Lesson Overview:
In this lesson, students will create movement patterns that express information about the basic systems, organs, and processes of the human body. They will work in pairs and in groups to make movement choices that communicate scientific concepts in creative movement, and make inquiries, through research and movement experimentation, into the ways in which the body's systems work and how those systems interact.
Length of Lesson:
Five 45-minute class periods
Instructional Objectives:
Students will:
- discover and create movement patterns that express information about the basic systems, organs, and processes of the human body.
- make inquiries, through research and movement experimentation, into the ways in which the body's systems work and how those systems interact.
- work alone, in pairs, and/or in small groups to make movement choices that communicate scientific concepts in creative movement.
Supplies:
- Resource books with clear diagrams of the systems of the body
- Diagrams or posters of the body's systems
- Blackboard and/or dry erase board with variety of colored chalk or markers
- CD-rom software or Web sites with clear diagrams of the systems of the human body (optional)
Instructional Plan:
Warm Up
Prior to this lesson, have students explore the BBC's "Interactive Body," a series of expeditions into the body. Students can learn about the systems of the body as they explore each game-like interactive. As students are exploring, you may wish to have them choose one system in the body to which they should pay particular attention.
Guided Instruction
Assign five small groups to each work on one system of the body using the BBC's "Interactive Body" for research. Students should take notes as they research. Provide written resources for background information on:
- five of the major systems of the body - Circulatory, Respiratory,
Nervous, Muscular-Skeletal, and Digestive.
- organs and components of each system.
- basic terminology of each system
(esophagus, peristalsis, alveoli, capillary, valve, synapse, digestion, neuron, etc.)
Discuss parts of the systems, such as blood vessels, lungs, muscle fibers, nerve cells, and stomach. Link systems with elements of dance—for example, breathing and energy or time (rhythm), circulation and space (pathways).
Do the Physiology Action Word warm up using words taken from the body's systems in action, such as: beat, inhale, push, connect, float, churn, etc. Have students move through the general space, using the given words as the movement stimulus. Have them freeze between movements, and call attention to the interesting or unusual or evocative shapes they form as they remain frozen.
Demonstrate or model an action from the body that was discovered (such as the heartbeat) during their tour of BBC's "Interactive Body" without telling the students what the action is. Have students guess, then discuss the answers.
Development
- Mirrored actions: Divide group into pairs; partners face one another, with one as leader and one as follower. Give them one word at a time; leader does the action, follower attempts to move like the leader's mirror image. Alternate who leads as you go through the word list. Allow time for partners to discuss afterwards.
- Complementary actions: Still keeping the partners facing each other, repeat the word list (or use new words suggested by the group). This time the leader moves freely as the responder attempts to move in complementary fashion. Example: the leader "chews" at a high level, and the responder does a similar action at low level. Discuss the activity after each partner has had a chance to lead and respond.
Independent Activity
Explain to students that they will, within their groups, choreograph a simple dance that expresses information about how an organ or a major system functions. The guidelines for the choreography are:
- each performance must have a beginning, a middle, and an end; the beginning gets our attention, the middle is the movement content, and the end lets us know you are finished.
- only the body can be used; neither props nor vocal sound effects can be used.
Give students some ground rules for working on choreography within their groups:
- Everyone in the group must have a job. This means that everyone must take part in all phases of the work, from choreography to rehearsal to performance.
- Use your time wisely. Don't waste time on things that don't help you create your assigned work.
- Safety first! The floor is hard; you are not. And don't scare your audience (that is, you may startle them, but don't make the audience fear for your safety!).
Circulate around the room and offer feedback or suggestions when needed. (Note: Resist the temptation to choreograph for the groups; each piece must be wholly the students' work.) Some examples of constructive feedback are: Can you choose just a part of the system to demonstrate? How will you express through movement only a part, instead of the whole system? Which systems, organs, or parts have the most movement possibilities? The most interesting shapes?
Have each group share their initial results, the "first drafts," with the class. Videotape if possible. Guide a discussion of each group's presentation, asking students to be sure to keep all comments positive and constructive. During the next class period or two, allow students time to re-work their choreography. Have students keep a detailed record of their process and the changes they make to their choreography and final piece. You may wish to videotape each draft or iteration for a comparative record of the process.
Assessment:
Review all information and test for comprehension via a combination demonstration quiz that allows students to demonstrate their knowledge of a system in movement as well as in writing (e.g. "Show how a heart valve works" or "Demonstrate peristalsis.")
Assessment in movement lessons is often based on demonstration of understanding through participation. You may also wish to include in your assessment video tapes of the students' movement exercises, journals kept during the process, drawings or illustrations of body systems made by individual students or small groups, and oral / written reports on the results of students' research on the body.
Sources:
Web:
Authors:
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Randy Barron
Las Vegas, NM
