Weaving the Arts Through the Curriculum

Visual and Performing Arts Essential Learnings Nebraska Department of Education Fall 1999

Spring 1999

Nebraska now has academic content standards in Mathematics, Reading/Writing, Science, and Social Studies/History, called Nebraska L.E.A.R.N.S. (Leading Educational Achievement through Rigorous Nebraska Standards). The Nebraska Department of Education, Nebraska school districts and educational service units have all been charged to focus on improving student achievement through standards, assessment, and accountability. If we are to succeed in helping all students reach these rigorous standards, then the standards should be taught and reinforced by all disciplines.

This document provides guidance to educators to identify important connections between Visual & Performing Arts Essential Learnings and the Nebraska Standards. Because a quality education includes experiences that goes beyond the content included in the Nebraska Standards, the stage is set for us to consider issues of integration and linking of academic content standards.
In the last decade, The Nebraska Department of Education and many schools in Nebraska made a commitment to school improvement which focused on four main issues:

• providing a quality education,
  
• for all students,
  
• for which we will be accountable, and
  
• that includes the broader community.

Today, we continue to build on this model of school improvement. Our work during the 1999-2000 school year weaves the Nebraska Frameworks in the Visual and Performing Arts Project with the Nebraska Standards. The Frameworks provide the basis for the eight Essential Learnings in the Visual and Performing Arts that are included here. These Learnings are in turn, anchored with specific resources and learning experiences that bring life and application to the Nebraska Standards.

Linking the arts to the Nebraska Standards was written in Spring 1999, when the NDE brought together 30 educators from across Nebraska. They identified possible links between academic content standards and the Visual & Performing Arts Essential Learnings. These individuals are the Interdisciplinary Designers of Education Through the Arts Team, or the IDEA Team.

Try building a theme by beginning with an artwork or performance and then find connections to other disciplines. The examples given here grow out of Picasso's Guernica. Social Commentary could be considered a possible topic in the example. Out of that topic one of many possible themes might be, Crisis, Responsibility and Comment: Deciding to Speak out.

Educators often make interdisciplinary connections; they are especially concerned with connections among the arts.

Here is an example using the topic of Social Commentary to show how you might enter the curriculum-writing process and connect your curriculum to other disciplines.

Visual Arts
Begin with a work of art, say Picasso's Guernica. From this central image, you may decide to deal with themes such as the ravages of war or inhumanity. Now you can brainstorm other works you might bring in from the visual arts as well as music, dance and theatre. Ideas for having learners produce their own protest art begins to surface along with questions for discussing their own and other works of art.

Theatre
Begin with the topic of social commentary, zeroing in on the theme of war protest. Then move on to examining or performing specific plays like The Diary of Ann Frank, I Never Saw Another Butterfly, or Viet Rock. One activity might ask students to examine how other art forms have dealt with war protest. Questions might prompt deeper examination of the relative effectiveness of theatre compared to other forms of war protest.

Music
Practice an arrangement of the folk song We Shall Overcome. This leads to a consideration of music's role in social commentary, particularly protest. Discussion questions have students examine how music is used to convey thoughts and feelings and to unite people in a common cause. Then you may begin to identify other protest forms in music and the other arts and compare how different arts have used the protest theme. Perhaps visual images, dance, or a piece from a theatrical work would be incorporated into a public performance of We Shall Overcome.

Dance
How do we crate and communicate through dance? Then a specific dance might be considered, say Kurt Jooss' The Green Table. From this central image you may decide you want to deal with social commentary themes such as the ravages of war or inhumanity. Connections to other works of dance as well as other art forms might occur next. Then students could practice using movement to communicate, perhaps including music, theatre and visual arts in a dance production.

From the Weaving of the Arts Through the Curriculum:
Try building a theme by beginning with one or more academic content standards, or from an experience in content areas other than the arts. For example, the resource used here builds from an environmental science perspective and a video entitled, Seeds of Change.

Here is an example using the topic, Seeds of Change, to show another way to enter the curriculum writing process and connect the arts to other disciplines. Resources described here serve to anchor learning across the curriculum. The content is appropriate for all ages. Links to academic content standards and to developmentally appropriate demonstrations will guide the exact design for learning.

The topic, Seeds of Change, was based on a video tape by the same name, produced by the DeSoto Bend Wildlife Refuge in Blair, Nebraska. Out of the video could come a related theme such as Crisis and Change: Humankind Meets the Environment.
This theme is broad and deep enough to begin in a science class and then connect to all other disciplines' standards, including in the Visual & Performing Arts Essential Learnings.

Visual Arts
Begin with the sculpture, Torn Notebook, by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Post cards of the sculpture are available from the Sheldon, and further information is presented on the Sheldon's web site. This is a fine example of public art that can involve students of all ages in issues related to the role of public art in the community. How can sculpture reflect and symbolize groups of people who live and work together?

Theatre
Begin with the Blizzard of '88, a play written, produced, and performed by students, as part of the School at the Center Project. The description of the project can be found on the video tape, Making Waves, a video of Nebraska teachers and students who have found ways to involve their local community and place in their curriculum. The play documents an actual event in the life of the Henderson community in 1888. This resource, like that of visual arts, stimulates students and teachers to investigate and create theatre from real-life experiences in the community's past (or present).
The video tape is available by contacting Jerry Hoffman, Director, School at the Center, 216D Henzlik, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0355, telephone, 402-472-6395.

Music
The music resource draws upon the multi-media music program, Music! It's Role and Importance in Our Lives, Glencoe-McGraw/Hill. The musical composition featured is Four on the Floor, by the contemporary composer, Libby Larsen. Larsen is one of the foremost American composers writing today. The music is a multi-media production on video. The performance, by a string ensemble, takes place in an automobile demolition yard. The broad theme is played out here in novel ways.

Dance
Begin with the video performance of two dances from world cultures included in the multi-media music programÐMusic, It's Role and Importance in Our Lives, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. The first dance is Revelations, by the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. The Ailey Company was the first African American dance company in the United States. The dance is performed to Negro Spirituals and speaks of the struggles of slavery. The second dance is Eagle Dance, from the Lakota Sioux Native American culture. This dance pictures the strong connection of Native American culture to nature and especially to the important symbolism of the Eagle.

An additional resource for dance is drawn from the NAEP document for arts education. This document is the National Assessment for Education Progress 1997 Arts Report Card: Eighth Grade Findings from the National Assessment of Educational Programs. The section on assessment in dance has helpful suggestions for learning about The Eagle Dance that can be adapted for all ages.

 

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Essential

Learnings

VPA K12.1.0
Essential Learning #1
Students recognize the connections between the arts and their own lives and environments.
VPA K12.2.0
Essential Learning #2
Students recognize the value of the arts in their own learning and creative processes.
VPA K12.3.0
Essential Learning #3
Students understand the roles of the arts and of artists in the past, present, and future.
VPA K12.4.0
Essential Learning #4
Students exhibit a variety of creative skills in their own artistic expressions and in response to others.
VPA K12.5.0
Essential Learning #5
Students develop criteria to evaluate their own and others' creative expressions.
VPA K12.6.0
Essential Learning #6
Students understand connections between the arts and other fields of study.
VPA K12.7.0
Essential Learning #7
Students recognize diverse perspectives in the creation, performance, interpretation, and evaluation of the arts.
VPA K12.8.0
Essential Learning #8
Students use the visual and performing arts to solve problems.

Nebraska Visual and Performing Arts Essential Learnings integrate approaches to the arts and thinking processes that are seldom found in isolation. The indicators or demonstrations are selected from performance objectives found within the Nebraska K-12 Visual and Performing Arts Curriculum Frameworks document. These objectives illustrate a few of the many ways to meet each Essential Learning.

For your information, we have cross-referenced these Visual & Performing Arts Essential Learnings with the corresponding section page numbers in the K-12 Visual and Performing Arts Curriculum Frameworks document as indicated with the parenthesis.

Example
Essential Learning #5:
VPA K12.5.0 Students develop criteria to evaluate their own and others' creative expressions.
VPA K12.D5
D5.1 Establish criteria to evaluate dance techniques of self and others. *(A7/A19) *Frameworks reference
D5.2 Recognize the level of success through self-expression and audience response. *(All)

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Visual & Performing Arts Essential Learnings

VPA K12.1.0 Students recognize the connections between the arts and their own lives and environments.

VPA K12.D1 Dance
D1.1 Interpret and communicate feelings through dance. (A12)
D1.2 Investigate how dance influences life. (A12)
D1.3 Understand characteristics of a healthy lifestyle as it relates to dance and movement. (A8)
VPA K12.M1 Music
M1.1 Understand the connections between music and significant, individual experiences. (C22)
M1.2 Identify or create musical works which have a strong personal significance to an individual. (C14)
M1.3 Select or create musical works that relate to the learners' lives and discuss the relationship. (C26)
VPA K12.T1 Theatre
T1.1 Understand the contribution of theatre to their own lives and the lives of others. (B5/B11)
T1.2 Recognize how life has players, costumes, makeup and setting. (B7)
T1.3 Experience various theatrical ways to convey ideas or situations. (B8)
VPA K12.V1 Visual Arts
V1.1 Compare the life experiences that appear in images to their own experiences. (D15)
V1.2 Analyze how their own experiences influence their critical judgements about their works and the works of others. (D15)
V1.3 Interpret visual images in cultural/historical context. (D9)

VPA K12.2.0 Students recognize the value of the arts in their own learning and creative processes.

