Union City High School offers a year-long Dance I elective course open to all students in grades 10-12. The course aims to introduce students to various dance forms and techniques while building life skills like confidence, relationships, and community outreach. Assessment includes performances, compositions, research projects, and quizzes with written and movement components. Upon completing Dance I successfully, the teacher plans to develop Dance II and III courses to allow students to further their creative dance experience with more advanced technique, content, and history.

1. Union City High School
By Cristen Pennello

2. Introduction
 Who
 Open to all students, grades 10-12
 What
 Dance I course
 Elective
 Meets every day
 Year long
 Fine Arts Credit
 Where
 Union City High School (Union City, NJ)

3. Mission Statement
 Union City High School is dedicated to producing
independent, lifelong learners in a safe and secure
environment. As a family of educators, we are committed
to providing our culturally diverse community with the
skills needed to become productive members of society.
All students will think critically, work collaboratively,
communicate effectively, and utilize relevant technology
in an ever-changing demanding world.
In a state of the art school, the students, as stakeholders,
will be empowered to realize personal growth and to
prepare for their individual goals.
 http://www.union-city.k12.nj.us/schools/uchs/uchs/index.php#

4. Dance Education Philosophy
 Develops the whole child
 Organized activity helps to build life skills
 Encourage relationships
 Provide a safe environment
 Promote dexterity across the board between a student’s
family, school, and community (Bartko & Eccles, 2003, p.
240)
 Builds self confidence
 Community outreach
These skills will enable students to become well-
rounded, productive members of society.

5. Rationale
 Inner-city children require a unique form of teaching:
structure, positive reinforcement, and motivation
(Randall & Bohnert , 2009, p. 1195).
 Equally important: flexibility and creativity.
 The teacher’s responsibility: to present a comfortable
environment that adheres to all types of learners and
personalities (Gardner, 1999, p. 32).
 Trust and motivation (Scanlon, et al., 2008, p. 174)
 Use the arts as a positive outlet to enhance and enrich
their lives (Hanna, 1994, p. 83).
 Dissolving prejudice (Hanna, 2003, p. 78)

6. Aims, Goals, Objectives
 Aim: To define dance and describe its various forms, examine how
technology can be used in the field of dance, and recognize how
skills developed can be applicable toward various career choices
on an introductory level to students in an urban high school.
 Goal: The students will experience dance on an introductory level.
Students will find coherence of diverse ideas, beliefs, and cultures
as communicated through movement. Students will obtain life
skills, define dance as a form of self expression, as well as develop
a general appreciation for dance as an art form.
 Overall objectives: Students will focus on areas such as anatomy,
body, weight, shape, space, time, effort, history, and technology.
Through the help of these concepts, students will work to
interpret, appreciate, and compose dance.

7. Content Goals

8. Dance Competency
Interpret Compose Appreciate
Reflect Develop Experience
Research Write Comprehend
Critique Organize Embody
Contemplate Communicate Respect
Compare Demonstrate Awareness
Coherence

9. Content
 Students will demonstrate and Quarter 1: Ballet
classify with the purposes of Quarter 2: Jazz, Musical Theater & Hip hop
technical skills, formulating a rich
perception of dance and its Quarter 3: Modern Dance
various forms. Quarter 4: Improvisation & Composition
 Students will examine the history
of dance, and asses how its
various beliefs, ideas, and
cultures are communicated
through movement.
 Students will perceive the
benefits of dance notation.
Students will also use critical and
analytical skills to demonstrate,
discuss, and evaluate dances, as
well as construct them.

10. Assessment & Evaluation
Daily Evaluation Content Assessment
 Performances
 Effort  Podcasts
 Video portfolio
 Promptness  Blogs/Discussion forums
 Dress code  Journal reflection
 Rubrics
 Etiquette  Compositions Partner/Group work
 Rubrics  Research & media projects
 Drawing a period costume
 Fictional letter to a historical figure
 History timelines & family trees
 Traditional quizzes, with both written and
movement aspects
 Large group presentations/discussion/analysis
 Movement notation
 Peer/Self Evaluation
 Dance Terminology

11. Materials
Essentials If possible
 A dance studio (ballet  Book/media library
barres, dance floors,  Book shelf
mirrors)  File cabinet
 A sound system  Costume closet
 CDs  Printer
 ipod connection  Crayons
 projector  Folders
 computer  Construction paper
 Bulletin board

12. References
Bartko, W. T. & Eccles, J. S. (2003). Adolescent participation in structured
and unstructured activities: A Person-oriented analysis. Journal of
Youth and Adolescence, 32(4), 233-241.
Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the
21st Century. New York: Basic Books.
Hanna, J. L. (1994). Issues in supporting school diversity: Academics,
social relations, and the arts. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 25
(1), 66-85.
Hanna, J. (2003). Intelligent moves: A dance-education pas de deux. The
World & I, 18(2), 78.
Randall, E. T. & Bohnert, A. M. (2009). Organized activity involvement,
depressive symptoms, and social adjustment in adolescents: Ethnicity
and socioeconomic status as moderators. Journal of Youth and
Adolescence, 38(9), 1187-1198.
Scanlon, D., Saxon, K., Cowell, M., & Kenny, M. E. (2008). Urban
adolescents’ post school aspirations and awareness. Remedial and
Special Education, 29(3), 161-175.

13. Planning Ahead…
 Upon the successful
completion of the Dance I
course, I plan to develop
both a Dance II and Dance
III course.
 These courses will be
extensions of the Dance I
course, but will delve
deeper into the technique,
content, and history,
providing students with the
opportunity to further their
creative experience.