How We Express Ourselves

On Friday, February 5th, the 3rd grade kicked off their "How We Express Ourselves" unit of inquiry by watching some teacher and student performances. We spent the morning in the Drama Room to provoke students' thinking about their central idea - The performing arts are a tool for creativity, expression and enjoyment in different cultures.  

Some of the performances were:

• Mr. Ed (storytelling)
• Rosa from 4B (ballet)
• Ms. Hashimoto (piano)
• Ms. Yukawa and Ms. Kampa (Tai-chi)
• Mr. O'Shea and Mr. Lewis (fiddle and guitar)
• Christian (Ms. Kampa's son) (singing)
• Ms. Kampa (tap dance)

Throughout the unit we will be using the SOLO Taxonomy with students to look for evidence of learning in relation to each line of inquiry.  As we inquire further, the students will track their own progress as they move to the deeper levels of understanding.

Click on the image, below, to enlarge.

After watching the opening performances students completed a pre-assessment during which they discussed a number of activities (see slideshow below) and decided which of them should be considered performing arts. Pre-assessment tasks such as this are important as they allow students to revisit their initial ideas later in the unit and reflect on how their thinking has changed. They also help to get students thinking about the central idea and start to formulate their own questions. 

What do you think?  Which activities from the slideshow do you not consider performing arts?  What is your criteria for what makes a performing art?  Leave a comment below and let us know!