VPA K12.D2 Dance
D2.1 Summarize the effects of dance on life. (A24)
D2.2 Recognize how dance encourages self-expression. (A24)
D2.3 Analyze how meaning is conveyed by movement. (A22)
VPA K12.M2 Music
M2.1 Explain how the creative elements in music become powerful vehicles for communicating past, present and future messages. (C13)
M2.2 Explain the connections between music and significant individual experiences. (C22)
M2.3 Identify the expressive musical elements (rhythm, melody, harmony, texture, tone quality) in live or recorded music. (C26)
M2.4 Describe how the expressive musical elements reflect the feelings of characters in program music. (C26)
VPA K12.T2 Theatre
T2.1 Understand how knowledge and skills acquired in theatre can be utilized in lifelong learning. (B7/B4)
T2.2 Synthesize how the elements of a play evoke a personal response. (B9)
T2.3 Recognize relationships between theatre and cultures. (B12)
VPA K12.V2 Visual Arts
V2.1 Interpret how form, symbols, techniques and medium construct meaning in works of art. (D17)
V2.2 Demonstrate the way individual experience contributes to meaning in art. (D9)
V2.3 Analyze the sources of their own works and works of others. (D7)
Visual & Performing Arts Essential Learnings

VPA K12.3.0 Students understand the roles of the arts and of artists in the past, present, and future.

VPA K12.D3 Dance
D3.1 Recognize and perform dances from many cultures and time periods. (A13)
D3.2 Analyze and interpret dances of various cultures and times. (A14)
D3.3 Analyze social issues in relation to dance. (A16)
VPA K12.M3 Music
M3.1 Recognize distinguishing characteristics of musical styles that represent various cultures and historical periods. (C16)
M3.2 Identify by characteristics, classify by style and explain the meaning of the music in its time and place. (C16)
M3.3 Understand how the value of music changes when viewed from different cultural perspectives. (C17)
VPA K12.T3 Theatre
T3.1 Understand how a play affirms or challenges societal or personal beliefs. (B23)
T3.2 Recognize and connect universal themes across cultures and times. (B15)
T3.3 Demonstrate how theatre reflects culture. (B13)
VPA K12.V3 Visual Arts
V3.1 Understand that universal themes are addressed through the visual arts. (D11)
V3.2 Recognize ways in which societies have used art to influence its members. (D18)
V3.3 Understand what can be learned about the values of other cultures and the student's own (values) through the visual arts. (D19)

VPA K12.4.0 Students exhibit a variety of creative skills in their own artistic expressions and in response to others.

VPA K12.D4 Dance
D4.1 Create and perform a dance conveying an intentional movement. (A18)
D4.2 Understand the relationship of the meaning and environment of dance. (A22)
D4.3 Structure a dance that matches movements to accompaniment. (A9)
VPA K12.M4 Music
M4.1 React to a piece of music through moving, illustrating, verbalizing and writing. (C23)
M4.2 Establish criteria for analyzing an audience reaction to various types of concert settings. (C14)
VPA K12.T4 Theatre
T4.1 Understand the knowledge and skills gained from reading, viewing or performing. (B11)
T4.2 Recognize the importance of audiences in determining meaning. (B12)
T4.3 Express emotions, ideas and opinions through participating in a theatre activity. (B23)
VPA K12.V4 Visual Arts
V4.1 Justify their own criteria for judging artwork. (D14)
V4.2 Analyze how the formal elements and principles are used in a work of art. (D12)
V4.3 Understand and analyze personal and universal feelings and ideas in their artwork. (D5)

Visual & Performing Arts Essential Learnings

VPA K12.5.0 Students develop criteria to evaluate their own and others' creative expressions.

VPA K12.D5 Dance
D5.1 Establish criteria to evaluate dance techniques of self and others. (A7/A19)
D5.2 Recognize the level of success through self-expression and audience response. (A11)
VPA K12.M5 Music
M5.1 Develop criteria for making informed critical evaluations of the quality and effectiveness of a piece of music and apply the criteria to their own performances and the performances of others. (C9)
M5.2 Develop vocabulary which describes the various music elements/events. (C19)
VPA K12.T5 Theatre
T5.1 Investigate why and how a play evokes a variety of responses by its audience. (B14)
T5.2 Develop and apply criteria to evaluate the collaborative aspects of a performance. (B16)
T5.3 Establish and apply criteria for different styles of theatre, especially those that challenge conventional definitions. (B18)
VPA K12.V5 Visual Arts
V5.1 Demonstrate a technical knowledge and creative use of the formal elements and design principles in a variety of media. (D4)
V5.2 Articulate their own approach to art and provide interpretations of the ideas or feelings expressed in their works. (D16/D5)
V5.3 Understand the criteria that their own culture uses to evaluate artworks. (D10)
V5.4 Understand ways in which works of art confirm or challenge societal values. (D11)

VPA K12.6.0 Students understand connections between the arts and other fields of study.
VPA K12.D6 Dance
D6.1 Understand that activities from other fields of study may be used to create a movement/dance experience. (A20)
D6.2 Perform a dance using principles from other fields of study to communicate meaning. (A6)
D6.3 Understand the kinesthetic needs of people. (A24)
VPA K12.M6 Music
M6.1 Recognize characteristics of music from different historical periods and other cultures. (C18)
M6.2 Identify music from our own cultures which might play a similar function to music from another time/place/culture. (C18)
M6.3 Interpret a piece of music through narration or illustration. (C12)
VPA K12.T6 Theatre
T6.1 Demonstrate how designing a stage set teaches about the principles of design. (B7)
T6.2 Recognize elements in theatre that relate to those in other fields of study. (B19)
T6.3 Discuss how persuasion techniques learned in theatre are used in the media and politics. (B23/B24)
VPA K12.V6 Visual Arts
V6.1 Recognize ways in which society has used art to influence its members. (D18)
V6.2 Recognize examples of universal themes addressed through visual art. (D11)
V6.3 Understand what can be learned about the values of another culture through its art. (D19)
Visual & Performing Arts Essential Learnings

VPA K12.7.0 Students recognize diverse perspectives in the creation, performance, interpretation, and evaluation of the arts.

VPA K12.D7 Dance
D7.1 Recognize the factors that make dance important. (A15)
D7.2 Compare and contrast contemporary dance forms to cultural and historical dance forms. (A15)
VPA K12.M7 Music
M7.1 Recognize and demonstrate how manipulating the basic musical elements may alter the meaning. (C13)
M7.2 Identify music from our own cultures which might play a similar function to music from a similar time/place/culture. (C18)
VPA K12.T7 Theatre
T7.1 Understand the importance of diversity when making interpretations and evaluations of theatre. (B21)
T7.2 Analyze how theatre is affected by various social issues. (B14)
T7.3 Recognize relationships between theatre and cultures. (B12)
VPA K12.V7 Visual Arts
V7.1 Evaluate a work of art from at least two different cultural/historical perspectives based on historical investigation. (D10)
V7.2 Recognize how works of art provide a variety of perspectives on a common theme. (D9)

VPA K12.8.0 Students use the visual and performing arts to solve problems.

VPA K12.D8 Dance
D8.1 Choreograph a dance to communicate an idea, mood, or story. (A10)
D8.2 Identify the problems the choreographer solved to create emotional, physical, or intellectual meaning. (A18)
D8.3 Analyze how the elements of dance convey meaning through choreography. (A17)
VPA K12.M8 Music
M8.1 Compose and arrange music within specified guidelines. (C12)
M8.2 Develop criteria for selecting music. (C21)
M8.3 Demonstrate how the creative elements in music become powerful vehicles for communicating past, present, and future messages. (C13)
VPA K12.T8 Theatre
T8.1 Analyze the reactions generated by a performance. (B17)
T8.2 Understand possible expectations of a work and consider if the expectations were
met. (B16)
T8.3 Analyze and demonstrate how experiences learned in theatre compare to those learned
in life situations. (B19)
VPA K12.V8 Visual Arts
V8.1 Articulate their own approach(es) to art. (D16)
V8.2 Interpret events in images and justify their interpretation. (D5)
V8.3 Demonstrate a technical knowledge and creative use of the formal elements and
design principles in a variety of media. (D4)

Dance . . . Grades K&endash;1

Visual & Performing Arts Essential Learnings

#5 Students develop criteria to evaluate their own and others' creative expressions.
_ Establish criteria to evaluate dance techniques of self and others. (A7/A19)
_ Recognize the level of success through self-expression, the facilitator and audience response. (All)

#8 Students use the visual and performing arts to solve problems.
_ Choreograph a dance to communicate an idea, mood, or story. (A10)
_ Identify the problems the choreographer solved to create emotional, physical, or intellectual meaning. (A18)
_ Analyze how the elements of dance convey meaning through choreography. (A17)

Learning Experience

Resources: The dance learning experience is based on two resources. First is the video performance of two dances from the multi-media music programÐMusic, It's Role and Importance in Our Lives, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. The music materials feature a video of dance presentations from various world cultures. Two dances are used here. The first dance is Revelations, by the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. The Ailey Company was the first African American dance company in the United States. The dance is performed to Negro Spirituals and speaks of the struggles of slavery. The second dance is The Eagle Dance, from the Lakota Sioux Native American culture. This dance pictures the strong connection of Native American culture to nature and especially to the important symbolism of the Eagle.

The additional resource for dance is drawn from the NAEP document for arts education. This document is the National Assessment for Education Progress 1997 Arts Report Card: Eighth Grade findings from the National Assessment of Educational Programs. The section on assessment in dance has helpful suggestions for learning about The Eagle Dance, that can be adapted for all ages.

