Students at Quest Elementary School in Hilton spent the week before the holiday break performing a dance with their peers that embraced three of the six subject areas for the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) – the arts, language, and physical, social and personal education. Grades K-4 worked together by class and intermediate classes worked in groups of four or five students to learn a random dance, change is somehow and perform it in front of a panel of judges and a crowd of fellow students. Groups had three days to practice.
“This IB planner incorporates music, physical education and Spanish,” said Scott Moon, PE teacher. IB Planners are the term that teachers are using to describe the unit that they teach in each subject area. “Students learned dances from all over the world, were taught some in Spanish and also learned Spanish songs.”
Groups were assessed on many different elements, including showing enthusiasm, confidence and an element of creativity; being part of a respectful audience; moving to the beat and being in sync; working together as a team; and showing appreciation for the type of dance performed. Students also answered questions after their performance. At the end, the groups were invited to participate in a “surprise dance” for which they could earn bonus points.
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