip change of step9. Flexibility *Increasing acceptance of the discomfort that comes with stretching *Increase the length of time a stretch is held with control *Encourage the concept of "stretching is your dance homework" *Increase the number of stretches they know *Encourage them to want to increase their flexibility. *Add stretches like: - calf and Achilles stretches e.g. Duck walks - inner thigh and turn out stretches10. Strength ? Continue upper body, back and abdominal strength exercises,11. Feet exercises *As always, one of the most important areas to focus on as the students learn to become aware of the correct use of the foot. The more this is learnt now the fewer problems they will have in the future unlearning sloppy habits. *Continue to develop the speed at which the ankle points and flexes. *Develop good understanding and control of the demi point position. *Pointing and flexing of alternate feet faster. *Place a pointed foot in the "ankle pocket" (parallel coups de pieds) and add turn out turn in to develop the next level of understanding. Use this as a starting point for classical walks. *Preparation for "crossed 5th in the air" exercises *In all feet exercises reinforce sitting tall plus length and alignment and strength of the legs so that this becomes an automatic reflex. 12. Right and left skills *This concept should now be a natural part of class work. *The students must be able to do everything equally on both sides of the body. *They must now learn that if you start on one side of the room with one leg…when you start on the other side you start with the other leg. 13. Posture and stance skills *POSTURE is a special thing a dancer does, and needs to be reinforced and encouraged all the time. Things to review: - feet flat on the ground, no rolling in the ankle - straight alignment of the legs (ankles, knees) - fix alignment problem like bows, hyperextension and knock knees - Super straight stomach spine and seat *abdominal muscles working *long spine and neck *gluteus (popo) muscles working - shoulders down - two hip bones face front, "headlights" even14. Dance Vocabulary *Review all concepts learn previously *Add the following new movements: *demi plié in 2nd *stepping up to a rise *pointing devant while supporting leg does a fondu *tendu from 1st to 2nd *posture in 3rd position *Continue to work free movement skills *hoping and leaping 15. Technical concepts to reinforce * Posture is always maintained, understanding use of stomach, seat spine in the control of posture *The hips are level and both face the front *Turn out is a movement that happens from the hips. *All ten toes are in contact with the ground, ankles do not roll *The legs are held in straight alignment, correct for bows and hyperextension *In parallel learn that the knees are over the toes in posture, when doing plié, bounces and sauté… *In all turned out position the knees continue to be aligned over the toes in all movements *When the feet are stretched the foot must not sickle *The knee is stretched in tendu *In 1st position tendu devant the heel is presented forward (show the audience the diamond on your heel) *When standing on one leg the upper body is maintained in a centered position (transfer of weight and no lean) *The different energy and dynamics required for different qualities of movement 16. Allegro *Review and work as necessary all previous work *Build up to 8 consecutive sauté in parallel and in 1st *Échappé sauté in 1st to 2nd *Spring points *Gallops to the side17. Turns *Continue to use as a free movement *Twirling - turning on two feet (preparation for Chainé) *Spinning - turning on one foot (preparation for Pirouettes) *Courrus turning (build from "penguin walks") *With appropriate technical elements *changing directions, examples - pony steps with ¼ turns - parallel jumps with ¼ turns - step and together turning by ¼'s18. Hand movement skills *Be able to differentiate between soft and sharp hands *Awareness of the wrist and that it should not look bent *Awareness of the placement of the fingers in a dancers hand 19. Port de bras *Review all previous work as appropriate - quality of movement (use images and props to get the quality) - hands on waist looking precise - Swinging arms front and back in opposition - Demi 2nd (for girls like holding a skirt) - Circling of the arms (develop awareness of the movement of the shoulder) - High V position (to begin learning the arms go up and the shoulders stay down) - Arm waves *Continue to combine arm movements with other movements where appropriate to develop co ordination skills *Begin the study of classical positions - Bras bas - 1st - demi bras or offering20. Head movements *Incorporate all the learnt head movements into class work at some level *Call attention to the connection between head and hand movements21. Musicality Skills *Review all concept of rhythms from previous work: *skip "&1" accented on the up *gallop "&1" a more even accent *march even beat of music but accent up for dancer *polka "&1&2" (po-ta-to chips) = skip gallop *concept of ¾ time signature (candle smartie smartie ie. 123), able to clap ¾ , - 1st beat of the bar - every beat of the bar22. Musical Qualities *Review all concepts of qualities from previous work: *Concept of scales and pitch *Concept of phrasing e.g. run and pause *Slow and fast, e.g. does the music say walk or run? *How does the music make you feel? Is it happy or sad music? *Listening for A and B phrase. (e.g. two groups, one dances on phrase A and freezes on phrase B, other group does the reverse)23. Enchainement (Patterning and Memory skills) *Part of the lesson as movements are combined into simple patterns. *Over the course of the year very gradually increase the number of different elements in one enchainement.24. Interactive Skills * Continue to find ways to incorporate use of props and partners into class work. E.g. port de bras activity with a scarf, stretching with a ball, galloping while holding hands with a partner. 25. Improvisation and Action Skills, Mime and Pantomime , Energy and dynamics *These concepts all blend together at this level as they compliment each other. *Discuss the individual concepts as pertinent to those qualities you want them to discover in their work. *Expose the children to an ever increase vocabulary of "action" words, (see the chart on Movement Characteristics for Body Parts for ideas) *Continue to explored and expand on their awareness of the relationship between their ideas and the movements they have explored *As they develop more skills encourage them remember what they did an build on that foundation *Give students a chance to show off what they discover *Give them a theme and ask them explore that concept ( see creative movement manuals for further ideas) *Use Energy and Dynamics with the goal of developing expressive use of music.26. Building respectfull relationships *formal choreographed entrance to class *formal ending to class<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


	public forum

Learning Goals - Age 6 years

Who is online