Lesson Narrative: Hear the story of Ailey's life. Contrast his life with Native American life. View both dances on the video. Link Ailey's childhood to the dance in the video. Link Native American cultural concepts with The Eagle Dance. Compare the dances and the cultures from which they came. Choose new music and create a new dance using ideas from Ailey and The Eagle Dance and title it. Create movement for a new folktale. Find instruments to connect with the movement.

Dance . . . Grades K&endash;1

Linking to Nebraska L.E.A.R.N.S

Mathematics
By the end of the first grade, students will:
1.1.2 communicate the mathematical relations of the number system.
1.4.2 identify, describe, and create circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles.
1.5.3 make comparisons from displayed data, such as more, less, and fewer.
1.6.1 identify, describe, extend, and create a variety of patterns, such as objects, sounds, movements, shapes, numbers, and colors.

Reading/Writing
By the end of the first grade, students will:
1.1.5 respond to literature.
1.2.1 speak in clear, complete, coherent sentences using standard English.
1.3.1 listen and be responsible members of the classroom.

Science
By the end of the first grade, students will:
1.1.3 develop an understanding of change, constancy, and measurement.

Social Studies/History
By the end of the first grade, students will:
1.5 explain the past and the present through pictures, oral history, letters, or journals.
1.6 compare and contrast cultures of families, past and present.
1.16 explain how people are connected through transportation and communication.

Ideas about . . .

Multi cultural:
Compare and contrast elements of dance (costume), music, and movement.
Create dance from folk tale vocabulary across cultures.

Technology:
Videotape the final, completed product.

Assessment:
Videotape student re-creation of dance; student analyzes strengths and weaknesses.
Assessment is built into the project.

Learning Extensions:
Identify movements from the dance that represent geometric shapes. Combine shapes with locomotor movement patterns.

Dance . . . Grades 2-4

Visual & Performing Arts Essential Learnings

#5 Students develop criteria to evaluate their own and others' creative expressions.
_ Establish criteria to evaluate dance techniques of self and others. (A7/A19)
_ Recognize the level of success through self-expression, the facilitator, and audience response. (All)

#8 Students use the visual and performing arts to solve problems.
_ Choreograph a dance to communicate an idea, mood, or story. (A10)
_ Identify the problems the choreographer solved to create emotional, physical, or intellectual meaning. (A18)
_ Analyze how the elements of dance convey meaning through choreography. (A17)

Resources: The dance learning experience is based on two resources. First is the video performance of two dances from the multi-media music programÐMusic, It's Role and Importance in Our Lives, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. The music materials feature a video of dance presentations from various world cultures. Two dances are used here. The first dance is Revelations, by the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. The Ailey Company was the first African American dance company in the United States. The dance is performed to Negro Spirituals and speaks of the struggles of slavery. The second dance is The Eagle Dance, from the Lakota Sioux Native American culture. This dance pictures the strong connection of Native American culture to Nature and especially to the important symbolism of the Eagle.

The additional resource for dance is drawn from the NAEP document for arts education. This document is the National Assessment for Education Progress 1997 Arts Report Card: Eighth Grade findings from the National Assessment of Educational Programs. The section on assessment in dance has helpful suggestions for learning about The Eagle Dance, that can be adapted for all ages.

Lesson Narrative: View the Lakota Eagle Dance and the Alvin Ailey's Revelations Dance. Give students a written assessment based on the NAEP dance assessmentÐwith attention to dance elements based on the NAEP dance assessmentÐuse the problems the choreographer solved.

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Mathematics
By the end of the fourth grade, students will:
4.4.1 identify, describe, and create two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes.
4.4.2 identify and draw points, lines, line segments, rays, and angles.
4.4.3 analyze, compare, and solve problems with geometric figures using congruence, symmetry, similarity, and simple transformations.

Reading/Writing
By the end of the fourth grade, students will:
4.1.2 acquire and use correctly an advanced reading vocabulary.
4.1.3 identify the basic facts and essential ideas in what they have read or viewed.
4.1.8 identify similar ideas across a variety of narratives and stories.

Science
By the end of the fourth grade, students will:
4.1.1 develop an understanding of systems, order, and organization.
4.1.4 develop an understanding of form and function.
4.2.1 develop the abilities needed to do scientific inquiry.
4.3.2 develop an understanding of the position and motion of objects.

Social Studies/History
By the end of the fourth grade, students will:
4.2 identify and describe the past and present contributions of people, such as the Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, African Americans, European Americans, and Asian Americans in Nebraska.

Ideas about . . .
Multi cultural:
Learn about Lakota and African American cultures

Technology:
Create a CD-Rom of the dances to be investigated and digitize it for analyzation purposes. Outline the dance line/flow.

Assessment:
Revise 5.2 and 5.3 assessments in NAEP.
Students demonstrate dance movements that show _ and _ and explain how these shapes were used in the two dance compositions.
Learning Extensions:
Participate in a dance and/or choreograph a work.
Analyze the dance, identifying symbolic images, i.e., bird flight.
Identify movements from the dance that represent geometric shapes.

Dance . . . Grade 2-4

Lesson 1:
Introduce Alvin Ailey and his contributions to American dance and his impact as an African American.

Move bodies into different shapes, i.e., make a triangle with the body and make a circle. Show a _ with a partner. Shape a _. Use the entire class to make a triangle.

Watch the Ailey Dance. Look for triangles.

Review the first minute of choreography. How many times is a triangle made?

Students discuss many possibilities of the triangular shape. Students will demonstrate a variety of triangular shapes.

The students make one large triangle. The triangle will be disintegrated and brought back together. Students will be asked if everyone needs to be in their place for the triangular shape to be seen. How many dancers are needed for the triangular shape to be recognized?

Students identify triangles in their environment.

Lesson 2:

Study Native Americans and their role in America. Lesson 2 will focus on The Eagle Dance and circle shapes following the same format as Lesson 1.

Lesson 3:

Create circular and triangular shapes by connecting them through locomotive movement patterns that are circular and freezing in triangular shapes. Move 16 counts, hold for 8 counts. Repeat four times.

Review video tapes back to back specifically looking for the concepts emphasized in lessons 1 & 2.

In small groups, students exchange their observations and comparisons.

Each group will create a piece of choreography using ABA form (circle & triangle).

Dance . . . Grades 5-8

#5 Students develop criteria to evaluate their own and others' creative expressions.

Establish criteria to evaluate dance techniques of self and others. (A7/A19)

Recognize the level of success through self-expression, the facilitator, and audience response. (All)

#8 Students use the visual and performing arts to solve problems.

Choreograph a dance to communicate an idea, mood or story. (A10)

Identify the problems solved to create emotional, physical, or intellectual meaning. (A18)

Analyze how the elements of dance convey meaning through choreography. (A17)

Resources: The dance learning experience is based on two resources. First is the video performance of two dances from the multi-media music programÐMusic, It's Role and Importance in Our Lives, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. The music materials feature a video of dance presentations from various world cultures. Two dances are used here. The first dance is Revelations, by the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. The Ailey Company was the first African American dance company in the United States. The dance is performed to Negro Spirituals and speaks of the struggles of slavery. The second dance is The Eagle Dance, from the Lakota Sioux Native American culture. This dance pictures the strong connection of Native American culture to nature and especially to the important symbolism of the Eagle.

The additional resource for dance is drawn from the NAEP document for arts education. This document is the National Assessment for Education Progress 1997 Arts Report Card: Eighth Grade findings from the National Assessment of Educational Programs. The section on assessment in dance has helpful suggestions for learning about The Eagle Dance, that can be adapted for all ages.

Lesson Narrative: After viewing a tape of The Eagle Dance and Revelations, students will be able to apply knowledge of dance elements. Identify movement qualities by analyzing specific dance elements such as: skip, hop, jump, and slide. Students will verbally compare and contrast the two dance works. The Eagle Dance represents simple circle dancing utilizing basic step and hop movement. Revelations uses more complicated patterns with geometric figures.

Mathematics
By the end of the eighth grade, students will:
8.4.5 apply transformations to geometric figures such as translations or slides, rotations or turns, reflections or flips, and scale or dilate.
8.4.6 use geometric representations to solve problems and describe the physical world.

Reading/Writing
By the end of the eighth grade, students will:
8.1.1 identify the basic facts and essential ideas in what they have read or viewed.
8.2.5 use self-generated questions, note-taking, summarizing, and outlining to enhance learning.
8.3.1 pose questions and contribute their own information or ideas in class discussions in order to acquire new knowledge.
8.4.1 apply listening skills in a variety of settings.

Science
By the end of the eighth grade, students will:
8.1.4 develop an understanding of form and function
8.3.2 develop an understanding of motion and forces.

Social Studies/History
By the end of the eighth grade, students will:
8.1.9 develop skills for historical analysis.
8.1.10 develop skills in discussion, debate, and persuasive writing by analyzing historical situations and events.
8.2.5 describe the economic, social, and political transformation of the United States since World War II.

Ideas about . . .
Multi cultural:

Native American History.
Technology:

Videotape work, CD's
Assessment:

Compare and contrast dance elements.

Observation.
Learning Extensions:

Select a piece of music and choreograph the elements of dance using the computer.

Video each group's presentation.

Present the cultural framework of the Eagle Dance and Revelations.

Describe similarities and differences in the two works.

Give definitions of movement qualities: skip, hop, jump and slide.

Students will select four movement qualities shown in the works to depict freedom and oppression.

