EDCI 517
Integrating the Arts Across the Elementary Curriculum
Shannon Foster
Module 5: Dance Creative Movement Integration
Chapter 10 and 11
Learning Journal Module 5
Date/Reading
Tuesday
November 07, 2017
Cornett, C.E. (2015). Creative
meaning through literature
and the arts: Arts integration
for classroom teachers (Fifth
Edition). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Quote
Movement is integral to most
careers, beginning with how
you carry yourself, which
influences hiring decisions. (p.
387) and controlling your
body helps you control your
life. (p. 390) and Dance
integration seeks to extend
each childs control over body
parts and movements and build
endurance and strength; thus,
participants develop poise.
Confidence growsSelf-
assurance is extended (p.
390)
Due November 18, 2017
Response
I realize these are different
quotes, but they fit so well
together that I had to connect
them as one quote. This
concept is SO true. So often
people wonder why it is that
certain types of people always
seen to get the job. I would
say, Watch how they present
themselves. Look at how they
carry themselves. Poise is as
important as a first impression.
There are children who possess
these qualities as well. We have
all seen the child others want to
be near or try to act like. As
teachers, I would hope we
would want to instill this poise,
confidence, and self-assurance
in our students.
I remember when I was
growing up I stood at least a
head taller than all the other
girls in my class did. (I finally
stopped growing at 62.) I
wanted to take gymnastics
because all the cool girls were
gymnasts. My mother had great
foresight and said I would be
too tall to be a gymnast, but I
could take ballet. Ballet?!
Boring, classical, stuffy ballet
(so I thought at the time). I
finally acquiesced and danced
for 3 1/2 years until my knees
started giving me trouble. Now
that I look back, I appreciate
her wisdom. As a tall girl, my
ballet classes taught me more
than just ballet dance. They
taught me to stand up straight
EDCI 517
Integrating the Arts Across the Elementary Curriculum
Shannon Foster
Tuesday
November 7, 2017
Cornett, C.E. (2015). Creative
meaning through literature
and the arts: Arts integration
for classroom teachers (Fifth
Edition). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Dance is athleticism with
artistry (p. 392) and Although
sports moves are not the same
as dance, there is a connection
(p. 389) school should not be
just preparation for life, but
actual life, (p. 389).
and tall. They taught me to
walk with my head up and not
slouch my shoulders (which is
too easy to do when you are tall
and trying to fit in with your
friends who are average height
or shorter). They gave me a
graceful bearing and strong
posture. I cannot say I felt the
confidence and self-assurance
while I was in my teens, but I
look back now and see that
ballet did help me at least
appear confident and self-
assured. I do know I got at least
three jobs because of the poise,
confidence, self-assurance, and
self-control I comported when
interviewed.
Isnt it amazing how sports and
dance are considered similar? I
love the idea that dance is
athleticism with artistry. So
often dance is considered a
waste of time, but to sit in the
stands and watch a rough and
tumble game of football is truly
an athletic achievement
(tongue in cheek). I used to
teach physical education and I
tried so hard to develop
lifetime skills and activities in
my students. But parents and
athletic staff wanted sports
development. When I told them
I was teaching physical
education for life, they were
less than thrilled with my
curriculum choices. I have
found so much evidence in the
text that supports my mission
as a teacher, in anything that I
teach. Im all for sports, but an
active lifestyle is what true
preparation for life really
needs. How many 40+ baseball,
basketball, or football players
EDCI 517
Integrating the Arts Across the Elementary Curriculum
Shannon Foster
are out there? A few, but not
many. How many 40+ golfers,
dancers, swimmers are out
there? A lot more. Actual life
does that mean just the here
and now lifestyle, or the now
and later lifestyle? I would
promote the now and later
lifestyle.

Tuesday They get out of their heads This quote made me laugh. It is
November 7, 2017 and into their bodies. It gives so true. So often, we separate
them that transition time the brain from the body and
Parnell, E. C. (2017). Body between what we often do in think that the only kind of
Movement and Space. schools, which is sort of education schools can teach is
Retrieved from Teaching educate ourselves from the what goes into a students head.
Channel: neck up and then we get to go If educators want to educate
https://www.teachingchannel. back into our bodies and get the whole student, there should
educated again from the head be no separation between what
org/videos/body-movement-
down (time 6:44) (Parnell, goes into a students head and
and-space 2017) what comes out in their actions
(movement). The idea of
getting students to connect all
of the senses to learning would
create a balance in their
educational needs and
internalize their lessons more
readily. As students are forced
to stay seated, they lose their
desire to physically interact
with their lessons because they
are not allowed to.
Why are some teachers or
administrations so reluctant to
allow students to move when
they are learning?

