Running+Notes

Running Notes from Meetings:
**Newest Meeting at Top**

Diane & Cherri @ Ramsey
 * March 9, 2010**
 * To-Do Item

Recommendations from Cherri: Research Project (PowerPoint presentation): rather than signing up for topics, in future would include some key ideas & items that should be included. Next time: *provide key items/events/people who should be in Dance & Theater Research group.

Classroom day in between dance days

Use Points 2 Ponder sheet in Fishbowl for Karl Marx reading.

Uve has sites as resources for Harlem Ren units.

Dante, Darren, Arianna Qiana Fox, Kryie (students) taught the dances to the two other 8th grade classes in dance studio. Core class was the front line in 3 combined classes in cafeteria. [entire 8th grade classes] Other 8th grade teachers and Principal came down to learn the dances.
 * Need to provide music for student practice.

Should have shown what dance looked like prior to 1920's. Otherwise, students don't understand why 20's are significant. Do a 2nd round of Critical Response or Photo Analysis afterwards (in small groups with different images and/or dance videos) followed by large group discussion analyzing what dance signifies about Harlem Ren ideas.


 * Locate text about the dances (by a dancer) for reading & reflection using Written Document Analysis
 * Create homework worksheet about the significance of the dances

Uve, Christopher, Sharon, Tifre, Diane
 * January 29 Planning Mtg @ Ramsey**

Christopher has downloaded some clips from YouTube as dance exemplars & he will post links here:

Christopher will focus on: Day 1: Introduce Charleston & Shim Sham; introduce music, composers, how dance & music affected society Day 2: Charleston (solo & optional partner); continue Shim Sham Day 3: Complete Shim ShamCompare/contrast Hip Hop and Charleston

Shim Sham - started as a finale in vaudeville shows; originally choreographed by Leonard Reed (Africa American); includes some percussive dance (tap); presentational Days 1 & 2 Charleston - key dance form to come out of the '20's; strongly shaped by African dance; music by African-American composers

(will not do Black Bottom) Before Christopher starts: Uve Descriptive Review or Critical Response of one image or dance clip (historical): Charleston, Josephine Baker,

To Do: Diane, Sharon & Christopher think about short oral, written, visual tools to check for understanding, knowledge.

Uve, Tifre, Christopher, Diane Harlem Ren; 1920’s – Great Crash in 29
 * 1/9/10 mtg @ Ramsey**

Phillip Randolph was a writer and leader who challenged Dubois’ perspectives. Randolph was in charege of porters’ union; spearheaded march on Washington to hire and contract black workers as well as white.

The 1920’s saw big changes in society. (women’s roles, economics)

W.E. B. Dubois “Race Pride” Phillip Randolph “The New Negro” essay (excerpted) Judge Harlen: dissenting argument in Plessy vs. Ferguson (legalizes segregation/separate but equal)

Non-partner dance: Shim Sham -> womens’ chorus line Charleston Black Bottom

Above are non-partner dance so likely to be more successful with 8th graders.

Economics laid the groundwork for change in the 1920’s including stronger middle class in African American communities.

Change also driven by the church.

__To Do:__ Uve: Coordinate getting image release permission from parents so we can shoot pix, video, scan student work, etc. Diane: Send image release form to Uve; set up Google doc

Cherri, Christopher & Diane
 * 12/11/09 @ Ramsey**

Topics: 1920”s Back to Africa, Harlem Renaissance mid 1920’s – mid 1930’s Philip Randolph, March on Washington, Porters Langston Hughes, Paul Robeson, Zora Neal Thurston

Possible lessons: Power of poetry & song Specific dance forms: jazz chorus line (ex: “Been Rich All My Life”) Tap Shim Sham Charleston Black Bottom Make up a routine using preceding 3 dances – show to Lincoln?

Concert African Dance Pearl Primus Resources: Tifre wants to see video clips, images, early film footage. Do this early in unit using Descriptive Review or Visual Thinking Strategies.

Perpich Center** John.Horton, Kathy Lara, Uve Hamilton, Kara Johnson, Tara Hart, Sara Edmundson, Debbie Hagberg, Sharon Varosh, Diane Aldis, Derek Phillips,Christopher Yaeger
 * Nov. 18. 2009: Intitial Mtg ~ Everyone

As an ensemble of teachers and teaching artists, we share: Synergy around dance & humanities; Commitment to collaborative work while acknowledging that this is sometimes messy and nonlinear; Familiarity or interest in using Understand by Design model (UbD); General frame of American/US history in this year's curriculum with Kathy Lara interested in bigger frame of places that shaped Obana's experience growing up: Indonesia, Hawaii, Chicago.

Possible components of interdisciplinary work: Movement metaphors (lessons) on the big ideas of social studies; push - pull, migration, cultural identity, etc; Dance experiences that connect to specific time periods, places, peoples; Reflective tools to help students connect dance experiences with own identities as well as concepts & content in socials studies; Technology (web pages, video conferencing, behind-the-scenes teachers' wiki, etc.) used to support visual and kinesthetic learning by students; opportunities to share student work with each other; imbedded professional development; documentation and assessment purposes; integration of technology in 4-8 curriculum. (PS: We have people and resources such as Shubert Center who will help with this.)

Next steps: 1. Deb will send "those big words" and UbD designs to Diane; will keep Theresa Penasa in the loop. 2. Diane and Christopher will meet with Cherri at Ramsey; date/time TBD. 3. Diane will organize smaller planning meetings with teachers and teaching artists (and Sharon) to plan scope and content for specific units. Sharon can also assist with writing and research. 4. Full group meeting on Monday January 25 from 4:30 - 6:30 to share draft lesson plans and timelines.

Long term: Uve and Ramsey team would like to bring dance specialist Lori Ledoux into this project as she gets a little more acclimatized to her new job at Ramsey.