Dance . . . Grades 9-12

#5 - Students develop criteria to evaluate their own and others' creative expressions.
_ Establish criteria to evaluate dance techniques of self and others. (A7/A19)
_ Recognize the level of success through self-expression, the facilitator and audience response. (A11)

#8 - Students use the visual and performing arts to solve problems.
_ Choreograph a dance to communicate an idea, mood or story. (A10)
_ Identify the problems the choreographer solved to create emotional, physical or intellectual meaning. (A18)
_ Analyze how the elements of dance convey meaning through choreography. (A17)

Resources: The dance learning experience is based on two resources. First is the video performance of two dances from the multi-media music programÐMusic, It's Role and Importance in Our Lives, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. The music materials feature a video of dance presentations from various world cultures. Two dances are used here. The first dance is Revelations, by the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. The Ailey Company was the first African American dance company in the United States. The dance is performed to Negro Spirituals and speaks of the struggles of slavery. The second dance is The Eagle Dance, from the Lakota Sioux Native American culture. This dance pictures the strong connection of Native American culture to nature and especially to the important symbolism of the Eagle.

The additional resource for dance is drawn from the NAEP document for arts education. This document is the National Assessment for Education Progress 1997 Arts Report Card: Eighth Grade findings from the National Assessment of Educational Programs. The section on assessment in dance has helpful suggestions for learning about The Eagle Dance, that can be adapted for all ages.

Lesson Narrative: Students view segment of dance and compare and contrast dance elements in Revelation and The Eagle Dance.

Dance . . . Grades 9-12

Mathematics
By the end of the twelfth grade, students will:
12.4.2 utilize geometric relationships and terms to describe the physical world.
12.4.3 analyze relationships among geometric forms.

Reading/Writing
By the end of the twelfth grade, students will:
12.1.1 identify the basic facts and essential ideas in what they have read or viewed.
12.1.2 locate, access, and evaluate resources to identify appropriate information.
12.2.4 use a variety of forms to write for different audiences and purposes.
12.3.1 pose questions and contribute their own information or ideas in group discussion in order to acquire new knowledge.

Science
By the end of the twelfth grade, students will:
12.1.1 develop an understanding of systems, order, and organization.
12.1.2 develop an understanding of evidence, models, and explanation.
12.1.4 develop an understanding of form and function.

Social Studies/History
By the end of the twelfth grade, students will:
12.3.18 develop discussion, debate, and persuasive writing skills, focusing on enduring issues and demonstrating how divergent viewpoints have been addressed and reconciled.

Ideas about . . .

Multi cultural:

Similarity of use of dance in different cultures.
Technology:

Set up CBL motion to determine rate of movement.

Videotape dances to be used in analysis.
Assessment:

NAEP--Eagle Block

Student-generated rubric criteria to analyze the dance.

Analyze the poem for idea/content and word choice.
Learning Extensions:
*Start with a math function and choreograph the dance.

Set the poem to music.

The lesson will begin with the creation of poems written by students in the class. Poem topics will be limited by a cultural theme of which they have particular personal experience, i.e., The Prom.

After writing and sharing poems, students will focus on re-interpreting sample poems as dances. Dance creation will be based on dance elements viewed in Revelations and The Eagle Dance. Students will view the videos of the dances and then identify through group discussion the apparent dance elements* and the historical context of the two dances.

Students will assess their dances by comparing/contrasting their dance samples to a replay of The Eagle
Dance and Revelations.

What was the rubric that students generated to make the assessment of their own dances and the dances of others?

* (i.e., time, space, floor patterns, rhythm)

Music . . . Grades K&endash;1


#3 Students understand the roles of the arts and of artists in the past, present, and future.
_ Recognize distinguishing characteristics of musical styles that represent various cultures and historical periods. (C16)
_ Identify by characteristics, classify by style, and explain the meaning of the music in its time and place. (C16)
_ Understand how the value of music changes when viewed from different cultural perspectives. (C17)

#4 Students exhibit a variety of creative skills in their own artistic expressions and in response to others.
_ React to a piece of music through moving, illustrating, verbalizing, and writing. (C23)
_ Establish criteria for analyzing an audience reaction to various types of concert settings. (C14)

Resources: The music resource draws upon the multi-media music program, Music! It's Role and Importance in Our Lives, Glencoe-McGraw/Hill. The musical composition featured is Four on the Floor, by the contemporary composer, Libby Larsen. Larsen is one of the foremost American composers writing today. The music is a multi-media production on video. The performance, by a string ensemble, takes place in an automobile demolition yard. The broad theme is played out here in novel ways.

Lesson Narrative: Listen to hidden percussion instruments and identify them by sound only. Roll balls east and west, back and forth between partners while listening to Larsen's piece, varying speeds in accordance with music. The students try to roll balls north and south, perpendicular to the rest of the class. Discuss the value of planning in composition and movement. Use the term consonance to describe east and west movement only. Use the term dissonance to describe north and south, versus east and west. Listen to Larsen's piece again. Create a dance using appropriate music elements. Demonstrate consonance/dissonance through movement. View Larsen's video. The video will be stopped at strategic points and music elements identified. The learner will listen to Joplin, McPherrin, Gerschwin, and 50's rock and roll selections. Create new movement to show musical and stylistic elements. Use a tape recorder and find sounds. Create a new composition. Find songs that sound like Larsen's piece.

Mathematics
By the end of the first grade students will:
1.3.5 demonstrate an understanding of orientation in time for past, present, future, earlier, and later.
1.4.1 compare relative position and spatial relationships, such as left/right, above/below, over/under, up/down, and near/far.
1.6.1 identify, describe, extend, and create a variety of patterns, such as objects, sounds, movements, shapes, numbers, and colors.
1.6.3 identify and describe patterns in their environment.

Reading/Writing
By the end of the first grade students will:
1.2.1 speak in clear, complete, coherent sentences using standard English.
1.3.1 listen and be responsible members of the classroom.

Attend to speakers, teachers, and classroom discussions.
Attend to presentations and demonstrations.
Ask for clarification when messages don't make sense.

Science
By the end of the first grade students will:
1.1.1 develop an understanding of systems, order, and organization.
1.1.3 develop an understanding of change, constancy, and measurement.

Social Studies/History
By the end of the first grade students will:
1.1 understand that history relates to events and people of other times and places.
1.8 compare and contrast the relative location of people, places, and things.
1.10 identify symbols by:

naming community symbols, such as traffic signs, traffic lights, and street highway markers.
identifying map symbols, such as legend references to land, water, roads, and cities.

 Ideas about . . .
Multi cultural:

Listen to Joplin, Gerschwin, and Larsen.
Technology:
Kids PIX

Assessment:
Teacher observation of oral directions followed.
Movement is ordered
Vocabulary use (front, behind, left, and right).
PatternsÐidentify and copy.

Music . . . Grades 2&endash;4

#3 Students understand the roles of the arts and of artists in the past, present, and future.
_ Recognize distinguishing characteristics of musical styles that represent various cultures and historical periods. (C16)
_ Identify by characteristics, classify by style, and explain the meaning of the music in its time and place. (C16)
_ Understand how the value of music changes when viewed from different cultural perspectives. (C17)

#4 Students exhibit a variety of creative skills in their own artistic expressions and in response to others.
_ React to a piece of music through moving, illustrating, verbalizing, and writing. (C23)
_ Establish a criteria for analyzing an audience reaction to various types of concert settings. (C14)

Resources: The music resource draws upon the multi-media music program, Music! It's Role and Importance in Our Lives, Glencoe-McGraw/Hill. The musical composition featured is Four on the Floor, by the contemporary composer, Libby Larsen. Larsen is one of the foremost American composers writing today. The music is a multi-media production on video. The performance, by a string ensemble, takes place in an automobile demolition yard. The broad theme is played out here in novel ways.

Lesson Narrative: Compare Libby Larsen's style with other cultural, historical, and musical influences, such as boogie woogie, jazz, Jerry Lee Lewis, etc. Present to other groups their group's understanding of this piece based on prior knowledge, personal experience, and shared discussion. Create a sound effects audio sound track to accompany visual video of Four on the Floor. Then add this sound track into the audio and visual of Four on the Floor. Notate the sound track in composition style.

Music . . . Grades 2&endash;4

Mathematics
By the end of the fourth grade students will:
4.2.1 estimate and accurately calculate without and with calculators and solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers, and understand the relationships among the operations.
4.3.3 correct time to the minute on an analog clock.
4.4.1 identify, describe, and create two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes.
4.4.3 analyze, compare, and solve problems with geometric figures using congruence, symmetry, similarity, and simple transformations.
4.5.1 collect, organize, represent, and interpret numerical and categorical data and clearly communicate the findings.
4.6.1 use and interpret variables, mathematical symbols and properties to write and simplify expressions and sentences.

Reading/Writing
By the end of the fourth grade students will:
4.1.3 identify basic facts and essential ideas in what they have read or viewed.
4.1.6 identify and apply knowledge of the structure, elements, and meaning of fiction and provide evidence from the text to support their answers.
4.1.8 identify similar ideas across a variety of narratives and stories.
4.2.4 use a variety of forms to write for different audiences and purposes.
4.3.1 pose questions and contribute their own information or ideas in group discussions in order to acquire new knowledge.
4.4.1 gain information or complete tasks by listening.

Science
By the end of the fourth grade students will:
4.1.1 develop an understanding of systems, order, and organization.
4.1.2 develop an understanding of evidence, models, and explanation.
4.1.3 develop an understanding of change, constancy, and measurement.
4.3.2 develop an understanding of the position and motion of objects.
4.1.4 develop an understanding of form and function.
4.6.1 develop an understanding of technological design.

