Whitney Newman
C&I 354 – Integrated Music lesson
November 12, 2009
Celebrating Zorba!
Target Grade Level: 7/8 Time Needed: 50 minutes
Standards:
National Standards for Music:
8a. Compare in two or more arts how the characteristic materials of each art can be used to transform similar events, scenes, emotions or ideas into works of art.
9c. Compare, in several cultures of the world, functions music serves, roles of musicians, and conditions under which music is typically performed.
Wisconsin State Standards for Music:
9.2 Describes distinguishing characteristics of representative music genres or styles from a variety of world cultures.
MMSD Language Arts Standards (grade 8):
A.8.3. Read and discuss literary and nonliterary texts in order to understand human experience.
· Identify common historical, social, and cultural themes and issues in literary works and selected passages.
Objectives:
1. Students will write a short journal entry about something or someone that inspires them.
2. Given instruction, students will participate in a modified version of the traditional Greek dance performed at the end of the novel Zorba the Greek.
3. Students will compare dancing to their journaling, and how both experiences were able convey the same message or feeling but in a different way.
4. Students will analyze dance as a form of expression, in this case in relation to Zorba and his Greek cultural roots.
5. Students will identify how Zorba’s dancing philosophy influenced modern dancers/choreographers in American culture following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Why is it important that students learn my lesson?
Throughout the novel Zorba the Greek, we read about the exuberant Zorba and his incredible zest and gratefulness for everything life has to offer. He is the exact opposite of the narrator, who is a self-proclaimed bookworm in need of a new outlook on life. Zorba expresses himself in a variety of ways throughout the novel, the most prominent way being through dance. Dance has deep roots in Greek culture, and by learning more about the dance and participating in the dance, students will deepen their understanding and appreciation for Zorba’s choice of expression. This lesson will strengthen students’ connection with the novel, and also push them to think creatively about expressing themselves in Language Arts in ways that go beyond a pen and paper.
Materials:
Zorba the Greek, by Nikos Kazantzakis
Song “Horos Tou Zorba / Zorba’s Dance” by Mikis Theodorakis
Directions for class dance (attached)
Video of Zorba’s dance from the movie Zorba the Greek
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeNsr_nQEfE&feature=PlayList&p=E2E15B6BA5893408&index=0&playnext=1
America Remembers interview with Bill Moyers
http://www.pbs.org/americaresponds/moyers920.html
Background for Teachers:
Dance has always been an important part of Greek culture. In ancient Greece, dance was believed to be a gift given to the people from the Gods, and sacred dances were held as a way of honoring the Gods, commemorating key events, and keeping communities united.
There are many different types of Greek dances, and each dance can be used to tell a story. Many Greeks believed dance could communicate wisdom and truth as effectively as words; in fact, dance was used as the basis for the ancient Greek education system. Dance, unlike writing or speaking, links the mind and the body which allows us to better express ourselves from multiple facets.
Many traditional Greek dances are performed in a circle. If males and females are dancing together, they use a handkerchief as a link between them, but for the purposes of this lesson we will all dance together. The group dances are performed to strengthen the bond between community members, but also to allow for creative expression and a “release” from the hard times in our lives.
Students have just finished reading the novel (or excerpts from the novel) Zorba the Greek. This lesson will unite the lessons we have learned from Zorba and how he expresses himself as we join in the dance he performs at the end of the novel.
Steps in the Lesson:
Opening:
1. Students will close their eyes and listen to a short passage from the novel Zorba the Greek .
a. Passage can be found on p.50-51. Begin with last sentence on p.50 and read through end of page 51.
2. Journal activity
a. Reflect on the character Zorba and the way he “sees everything every day as if for the first time.” Use the next ten minutes to journal about what inspires you in your life. This could be a person, a place, an object, and activity…whatever makes you grateful for the opportunity to wake up each morning and live each day to its fullest.
Body:
3. We have just written silently for ten minutes about our everyday passions and inspirations. What would Zorba say about this?
a. He would say get up and dance!
b. Instead of sharing what we wrote, we are going to dance like Zorba. Zorba dances to express his pure joy of living, even through his struggles and challenges. He shows that there are multiple ways of conveying our feelings to someone else.
4. Mini-lesson on the role that dance plays in Greek culture
a. Believed to be a gift from the Gods
b. Dance can communicate wisdom and truth as effectively as words
5. Video clip of Zorba’s dance
a. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeNsr_nQEfE&feature=PlayList&p=E2E15B6BA5893408&index=0&playnext=1
6. Learn the dance
a. Students will follow the teacher in step-by-step instructions of the dance Zorba teaches to the narrator.
b. Everyone will learn the dance together in a circle, arms around each others’ shoulders.
c. First learn dance without music, and prepare students for the section of the song that allows improvisation by the dance leader.
d. Also emphasize the meaning behind the dance (think of our journal entries!) and pay attention to how we are feeling when we participate in this dance.
