I was raised from an early age, with dance being my second form of language and self-expression. I believe the exploration of movement, rhythm, and beat is essential for student’s development. I enjoy teaching my classroom a mixture of creative dance and movement and a more structured dance platform, so students are comfortable moving and dancing. I have included a mini-unit plan developed to teach grade 6-8 students dance steps developing into a routine. This unit’s premise is the gradual release of responsibility, starting with guided learning of steps, incorporating our knowledge into a routine with student input and finally splitting students into groups to add onto the performance themselves with what they have learned. Overall, I am pretty passionate about the importance of dance in elementary and middle school PE classrooms. This unit plan showcases the standard “Educators have a broad knowledge base and understand the subject areas they teach.” as I have significant experience in teaching both dance and musical theatre. Although this may not be something many teachers have experience in, I am a well-rounded teacher who aims to include all skills in my classroom. I believe this unit also hits the mark on the uvic teacher competency of understanding the learning process. I have been through 17 years of dance, and I know the complexities and challenges we can face while learning new steps. I can address these issues helpfully and positively with the learning process in mind.