Social Studies/History
By the end of the fourth grade students will:
4.1 compare communities and describe how the local community changed physically and demographically over time.
4.4 compare and contrast daily life in the past and present, considering things, such as roles, jobs, communication, technology, transportation, schools, and cultural traditions.
4.6 trace Nebraska 20th century by identifying accomplishments of prominent Nebraskans and explaining the impact of advances in transportation.
4.19 demonstrate map skills by constructing a simple map of the North American continent, which will include the essential map elements of title, scale, key, directional indicator, and date.
Music . . . Grades 2&endash;4

Ideas about . . .

Multi cultural:

Boogie woogie and African American music.
New age music.

Technology:
Videotape, editing
Use the Internet to review and compare information from a variety of resources.
Use recording equipment. Create new sounds and video.

Assessment:
Discuss and compare the two videos.
Assess the presentation.
Assess the performance of the new sound track.

Learning Extensions:
Create their own song. Create credits, sets, costumes. Design a video of the entire song.
Instrumental experimentation: Experiment with instruments to accompany.
View Modrian's Broadway Boogie Woogie.
List and identify musical and visual images seen in the video. Describe themes in the video through the use of adjectives.
Listen to another example of a musical influence on Libby Larsen, such as Gerry Lee Lewis or boogie woogie. List adjectives to describe this style.
Watch the video Four on the Floor in its entirety without sound. Brainstorm ideas of what
sounds might be used in the video. Create sounds and play them with the video. Play the original video with original sound. Integrate the video, the sound effects, and the music as one unit.

Music . . . Grades 5-8

#3 Students understand the roles of the arts and of artists in the past, present, and future.
_ Recognize distinguishing characteristics of musical styles that represent various cultures and historical periods. (C16)
_ Identify by characteristics, classify by style, and explain the meaning of the music in its time and place. (C16)
_ Understand how the value of music changes when viewed from different cultural perspectives. (C17)

#4 Students exhibit a variety of creative skills in their own artistic expressions and in response to others.
_ React to a piece of music through moving, illustrating, verbalizing and writing. (C23)
_ Establish criteria for analyzing an audience reaction to various types of concert settings. (C14)

Resources: The music resource draws upon the multi-media music program, Music! It's Role and Importance in Our Lives, Glencoe-McGraw/Hill. The musical composition featured is Four on the Floor, by the contemporary composer, Libby Larsen. Larsen is one of the foremost American composers writing today. The music is a multi-media production on video. The performance, by a string ensemble, takes place in an automobile demolition yard. The broad theme is played out here in novel ways.

Lesson Narrative: Discover American music in the form of jazz. Reference origins in African American culture. Past: boogie woogie and Ellington. Present: Libby Larsen. Future: Follow your dreams. Include: vocabulary, historical background, form, environment, and society. (1) Play the example Four on the Floor. (2) Students illustrate what they hear. (3) Name the composition and discuss the name. (4) Explain musical vocabulary, i.e., boogie woogie, jazz, the walking bass solo, and small ensemble. (5) Show video. (6) Write a paragraph to show how Four on the Floor represents American music.

Music . . . Grades 5&endash;8

Mathematics
By the end of the eighth grade students will:
8.2.4 apply the order of operations to solve problems both with and without the use of technology.
8.5.1 collect, analyze, interpret, and display data.
8.5.2 read and interpret tables, charts, and graphs to make comparisons, predictions, and inferences.
8.6.3 describe and represent relations, using tables, graphs, and rules.

Reading/Writing
By the end of the eighth grade students will:
8.1.1 identify basic facts and essential ideas in what they have read or viewed.
8.1.6 identify similar ideas across a variety of narratives and stories.
8.2.2 write compositions with a clear focus, logically related ideas, and adequate supporting detail.

Science
By the end of the eighth grade students will:
8.1.1 develop an understanding of systems, order, and organization.
8.1.3 develop an understanding of change, constancy, and measurement.
8.1.4 develop an understanding of form and function.
8.3.2 develop an understanding of motion and forces.

Social Studies/History
By the end of the eighth grade students will:
8.1.3 describe colonial America, such as: life in the colonies in the 18th century from the perspectives of Native Americans, large landowners, farmers, artisans, women, and slaves.
8.1.10 develop skills in discussion, debate, and persuasive writing by analyzing historical situations and events.
8.2.3 describe the ideas and events of the 1920s and 1930s.
8.2.7 develop skills for historical analysis.
8.3.8 demonstrate an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of citizens in America.

Ideas about . . .

Multi cultural:

Jazz Era

American Music

Music of the African AmericanÐslavery

African American Music

Slavery

Technology:

Keyboard synthesizer (create a walking bass, boogie woogie).
Assessment:

Observation, improvisation

PerformanceÐsolo or small ensemble

Learning Extensions:

Composing melodies over boogie woogie bass.
_ Discuss African American culture and how it applies to the Jazz Era.
_ Pretend to be a music criticÐanalyze the performanceÐconnect to poem, play, story, etc.
_ Write a boogie woogie bass.

Music . . . Grades 9-12

#3 Students understand the roles of the arts and of artists in the past, present, and future.
_ Recognize distinguishing characteristics of musical styles that represent various cultures and historical periods. (C16)
_ Identify by characteristics, classify by style and explain the meaning of the music in its time and place. (C16)
_ Understand how the value of music changes when viewed from different cultural perspectives. (C17)

#4 Students exhibit a variety of creative skills in their own artistic expressions and in response to others.
_ React to a piece of music through moving, illustrating, verbalizing and writing. (C23)
_ Establish criteria for analyzing an audience reaction to various types of concert settings. (C14)

Resources: The music resource draws upon the multi-media music program, Music! It's Role and Importance in Our Lives, Glencoe-McGraw/Hill. The musical composition featured is Four on the Floor, by the contemporary composer, Libby Larsen. Larsen is one of the foremost American composers writing today. The music is a multi-media production on video. The performance, by a string ensemble, takes place in an automobile demolition yard. The broad theme is played out here in novel ways.

Lesson Narrative: Students will experience Four on the Floor. In viewing and listening, they will analyze the piece to view distinguished parts of the piece and connect to historical presence of those parts. Students will internalize this connection to their interpretation. Students will listen again as an informed listener.

Music . . . Grade 9-12

Mathematics
By the end of the twelfth grade students will:
12.6.4 apply and solve problems using patterns, algebraic expressions, functions, and regression analysis.

Reading/Writing
By the end of the twelfth grade students will:
12.1.1 identify the basic facts and essential ideas in what they have read or viewed.
12.1.2 locate, access, and evaluate resources to identify appropriate information.
12.1.3 identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of characteristics of different types of text.
12.1.6 read, identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the structure, elements, and meaning of nonfiction or informational material and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
12.2.4 use a variety of forms to write for different audiences and purposes.
12.4.1 apply listening skills for a variety of purposes.

Science
By the end of the twelfth grade students will:
12.1.1 develop an understanding of systems, order, and organization.
12.1.3 develop an understanding of change, constancy, and measurement.
12.1.4 develop an understanding of form and function.
12.1.5 develop an understanding of change over a period of time.
12.6.1 develop an understanding of technological design.

Social Studies/History
By the end of the eighth grade students will:
12.2.3 explain how regional landscapes reflect the cultural characteristics of their inhabitants as well as historical events.

Ideas about . . .

Multi cultural:
Highlight women composers.

Technology:
Demonstrate samples of distinguished parts. (Midi)
Save music shop multimedia piece.

Assessment:
Learning Extensions:
Composition

Theatre . . . Grades K-1

#6 Students understand connections between the arts and other fields of study.
_ Demonstrate how designing a stage set teaches about the principles of design. (B7)
_ Recognize elements in theatre that relate to those in other fields of study. (B19)
_ Discuss how persuasion techniques learned in theatre are used in the media and politics. (B23/B24)

#7 Students recognize diverse perspectives in the creation, performance, interpretation, and evaluation of the arts.
_ Understand the importance of diversity when making interpretations and evaluations of theatre. (B21)
_ Analyze how theatre is affected by various social issues. (B14)
_ Recognize relationships between theatre and cultures. (B12)

Resources: The resource for theatre is The Blizzard of '88, a play written, produced, and performed by students, as part of the School at the Center Project. The description of the project can be found on the video tape, Making Waves, a video of Nebraska teachers and students who have found ways to involve their local community and place it in their curriculum. The play documents an actual event in the life of the community of Henderson in 1888. This resource, like that of visual arts, stimulates students and teachers to investigate and create theatre from real-life experiences in the community's past (or present).

The video tape is available by contacting Jerry Hoffman, Director, School at the Center, 216D Henzlik, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0355, telephone, 402-472-6395.

Lesson Narrative: Read the book, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Then watch a weather forecast on the weather channel. (1) create weather forecasts, using a cardboard box as a television set. Forecasts may be realistic, or may focus on the book's forecasts. (2) Improvise responses to the pages of the books. Assign the role of newscaster, parent, mayor of the town. (Example: Read the page about meatballs. Student says, "I hope everyone can cook spaghetti tonight, because we have meatballs raining down.") (3) Talk about foods from different cultures. Create another class book that features foods from other cultures. Super size everything and react to it. (4) Talk about weather trivia, i.e., "it's raining cats and dogs," (England) or "it's raining ropes," (France).

Theatre . . . Grades K-1

Mathematics
By the end of the first grade students will:
1.1.1 communicate the sequential nature of the number system.
1.1.2 communicate the mathematical relations of the number system.
1.1.3 recognize numbers and applications in everyday situations.
1.3.1 compare two or more items or sets using direct comparisons or nonstandard units of measure for the following attributes: length (shorter/longer), height (taller/shorter), weight (heavier/lighter), temperature (hotter/colder). Nonstandard unit examples are: length of a human foot, hand span, new pencil, a toothpick, block, etc.
1.3.5 demonstrate an understanding of orientation in time for past, present, future, earlier and later.
1.4.1 compare relative position and spatial relationships, such as left/right, above/below, over/under, up/down, and near/far.