7. Perform dance together with music.
Closure:
8. Using dance as a medium of expression
· Compare the dance experience with what you wrote in your journal.
· In the novel, Zorba represents dancing his feelings and the narrator represents writing. Which do you identify more with?
· Is there a right or wrong way to express yourself? What is emphasized the most in schools?
· Is Zorba able to accurately convey his feelings through dance?
9. How does dancing bring people together?
a. Pass out segment from the interview PBS interview (attached)
b. Interviewer Bill Moyers spoke with two artists (dancer/choreographer, Bill T. Jones, and director/designer of Broadway musical “The Lion King,” Julie Taymor) about their response following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
c. Have students read the segment quietly to themselves.
d. Small discussion:
· How is dance described in this interview?
· What connections do you see between Bill Jones’s responses and the Greek philosophy of dance?
· Dancing together in a time of struggle can be very empowering for a community. Reflect back on the dance we learned today as a class and how it emphasized the circle, or the whole group.
Assessment:
Students will be formally assessed on their journal entries where I will be checking for a strong paragraph or two that relate to the assigned topic. Students will also be graded on their writing conventions, use of descriptive language and use of complete sentences, just as they have been assessed all semester.
Informal assessments will be based on students’ participation in the group dance and responses/participation during large group discussions.
Adaptations/Extensions:
Steps of the dance can be modified depending on the age/ability level of the students. Students can also be encouraged to improvise parts of the dance on their own, either as a large group or a small group. This could lead to an extended lesson on popular group dances in American culture today and the purposes that they serve.
Next Steps/Connections to Other Subjects:
This lesson can connect with a Social Studies unit on ancient civilizations, specifically ancient Greece. The unit would not even have to focus on Greece specifically but could explore cultural practices and traditions across the world. Mythology is also an important aspect of Greek dance because the dances are said to be gifts from the Gods.
This lesson could also be connected to a unit on communities and community-building. The circular Greek dance is very empowering and strengthening in the fact that all members participate together in a unified circle. Dance participants and community members support and encourage each other, and the dance can be very symbolic for a team-building activity.
C&I 354 – Integrated Music lesson
November 12, 2009
Celebrating Zorba!
Target Grade Level: 7/8 Time Needed: 50 minutes
Standards:
National Standards for Music:
8a. Compare in two or more arts how the characteristic materials of each art can be used to transform similar events, scenes, emotions or ideas into works of art.
9c. Compare, in several cultures of the world, functions music serves, roles of musicians, and conditions under which music is typically performed.
Wisconsin State Standards for Music:
9.2 Describes distinguishing characteristics of representative music genres or styles from a variety of world cultures.
MMSD Language Arts Standards (grade 8):
A.8.3. Read and discuss literary and nonliterary texts in order to understand human experience.
· Identify common historical, social, and cultural themes and issues in literary works and selected passages.
Objectives:
1. Students will write a short journal entry about something or someone that inspires them.
2. Given instruction, students will participate in a modified version of the traditional Greek dance performed at the end of the novel Zorba the Greek.
3. Students will compare dancing to their journaling, and how both experiences were able convey the same message or feeling but in a different way.
4. Students will analyze dance as a form of expression, in this case in relation to Zorba and his Greek cultural roots.
5. Students will identify how Zorba’s dancing philosophy influenced modern dancers/choreographers in American culture following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Why is it important that students learn my lesson?
Throughout the novel Zorba the Greek, we read about the exuberant Zorba and his incredible zest and gratefulness for everything life has to offer. He is the exact opposite of the narrator, who is a self-proclaimed bookworm in need of a new outlook on life. Zorba expresses himself in a variety of ways throughout the novel, the most prominent way being through dance. Dance has deep roots in Greek culture, and by learning more about the dance and participating in the dance, students will deepen their understanding and appreciation for Zorba’s choice of expression. This lesson will strengthen students’ connection with the novel, and also push them to think creatively about expressing themselves in Language Arts in ways that go beyond a pen and paper.
Materials:
Zorba the Greek, by Nikos Kazantzakis
Song “Horos Tou Zorba / Zorba’s Dance” by Mikis Theodorakis
Directions for class dance (attached)
Video of Zorba’s dance from the movie Zorba the Greek
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeNsr_nQEfE&feature=PlayList&p=E2E15B6BA5893408&index=0&playnext=1
America Remembers interview with Bill Moyers
http://www.pbs.org/americaresponds/moyers920.html
Background for Teachers:
Dance has always been an important part of Greek culture. In ancient Greece, dance was believed to be a gift given to the people from the Gods, and sacred dances were held as a way of honoring the Gods, commemorating key events, and keeping communities united.