Tuesday However, dancing was In my family, dancing was not

November 14, 2017 completely foreign to me. I had considered to be bad, but we
been raised to believe dancing attended a church that,
Reaves, M. (2017). The Year I was bad. I didnt go to dances depending on the Pastor at the
Learned to Dance and and I certainly didnt get caught time, dancing went from OK, to
Danced to Learn. trying to dance at home tolerated, to bad. I have many
Retrieved from (unnumbered) friends, however, whose
https://www.msubonli parents had this opinion as well
and it makes me sad. My
ne.net/d2l/le/content/ parents actually met at a dance
440290/viewContent/3 competition, so they were fine
EDCI 517
Integrating the Arts Across the Elementary Curriculum
Shannon Foster
180025/View
Wednesday
November 15, 2017
Cornett, C.E. (2015). Creative
meaning through literature
and the arts: Arts integration
for classroom teachers (Fifth
Edition). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Math Seed Strategy: Telling Time
Use masking tape to make a
large clock on the floor. Children
move around in the 12 hour
spaces by stretching arms to a
person in the middle of the clock
as the teacher calls a time (p.
447)
with dancing. I didnt go to
many dances though because
the style of dancing the
students did was very
inappropriate and I always felt
embarrassed by their actions. If
they had danced, say, the Waltz
or Two Step or Polka or those
kinds of dances, I would have
loved dancing at school dances.
As I have gotten older, I wish I
could go out dancing, but my
husband is from the thou shalt
not dance background. He
does not think dancing is bad
now, but he never learned to
dance and so his excuse is that
he does not like to dance or he
doesnt know how to dance.
I think with children, especially
boys, dancing is seen as not
manly. Because many schools
are not teaching dancing as a
social activity (sports has taken
preeminence, even for girls
now days) there is a stigma
associated with boys, young
men, and men who like to
dance. At least that is what I
noticed between boys who play
sports and those who would
rather dance.
What ever happened to the
cultured person, a person
who has good manners and
etiquette and knows how to act
appropriately and dance
socially?
As soon as I read this seed
strategy, I knew I needed to use
it. With digital clocks and
watches, telling time using an
analogue clock is a skill that has
gone by the wayside for many
children. The clocks I have had in
my classroom are analogue
EDCI 517
Integrating the Arts Across the Elementary Curriculum
Shannon Foster
Wednesday
November 15, 2017
Cornett, C.E. (2015). Creative
meaning through literature
and the arts: Arts integration
for classroom teachers (Fifth
Edition). Boston, MA: Pearson.
This book focuses on integrating
the arts with core curricular
areas It is important to
integrate the arts with each
other which can magnify the
unique impact of the arts (p.
456)
A Productions also incorporate all
clocks and I had a sixth grade
student keep asking me what
time it was. When I asked him to
tell me what time it was, he got
angry and said he didnt know
because he didnt know how to
read that kind of clock. This
surprised me. Using this type of
strategy will give students the
opportunity to remember how to
tell time when they visualize the
actions the clock hands make.
With so much focus on
integrating the arts in the core
subjects, it never really occurred
to me that the arts should
integrate themselves with other
arts. I guess I just assumed that
they naturally did so. When I
consider a production, a
play/musical/concert etc., I can
see the various arts as they are
used together to create the final
production:
Literary arts scripts
Visual arts scenery,
backdrops
Drama actions seen on stage
Dance/movement actions
seen on stage
Music sound effects, mood,
theme songs
of the core subjects:
ELA public speaking, proper
pronunciation, sentence
structure, etc.
Math scene creation, timing,
directions, etc.
Social studies era, historical
facts, relationships, etc.
Science structure, materials,
weather, etc.
EDCI 517
Integrating the Arts Across the Elementary Curriculum
Shannon Foster
Meaning Mosaic #4

I love to Waltz. Im not very good at it, but I know the basics. My Waltz Box Step diagram
represents a traditional dance. My quotes are some of the A-ha moment that I had with the I
knew that. Why didnt I think of that before. And the question is one that has baffled me since
I was young, why isnt dance taught more when it accomplishes everything that we are told
makes a cultured person? And this module has me thinking it still.
EDCI 517
Integrating the Arts Across the Elementary Curriculum
Shannon Foster
Works Cited

Cornett, C. E. (2015). Creating Meaning through Literature and the Arts. Boston: Pearson
Education, Inc.

Parnell, E. C. (2017). Body Movement and Space. Retrieved from Teaching Channel:
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/body-movement-and-space

Reaves, M. (2017). The Year I Learned to Dance and Danced to Learn. Retrieved from
https://www.msubonline.net/d2l/le/content/440290/viewContent/3180025/View