Reading/Writing
By the end of the first grade students will:
1.1.1 read and write most of the words they speak and use.
1.1.3 apply knowledge of the organization of print to their reading and writing.
1.1.4 read and comprehend print and demonstrate the understanding that reading (like conversation) communicates meaning.
1.1.5 respond to literature.
1.2.1 speak in clear, complete, coherent sentences using standard English.
1.3.1 listen and be responsible members of the classroom.

Science
By the end of the first grade students will:
1.1.3 develop an understanding of change, constancy, and measurement.
1.3.1 develop an understanding of the characteristics of materials.
1.5.2 develop an understanding of the objects in the sky.
1.5.3 develop an understanding of the changes in the earth and sky.
1.7.1 develop an understanding of personal health.

Social Studies/History
By end of first grade students will:
1.8 compare and contrast the relative location of people, places, and things.
1.12 describe how climate, location, and physical surroundings affect the lives of people, such as their food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and recreation.
1.17 identify basic economic concepts.

Ideas about . . .

Multi cultural:
Relate the story to foods from various cultures, various countries' weather.

Technology:
Use video and television.

Assessment:
Role play the student "created" book as the teacher reads the book.
Evaluate the students' performance of their book.

Learning Extensions:
Create a town out of recycled materials.

Theatre . . . Grades 2-4

#6 Students understand connections between the arts and other fields of study.
_ Demonstrate how designing a stage set teaches about the principles of design. (B7)
_ Recognize elements in theatre that relate to those in other fields of study. (B19)
_ Discuss how persuasion techniques learned in theatre are used in the media and politics. (B23/B24)

#7 Students recognize diverse perspectives in the creation, performance, interpretation, and evaluation of the arts.
_ Understand the importance of diversity when making interpretations and evaluations of theatre. (B21)
_ Analyze how theatre is affected by various social issues. (B14)
_ Recognize relationships between theatre and cultures. (B12)

Resources: The resource for theatre is The Blizzard of 1888, a play written, produced, and performed by students, as part of the School at the Center Project. The description of the project can be found on the video tape, Making Waves, a video of Nebraska teachers and students who have found ways to involve their local community and place it in their curriculum. The play documents an actual event in the life of the Henderson community in 1888. This resource, like that of visual arts, stimulates students and teachers to investigate and create theatre from real-life experiences in the community's past (or present).

The video tape is available by contacting Jerry Hoffman, Director, School at the Center, 216D Henzlik, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0355, telephone, 402-472-6395.

Lesson Narrative: Research the Blizzard of 1888 in Nebraska to see the impact it had on the community. (1) Students will be introduced to the Blizzard of 1888, elements of theatre, and interviewing skills. (2) Students will interview 4-5 members of the community that will be brought into the school. Students will interview according to which element of theatre they want to use to document their interview. (3) Present their interviews through the theatre element chosen. (Costuming, set-design, sound design, play writing and acting.)

Theatre . . . Grades 2-4

Mathematics
By the end of fourth grade students will:
4.4.1 identify, describe, and create two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes.

Reading/Writing
By the end of fourth grade students will:
4.1.3 identify basic facts and essential ideas in what they have read or viewed.
4.1.4 locate, access, and evaluate resources to identify appropriate information.
4.2.5 use self-generated questions, note-taking, summarizing, and outlining to enhance learning.
4.3.1 pose questions and contribute their own information or ideas in group discussions in order to acquire new knowledge.
4.3.2 make oral presentations that demonstrate appropriate consideration of audience, purpose, and information to be conveyed.
4.4.1 gain information or complete tasks by listening.

Science
By the end of fourth grade students will:
4.2.1 develop the abilities needed to do scientific inquiry.
4.4.2 develop an understanding of the life cycles of living things.

Social Studies/History
By the end of fourth grade students will:
4.1 compare communities and describe how the local community changed physically and demographically over time.
4.14 identify examples of making economic choices and explain what is given up when making a choice; distinguish between money and barter economics; explain the differences between using cash, checks, and credit to purchase goods and services.

Ideas about . . .

Multi cultural:
Make sure diverse people are interviewed.
Compare this to a Russian blizzard.

Technology:
Record interviews.
Add the use of video and audio.
Record findings on a web site.
Work with local cable channel.

Assessment:
Assess student presentations and interviewing skills.

Learning Extensions:
Use mathematics problem solving skills regarding family economics.

Theatre . . . Grades 5-8

#6 Students understand connections between the arts and other fields of study.
_ Demonstrate how designing a stage set teaches about the principles of design. (B7)
_ Recognize elements in theatre that relate to those in other fields of study. (B19)
_ Discuss how persuasion techniques learned in theatre are used in the media and politics. (B23/B24)

#7 Students recognize diverse perspectives in the creation, performance, interpretation, and evaluation of the arts.
_ Understand the importance of diversity when making interpretations and evaluations of theatre. (B21)
_ Analyze how theatre is affected by various social issues. (B14)
_ Recognize relationships between theatre and cultures. (B12)

Resources: The resource for theatre is The Blizzard of '88, a play written, produced, and performed by students, as part of the School at the Center Project. The description of the project can be found on the video tape, Making Waves, a video of Nebraska teachers and students who have found ways to involve their local community and place it in their curriculum. The play documents an actual event in the life of the Henderson community in 1888. This resource, like that of visual arts, stimulates students and teachers to investigate and create theatre from real-life experiences in the community's past (or present).

The video tape is available by contacting Jerry Hoffman, Director, School at the Center, 216D Henzlik, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0355, telephone, 402-472-6395.

Lesson Narrative: (1) Give information about tornados in general and tie that information into mathematics, science, and fiction. (2) Students relate stories about tornados. (3) Assign groupsÐgender equitable. (4) Choose a story to reenactÐwrite the script [a] setting, [b] cast of characters, [c] beginning, middle, end, [d] create climax and resolution, [e] scenery, costumes, makeup, blocking. (5) Elements of production, [a] volume, [b] face audience, [c] time limit of 5 to 7 minutes. (6) Present to audience. (7) Give a different interpretation of the same event, i.e., students and teacher in tornado, weather person in tornado, people in retirement homes.

Theatre . . . Grades 5-8

Mathematics
By the end of the eighth grade students will:
8.3.1 select appropriate tools and properly measure quantities for temperature, time, money, length and width, area and perimeter, volume and capacity, weight and mass in both standard and metric units at the level of precision required.
8.4.6 use geometric representation to solve problems and describe the physical world.
8.5.1 collect, analyze, interpret, and display data.
8.5.2 read and interpret tables, charts, and graphs to make comparisons, predictions, and inferences.

Reading/Writing
By the end of the eighth grade students will:
8.1.1 identify basic facts and essential ideas in what they have read or viewed.
8.1.2 locate, access, and evaluate resources to identify appropriate information.
8.2.4 use a variety of forms to write for different audiences and purposes.
8.3.2 make oral presentations that demonstrate appropriate consideration of audience, purpose, and information to be conveyed.

Science
By the end of the eighth grade students will:
8.1.3 develop an understanding of change, constancy, and measurement.
8.2.1 develop the abilities needed to do scientific inquiry.
8.3.1 develop an understanding of properties and changes of properties in matter.
8.3.2 develop an understanding of motion and forces.
8.5.1 develop an understanding of the structure of the earth.
8.5.2 develop an understanding of the earth's history.
8.7.3 develop an understanding of natural hazards.

Social Studies/History
By the end of the eighth grade students will:
8.1.10 develop skills in discussion, debate, and persuasive writing by analyzing historical situations and events.

Ideas about . . .

Multi cultural:
Read The Night of the Twister.
View the movie The Twister.

Technology:
Visit web site on The Night of the Twister.

Assessment:
Audience observation.
Guidelines: 4 characters, setting, beginning, middle, end, climax.

Learning Extensions:
Study natural disasters around the world.
Interview weather station expert.

Theatre . . . Grades 9-12

#6 Students understand connections between the arts and other fields of study.
_ Demonstrate how designing a stage set teaches about the principles of design. (B7)
_ Recognize elements in theatre that relate to those in other fields of study. (B19)
_ Discuss how persuasion techniques learned in theatre are used in the media and politics. (B23/B24)

#7 Students recognize diverse perspectives in the creation, performance, interpretation, and evaluation of the arts.
_ Understand the importance of diversity when making interpretations and evaluations of theatre. (B21)
_ Analyze how theatre is affected by various social issues. (B14)
_ Recognize relationships between theatre and cultures. (B12)

Resources: The resource for theatre is The Blizzard of '88, a play written, produced, and performed by students, as part of the School at the Center Project. The description of the project can be found on the video tape, Making Waves, a video of Nebraska teachers and students who have found ways to involve their local community and place it in their curriculum. The play documents an actual event in the life of the Henderson community in 1888. This resource, like that of visual arts, stimulates students and teachers to investigate and create theatre from real-life experiences in the community's past (or present).

The video tape is available by contacting Jerry Hoffman, Director, School at the Center, 216D Henzlik, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0355, telephone, 402-472-6395.

Lesson Narrative:
1. Diverse examples of he Forces of Nature are studied, interpreted and discussed by students:

• Winslow Homer, Man Against NatureÐSeascape.
  

  • Excerpt from the movie The Twister.
    
  • Reproduction of Thomas Hart Benton's Hailstorm, from the Joslyn Art Museum.
    