There are many different types of Greek dances, and each dance can be used to tell a story. Many Greeks believed dance could communicate wisdom and truth as effectively as words; in fact, dance was used as the basis for the ancient Greek education system. Dance, unlike writing or speaking, links the mind and the body which allows us to better express ourselves from multiple facets.
Many traditional Greek dances are performed in a circle. If males and females are dancing together, they use a handkerchief as a link between them, but for the purposes of this lesson we will all dance together. The group dances are performed to strengthen the bond between community members, but also to allow for creative expression and a “release” from the hard times in our lives.
Students have just finished reading the novel (or excerpts from the novel) Zorba the Greek. This lesson will unite the lessons we have learned from Zorba and how he expresses himself as we join in the dance he performs at the end of the novel.
Steps in the Lesson:
Opening:
1. Students will close their eyes and listen to a short passage from the novel Zorba the Greek .
a. Passage can be found on p.50-51. Begin with last sentence on p.50 and read through end of page 51.
2. Journal activity
a. Reflect on the character Zorba and the way he “sees everything every day as if for the first time.” Use the next ten minutes to journal about what inspires you in your life. This could be a person, a place, an object, and activity…whatever makes you grateful for the opportunity to wake up each morning and live each day to its fullest.
Body:
3. We have just written silently for ten minutes about our everyday passions and inspirations. What would Zorba say about this?
a. He would say get up and dance!
b. Instead of sharing what we wrote, we are going to dance like Zorba. Zorba dances to express his pure joy of living, even through his struggles and challenges. He shows that there are multiple ways of conveying our feelings to someone else.
4. Mini-lesson on the role that dance plays in Greek culture
a. Believed to be a gift from the Gods
b. Dance can communicate wisdom and truth as effectively as words
5. Video clip of Zorba’s dance
a. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeNsr_nQEfE&feature=PlayList&p=E2E15B6BA5893408&index=0&playnext=1
6. Learn the dance
a. Students will follow the teacher in step-by-step instructions of the dance Zorba teaches to the narrator.
b. Everyone will learn the dance together in a circle, arms around each others’ shoulders.
c. First learn dance without music, and prepare students for the section of the song that allows improvisation by the dance leader.
d. Also emphasize the meaning behind the dance (think of our journal entries!) and pay attention to how we are feeling when we participate in this dance.
7. Perform dance together with music.
Closure:
8. Using dance as a medium of expression
· Compare the dance experience with what you wrote in your journal.
· In the novel, Zorba represents dancing his feelings and the narrator represents writing. Which do you identify more with?
· Is there a right or wrong way to express yourself? What is emphasized the most in schools?
· Is Zorba able to accurately convey his feelings through dance?
9. How does dancing bring people together?
a. Pass out segment from the interview PBS interview (attached)
b. Interviewer Bill Moyers spoke with two artists (dancer/choreographer, Bill T. Jones, and director/designer of Broadway musical “The Lion King,” Julie Taymor) about their response following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
c. Have students read the segment quietly to themselves.
d. Small discussion:
· How is dance described in this interview?
· What connections do you see between Bill Jones’s responses and the Greek philosophy of dance?
· Dancing together in a time of struggle can be very empowering for a community. Reflect back on the dance we learned today as a class and how it emphasized the circle, or the whole group.
Assessment:
Students will be formally assessed on their journal entries where I will be checking for a strong paragraph or two that relate to the assigned topic. Students will also be graded on their writing conventions, use of descriptive language and use of complete sentences, just as they have been assessed all semester.
Informal assessments will be based on students’ participation in the group dance and responses/participation during large group discussions.
Adaptations/Extensions:
Steps of the dance can be modified depending on the age/ability level of the students. Students can also be encouraged to improvise parts of the dance on their own, either as a large group or a small group. This could lead to an extended lesson on popular group dances in American culture today and the purposes that they serve.
Next Steps/Connections to Other Subjects:
This lesson can connect with a Social Studies unit on ancient civilizations, specifically ancient Greece. The unit would not even have to focus on Greece specifically but could explore cultural practices and traditions across the world. Mythology is also an important aspect of Greek dance because the dances are said to be gifts from the Gods.
This lesson could also be connected to a unit on communities and community-building. The circular Greek dance is very empowering and strengthening in the fact that all members participate together in a unified circle. Dance participants and community members support and encourage each other, and the dance can be very symbolic for a team-building activity.
