Hazel Valley Participates in Arts Impact: Students Learn About Dance Concepts

Students from Mr. Plough's classroom

Arts Impact, a program of Puget Sound ESD, is truly having an impact at Hazel Valley Elementary. As part of a grant and supported by Principal Annah Petersen-Benitez and the Challenge program, five Hazel Valley staff members participated in the Arts Impact Summer Institute for a week last summer and will study for a week again next summer in art, dance, and theater. They are: Barbara Cowan, Peter Kramer, Kevin Plough, Marianne Schneeman, and Helen Ewings.

Debbie Gilbert, a professional dance instructor with the program, has been working with these staff members to bring dance alive in the classroom. Ms. Gilbert guides teachers in creating artsinfused lessons integrating dance concepts with math and literacy. Then, with Ms. Gilbert’s assistance, the teachers apply what they learned in their own classrooms. Some examples of this lesson integration are:

Mrs. Cowan’s second/third-grade challenge class danced to a story of the Apollo 13 astronauts who had a serious defect with their spaceship. The class took off toward the moon, explored the moon for data, and had a serious problem getting back to earth. They worked together on their problem and were able to return to earth and celebrate their success.

Mr. Kramer’s second-grade class danced and made fantastic shapes which became the basis for all their other dance work. They danced in different levels. Their dance showed different directions, and they echo partner danced. And most of all, they had a great time meeting the Arts Grade Level Expectations.

Mrs. Ewings has been working with Mrs. Lauhon-Horton’s fifth/sixth-grade challenge class where they developed a dance to portray the Constitution. They demonstrated beginning, middle, and end by showing the 13 colonies, the Constitution, and finally the Bill of Rights.

Mr. Plough’s fourth/fifth-grade Challenge class read and discussed a Native American legend and then the children did a dance interpretation of the legend using self and general space as well as different levels and directions of dance.

Mrs. Schneeman’s first-grade class made small group dances that incorporated four dance energies: smooth, shaky, sharp, and swinging. They took those movements and matched them with sounds for their fabulous dances.

In addition, the students from these classes had the opportunity to attend a professional dance presentation.

Arts Impact provides comprehensive professional development in the arts to elementary classroom teachers in Pierce and King Counties. Arts Impact empowers K-5 classroom teachers to become competent and confident teachers of visual and performing arts. Teachers learn to successfully guide students in arts learning that meets the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements in the Arts.

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