  • Bodmer image print on Prairie Fire,
    
  • Grapes of Wrath and the dust bowl,
    
  • Thedford fireÐnewspaper accounts and images off the internet.

  2. Brainstorm a list of forces of nature.
  3. Students will write their own experience with nature and share it within a small group.
  4. Select one experience, interpret and script a presentation. Create a 2 to 3 minute scene wherein all members perform as dancers, actors, or sound effects people.
  5. Perform that scripted experience.
  

  • Theatre . . . Grades 9-12

    
    Mathematics
    By the end of the twelfth grade students will:
    12.4.2 utilize geometric relationships and terms to describe the physical world.
    
    Reading/Writing
    By the end of the twelfth grade students will:
    12.1.4 identify, analyze, and apply theme in literature and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
    12.1.7 read literature written in English, including fiction, poetry, drama, and literacy nonfiction prose.
    12.2.3 demonstrate improvement in organization
    12.2.4 use a variety of forms to write for different audiences and purposes.
    12.3.1 pose questions and contribute their own information or ideas in group discussions in order to acquire new knowledge.
    12.3.2 make oral presentations that demonstrate appropriate consideration of audience, purpose, and information to be conveyed.
    12.4.1 apply listening skills for a variety of purposes.
    
    Science
    By the end of the twelfth grade students will:
    12.1.4 develop an understanding of form and function.
    12.3.4 develop an understanding of motions and forces.
    12.3.5 develop an understanding of the conservation of energy and increase in disorder.
    12.3.6 develop an understanding of the interactions of energy and matter.
    12.4.4 develop an understanding of the interdependence of organisms.
    12.7.3 develop an understanding of natural resources.
    12.7.5 develop an understanding of natural and human-induced hazards.
    
    Social Studies/History
    By the end of the twelfth grade students will:
    12.2.2 analyze how selected physical/ecological processes shaped the earth's surface.
    12.2.8 will identify natural hazards, describe their characteristics, explain their impact on human and physical systems. Assess efforts to manage their consequences in developed/less developed regions.
    12.3.10 analyze and explain the Great Depression.

     

    Ideas about . . .

    Multi cultural:
    View and discuss artwork of prints of natural storms, i.e., Bodmer reproductions of Native Americans.
    Read excerpts of short stories, tall tales, fables, novels (Grapes of Wrath) regarding natural events.
    
    Technology:
    Video tape groups' performance.
    Make quick-time presentation for web.
    Search Internet for pictures of current natural occurrences.

    Assessment:
    Generate a rubric to be used to critique each group's performances.
    
    Learning Extensions:
    Design sets for each performance.
    Select music and dance for the performance and perform plays for elementary school and community.
    Illustrate the story.
    
    Visual Arts . . . Grades K-1
    
    #1 Students recognize the connections between the arts and their own lives and environments.
    _ Compare the life experiences that appear in images to their own experiences. (D15)
    _ Analyze how their own experiences influence their critical judgements about their works and the works of others. (D15)
    _ Interpret visual images in cultural/historical context. (D9)
    
    #2 Students recognize the value of the arts in their own learning and creative processes.
    _ Interpret how form, symbols, techniques and medium construct meaning in works of art. (D17)
    _ Demonstrate the way individual experience contributes to meaning in art. (D9)
    _ Analyze the sources of their own works and works of others. (D7)
    

  Resources: The resource, Torn Notebook, is a sculpture by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Post cards of the sculpture are available from the Sheldon. Further information is on the Sheldon's web site. This is a fine example of public art that can involve students of all ages in issues related to the role of public art in the community. How can sculpture reflect and symbolize groups of people who live and work together?
  
  Lesson Narrative: Introduce the artists, Oldenburg and van Bruggen. List the natural forces that students see in Torn Notebook (tornado, sun, wind, etc.). Students design and build a maquette from found objects and recyclables that represent their community. Use words from the list of what they see, including the words that are on Torn Notebook. Create a poem that responds to the maquette.
  1. Divide class into groups of 3-5 and sort a collection of art reproductions, sculptures and paintings.
  2. Monitor groups. Question students about their decisions. Acknowledge correct terminology used when identifying characteristics of sculptures and paintings.
  3. As a class, correctly identify reproductions within two stacks (sculptures/paintings), discuss materials, techniques and pertinent historical information about artists.
  4. Provide background information on Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. (Refer to movie of Torn Notebook from Sheldon Internet site. Minneapolis Institute of Art has a movie about their sculpture garden and the Spoonbridge by Oldenburg and van Bruggen.) Select prints of Oldenburg and van Bruggen's work which depict found objects.
  5. Students explore their pencil boxes, desk, and room for found objects. Compare sizes of objects. Make fine line drawing of an object, place it on an overhead projector to show enormity of size.
  6. Commission students to create a 3-D maquette of a sculpture using choice of materials (paper strips, foil matte board, oaktag, cardboard, yarn, wire, stapler, tape, glue.)
  7. Provide criterion for assessment to students: The art form will be a free-standing sculpture which a bug could walk over, under, around, and through. Note student use of correct terminology (sculpture, sculptor, base, shapes, forms, lines, balance, color, texture, size, maquette, empty spaces, free-standing, shadows).
  8. Provide flashlights for students to note effects of light on maquette.
  9. Students title work and display maquettes for gallery showing. Students complete a self critique of their work and make recommendations for improvement.
  

  • Visual Arts . . . Grades K-1
    
    Mathematics
    By the end of the first grade students will:
    1.1.1 communicate the sequential nature of the number system.
    1.3.1 students will compare two or more items or sets using direct comparisons or nonstandard units of measure for the following attributes: length (shorter/longer), height (taller/shorter), weight (heavier/lighter), temperature (hotter/colder). Nonstandard unit examples are: length of a human foot, hand span, new pencil, a toothpick, block, etc.
    1.4.1 compare relative position and spatial relationships, such as left/right, above/below, over/under, up/down, and near/far.
    1.4.2 identify, describe, and create circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles.
    1.6.2 sort and classify objects according to one or more attributes, such as size, shape, color, and thickness.
    
    Reading/Writing
    By the end of the first grade students will:
    1.1.5 respond to literature.
    1.2.1 speak in clear, complete, coherent sentences using standard English.
    1.3.1 listen and be responsible members of the classroom.
    
    Science
    By the end of the first grade students will:
    1.1.1 develop an understanding of systems, order, and organization.
    1.1.3 develop an understanding of change, constancy, and measurement.
    1.1.4 develop an understanding of form and function.
    1.3.1 develop an understanding of the characteristics of materials.
    1.6.2 develop an understanding of science and technology.
    
    Social Studies/History
    By the end of the first grade students will:
    1.5 explain the past and present through pictures, oral history, letters or journals.
    1.15 identify community groups of which students are members.
    
    

    Ideas about . . .

    Multi cultural:
    Examine African masks. Talk about the function of masks.
    Read Anansi storiesÐthe spider as main character for African folk tales.
    Study women sculptorsÐuse Georgia O'Keeffe, Maya Lin, and Louise Nevelson. Talk about their sculptures. Compare their work to that of Oldenburg and von Bruggen.
    
    Technology:
    Use of the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery web site, the overhead projector, and the movie from the Walker Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN.
    
    Assessment:
    How does the art work of others give new ideas to you?
    

    Learning Extensions:
    After completing the 3-D model, teacher read's Eric Carle's, A Hungry Caterpillar, or another bug book. Have students hunt bugs and use them to help judge the sculpture.
    The learner will create a 3-D, freestanding sculpture that can withstand wind (fan) and the force of being dropped off a desk..
    

    Visual Arts . . . Grades 2&endash;4
    
    #1 Students recognize the connections between the arts and their own lives and environments.
    _ Compare the life experiences that appear in images to their own experiences. (D15)
    _ Analyze how their own experiences influence their critical judgements about their works and the works of others. (D15)
    _ Interpret visual images in cultural/historical context. (D9)
    
    #2 Students recognize the value of the arts in their own learning and creative processes.
    _ Interpret how form, symbols, techniques and medium construct meaning in works of art. (D17)
    _ Demonstrate the way individual experience contributes to meaning in art. (D9)
    _ Analyze the sources of their own works and works of others. (D7)
    

  Resources: The resource is the sculpture, Torn Notebook, by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Post cards of the sculpture are available from the Sheldon, and further information is presented on the Sheldon's web site. This is a fine example of public art that can involve students of all ages in issues related to the role of public art in the community. How can sculpture reflect and symbolize groups of people who live and work together?
  
  Lesson Narrative: Students list the natural forces they see in the sculpture (tornado, sun, wind, etc.). Students design and build a maquette from found objects and recyclables that represent their community. Use words from the list of what they see, including the words that are on Torn Notebook. Create a poem that responds to the maquette.
  

  • Visual Arts . . . Grades 2&endash;4
    
    Mathematics
    By the end of fourth grade students will:
    4.3.2 estimate, measure, and solve problems using standard units for linear measure, area, mass/weight, and capacity.
    4.4.1 identify, describe, and create two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes.
    
    Reading/Writing
    By the end of fourth grade students will:
    4.1.2 acquire and use correctly an advanced reading vocabulary.
    4.1.3 identify basic facts and essential ideas in what they have read or viewed.
    4.1.5 identify characteristics of different types of text.
    4.1.7 identify and apply knowledge of the structure, elements, and meaning of nonfiction or informational material and give evidence from the text to support their understanding.
    4.1.8 identify similar ideas across a variety of narratives and stories.
    4.2.4 use a variety of forms to write for different audiences and purposes.
    4.2.5 use self-generated questions, note-taking, summarizing, and outlining to enhance learning.
    
    Science
    By the end of fourth grade students will:
    4.1.2 develop an understanding of evidence, models, and explanation.
    4.1.4 develop an understanding of form and function.
    4.3.1 develop an understanding of the characteristics of objects and materials.
    4.3.2 develop an understanding of the position and motion of objects.
    4.6.3 develop an understanding of the abilities to distinguish between natural objects and objects made by humans.
    4.7.2 develop an understanding of the types of resources.
    
    Social Studies/History
    By the end of the fourth grade students will:
    4.1 compare communities and describe how the local community changed physically and demographically over time.
    •  

    Ideas about . . .

    Multi cultural:
    Artists from a Scandinavian country.
    
    Technology:
    Use computers for scaling.
    Sculpt 3-D programs to create 3-D virtual sculptures.
    
    Assessment:
    Assess poems and maquette.
    Have students and teachers set rubrics for each.
    
    Learning Extensions:
    Discuss collaboration versus working alone.
    Students create their own sculptures out of the words that are generated.
    
    Visual Arts . . . Grades 5-8
    
    #1 Students recognize the connections between the arts and their own lives and environments.
    _ Compare the life experiences that appear in images to their own experiences. (D15)
    _ Analyze how their own experiences influence their critical judgements about their works and the works of others. (D15)
    _ Interpret visual images in cultural/historical context. (D9)
    
    #2 Students recognize the value of the arts in their own learning and creative processes.
    _ Interpret how form, symbols, techniques and medium construct meaning in works of art. (D17)
    _ Demonstrate the way individual experience contributes to meaning in art. (D9)
    _ Analyze the sources of their own works and works of others. (D7)
    

  Resources: The resource is the sculpture, Torn Notebook, by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Post cards of the sculpture are available from the Sheldon, and further information is presented on the Sheldon's web site. This is a fine example of public art that can involve students of all ages in issues related to the role of public art in the community. How can sculpture reflect and symbolize groups of people who live and work together?
  
  Lesson Narrative: Discuss the use of visual metaphors in the sculpture. Meaning in art sometimes comes through the use of metaphors. Give examples. Write two paragraph interpretations of the sculpture. Then give the title of the sculpture and background on the artists. Show reproductions of three other works by Oldenburg and van Bruggen. Read article from NebraskaLand Magazine. Check Sheldon web site on Torn Notebook. Take a field trip to see the sculpture. Choose an everyday object as a metaphor, i.e., a pop can. Draw the visual metaphor to scale. Make a 3-D sculpture out of cardboard. Make a verbal presentation explaining each sculptural metaphor.
  

  • Visual Arts . . . Grades 5-8
    
    Mathematics
    By the end of the eighth grade students will:
    8.2.3 solve problems involving whole numbers, integers, and rational numbers (fractions, decimals, ratios, proportions, and percents) both with and without the use of technology. Problems will be of varying complexities and can involve real-life data.
    8.3.2 convert units within measurement systems using proper conversion factors (standard and metric).
    8.4.1 identify, describe, compare, and classify geometric figures such as plan figures like polygons and circles; solid figures like prisms, pyramids, cones, spheres, and cylinders; and line, line segments, rays, angles, parallel and perpendicular lines.
    8.4.6 use geometric representation to solve problems and describe the physical world.
    
    Reading/Writing
    By the end of the eighth grade students will:
    8.1.1 identify basic facts and essential ideas in what they have read or viewed.
    8.2.2 write compositions with a clear focus, logically related ideas, and adequate supporting detail.
    8.3.2 make oral presentations that demonstrate appropriate consideration of audience, purpose, and information to be conveyed.
    
    Science
    By the end of the eighth grade students will:
    8.1.2 develop an understanding of evidence, models, and explanation.
    8.1.3 develop an understanding of change, constancy, and measurement.
    8.6.1 develop an understanding of technological design.
    
    Social Studies/History
    By the end of the eighth grade students will:
    8.1.9 develop skills for historical analysis.
    
    

    Ideas about . . .

    Multi cultural:
    Artist's nationality.
    Focus on Nebraska frontier.
    
    Technology:
    Web site on Torn Notebook.
    Research similar sculptures.
    
    Assessment:
    Student creates an original art work visually demonstrating metaphors.
    
    Learning Extensions:
    Tie into tornado lesson (force of nature) in theater.
    Research artists that do similar works.
    Tour art museum.
    
    Visual Arts . . . Grades 9&endash;12
    
    #1 Students recognize the connections between the arts and their own lives and environments.
    _ Compare the life experiences that appear in images to their own experiences. (D15)
    _ Analyze how their own experiences influence their critical judgements about their works and the works of others. (D15)
    _ Interpret visual images in cultural/historical context. (D9)
    
    #2 Students recognize the value of the arts in their own learning and creative processes.
    _ Interpret how form, symbols, techniques and medium construct meaning in works of art. (D17)
    _ Demonstrate the way individual experience contributes to meaning in art. (D9)
    _ Analyze the sources of their own works and works of others. (D7)
    

  Resources: The resource is the sculpture, Torn Notebook, by Claes Oldenburg and Cossje van Bruggen, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Post cards of the sculpture are available from the Sheldon, and further information is presented on the Sheldon's web site. This is a fine example of public art that can involve students of all ages in issues related to the role of public art in the community. How can sculpture reflect and symbolize groups of people who live and work together?
  
  Lesson Narrative:
  1. Students will view a video that introduces monuments/sculptures.
  2. Students will use Torn Notebook to understand how Oldenburg uses ordinary things to make a commemorative piece; review other Oldenburg icons: Spoonbridge and Cherry, Shuttle Cocks, Clothespin, Bat Column. Students will brainstorm ideas to assemble an icon from their culture.
  3. Students will select a piece and then develop a feasibility plan on (a) materials, (b) time, (c) size, (d) design, and (e) rationale.
  4. Students will create an inflatable sculpture of monumental scale.
  5. Students will write a message to dedicate the icon.
  6. Student body, staff, and community will connect with the monument as they can provide inscription messages on feeling. Written responses to the work invited by observers and interaction invited as well (going into work, manipulating the work) writing on the work itself, comments, feelings, etc.
  
  Visual Arts . . . Grades 9&endash;12
  
  Mathematics
  By the end of the eighth grade students will:
  12.3.1 select and use appropriate measuring units, tools, and/or technology to achieve a specified degree of accuracy and precision.
  12.4.1 calculate perimeter, area, and volume for two- and three- dimensional shapes.
  12.4.2 utilize geometric relationships and terms to describe the physical world.
  
  Reading/Writing
  By the end of the eighth grade students will:
  12.1.2 locate, access, and evaluate resources to identify appropriate information.
  12.1.8 interpret the meaning of literary works, nonfiction, films, and media by using different analytic techniques.
  12.2.1 identify, describe, and apply knowledge of the structure of the English language and standard English conventions for sentence structure, usage, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.
  12.2.2 write compositions with a clear focus, logically related ideas, and adequate supporting detail.
  12.3.1 pose questions and contribute their own information or ideas in group discussions in order to acquire new knowledge.
  12.3.2 make oral presentations that demonstrate appropriate consideration of audience, purpose, and information to be conveyed.
  
  Science
  By the end of the eighth grade students will:
  12.1.1 develop an understanding of systems, order, and organization.
  12.1.2 develop an understanding of evidence, models, and explanation.
  12.1.3 develop an understanding of change, constancy, and measurement.
  12.1.4 develop an understanding of form and function.
  12.6.1 develop an understanding of technological design.
  12.6.2 develop an understanding about science and technology.
  
  Social Studies/History
  By the end of the eighth grade students will:
  12.1.10 analyze major 20th century historical events.
  12.1.11 demonstrate historical research and geographical skills.
  12.3.17 develop skills for historical analysis.
  12.3.18 develop discussion, debate, and persuasive writing skills, focusing on enduring issues and demonstrating how divergent viewpoints have been addressed and reconciled.
  
  Ideas about . . .

  Multi cultural:
  Identify monuments in other countries and cultures.
  
  Technology:

  Search the net for examples of the monuments.
  Use a digital camera to take 3-D photos to view the sculptures.
  Have a number of schools produce their icon and share over distance learning
  
  Assessment:
  Public comment cards available at sculpture.
  Conduct self and peer assessment on the results and collaboration.
  
  Learning Extensions:
  Replicate large-scale animals and machines and industrial animals such as whales, elephants, computers, the human body, big boy, coffee pot.
  
  
  

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  Alignment:
  The
  Arts and Standards
  

   

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  Alignment: The Arts and Standards
  
  The following chart shows the alignment of the Essential Learnings in dance, music, theatre, and visual arts, with the academic content standards in mathematics, reading/writing, science, and social studies/history.

  The chart also identifies the content standards that are not always assessed using norm referenced tests. Analysis from the Buros Institute at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was used to make that determination. Those standards not addressed are listed in bold print. Only mathematics has been analyzed as an example.

  Judging from the analysis, there are a number of standards in mathematics that will require schools to use criterion assessments to report student performance.

  This has important implications for Essential Learnings in dance, music, theatre, and visual art. The visual and performing arts can be used to demonstrate student performance on many of the academic standards in Nebraska L.E.A.R.N.S. In other words, criterion referenced assessment can be based on student performance in the arts.

  Teachers can develop rubrics that describe student performance using student demonstrations included here as an example. Student exemplars can be collected over time and scored in terms of performance levels of student achievement of the standards.

  Other similar learning experiences also could be designed, accompanied by criterion referenced tests, to show student demonstration of achievement on various academic content standards not assessed by norm referenced tests.
  Alignment: The Arts and Standards