Adapted CODE (Council of Ontario Dance and Drama Educators)
ED-EDST 3100 Recreation and Education DPA Activity
Lesson Plan Template
F/W2020-2021
Instructional Components and Context
Minds On
Approximately __ minutes
Describe here how you will introduce and explain your DPA activity to your group.
Insert your guiding questions from page 1 here and also in point form the DPA
instructions and any teacher prompts (what you will say to your students) in italics.
The BrainDance: (Gilbert, 2001)
The BrainDance is a series of body movement patterns which us organize their
brains and their bodies and integrates the mind and body making us aware of all
our connected parts. It has 8 movement patterns that use the same patterns we
experienced when we were babies and learning to crawl, walk and move in the
world.
 This will allow students to get on their feet, get moving, feel energized and
start thinking about the body element in dance.
Teacher Prompts:
Course Level: Why do you think it is important to move our bodies everyday?
Unit Level In your science class today you learned about the central nervous system.
What does the central nervous system consist of? What is its function? (See Appendix
A for visual)
Lesson Level: Why might it be important to use “exercise” our central nervous
systems? What sometimes prevents us from moving our bodies regularly throughout
the day?
1)
Establish safe practice – create space to move
Teacher Prompt: Make sure you have enough space that you won’t bump into any
classroom furniture or another person.
2)
Body Awareness and Body Alignment
Stand with your feet hip width apart
Image of pelvis like a bowl hovering over the eyes of the arches
Imagine your spinal column is a long string of pearls.
Imagine head is like a helium balloon floating to the ceiling,
Teacher Prompt: Let’s ensure we come back to this neutral stance in which we are
thinking about our body alignment and posture.
Pause and Ponder
Please note – you may leave
this column blank!
Examples:
Modeling
Modeling means the teacher
assumes responsibility to
demonstrate the use of
and the thinking behind the
strategy.
Shared Practice
Shared practice means that the
teacher provides explicit
instruction and feedback as the
students participate in the
strategy.
(AfL) Assesment for
Learning: Assess and provide
oral feedback on effectiveness
of students’ choices.
Assessment as Learning
(AaL)
Assessment of learning
(AoL)
Differentiation (DI)
Adapted CODE (Council of Ontario Dance and Drama Educators)
ED-EDST 3100 Recreation and Education DPA Activity
Action!
Lesson Plan Template
F/W2020-2021
Approximately minutes
Describe key indicators that the activity is a success – what to look for while the students are engaged in
the DPA activity.
Lead the students through a short version of the BrainDance warm-up step by step,
remind students that it is a fun warm-up that has cognitive benefits.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
Deep breathing: Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth.
Tactile/ Touch: Pat, squeeze, tap, brush all over, wake up the nerves in the
skin, muscles and joints.
Core/ Distal: Grow and shrink within yourself. “how big and how small can you
become”
Head/ Tail: Connect the top of your head to the bottom of the spine. “curve”
Upper/lower: Keep the lower half of the body in place while you explore the
upper half and all the ways it moves. Do this with the upper half in place while
exploring the lower half.
Body/ side: Split the body at the midline, keep one side of the body in place
while you explore movement in the other half, and repeat this with the other
half. (Use the term “stabilization”)
Cross Lateral: Any movement that crosses the midline
Vestibular: Spinning, (pulsing on the heels), balancing. ( be sure that students
are spread apart and have enough space)
Consolidation
Approximately minutes
This is termed by some as the culminating activity and any related reflective components.
Exit Card: Have students fill in an exit card that the teacher will collect at the end of this
activity. Cards can be used to ensure learning outcomes have been achieved and ensure
students are absorbing key learning outcomes.
1. What is one word you would describe how you feel after doing the BrainDance?
2. Why do you think you feel differently than before you did the activity?
3. Which of the 8 patterns did you find the hardest? Why do you think that is?
4. Which of the 8 patterns did you find the easier? Why do you think that is?
Adapted CODE (Council of Ontario Dance and Drama Educators)
ED-EDST 3100 Recreation and Education DPA Activity
Lesson Plan Template
F/W2020-2021
Next Lesson Connection and/or how might this lesson be adapted to older or younger group.
How might this lesson connect to future lessons (knowledge or skills)?
Students could do this activity everyday for a week and track which movements become easier to
do? They could also use various provocations from other subjects while going through the
movements. For example they could link the movement patterns to their Water cycle, or ecosystems,
using the patterns to abstract different animal movements within the same ecosystem.
Adapted CODE (Council of Ontario Dance and Drama Educators)
ED-EDST 3100 Recreation and Education DPA Activity
Lesson Plan Template
F/W2020-2021
Reference List
(Please include a comprehensive list of any references you used to create this DPA lesson including
websites your referred to and/or course readings that informed your creation of the plan.
Please use APA 6th edition. Note that lesson plans without a proper reference list will not be graded and
handed back as incomplete.
This should include ALL websites, texts, power points, anything you used to help you create the plan
Notice that my list includes absolutely everything I referred to create my plan)
Artists in the Classroom (2011). Brain Dance Warm-Up K-5: 8 BrainDance Components.
Retrieved from: https://artistsintheclassroom3.tumblr.com/post/9607273169/brain-dancewarmup-k-5 Oct. 19, 2020.
Hayden, W. (2011). Term 2, Week 9. Elements of Dance. Image. Retrieved from:
https://sites.google.com/a/oratia.school.nz/room-22/other-curriculum-areas/thearts/dance/term2week9-elementsofdance
123RD Stock Photos and Images (2020). The central Nervous System. Retrieved from:
https://www.123rf.com/stockphoto/central_nervous_system.html?sti=meb1h7mt3lc4n7fg2r| Oct. 19, 2020.
Bloom, Benjamin. “Cognitive Domain, Affective Domain, Psychomotor Domain”
Handout. ‘Taxonomy of Educational Objectives’, B.S. Bloom, Editor, 1956.
Bolt, J. (2020). Week 5: Daily Physical Activity in the Classroom Power Point. E-Class EDST
3100 Recreation and Education. Toronto: York University.
Ontario Ministry of Education (2019). Health and Physical Education Curriculum. p. 183.
Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/2019-health-physicaleducation-grades-1to8.pdf
Ontario Ministry of Education (2009). The Ontario Curriculum, Grade 8: The Arts . Retrieved from:
p. 96 & 110 Retrieved from:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/arts18b09curr.pdf
Ontario Ministry of Education (2007). The Ontario Grades 1-8 Science and Technology
Curriculum. P. 97. Retrieved From:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/scientec18currb.pdf Oct. 19, 2020.
Toronto District School Board, (2020). Downsview Public School. Retrieved from
https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Findyour/Details/schno/3094?displayModule=Details%20of%20a%20School Oct. 19, 2020.
Adapted CODE (Council of Ontario Dance and Drama Educators)
ED-EDST 3100 Recreation and Education DPA Activity
Lesson Plan Template
F/W2020-2021
Appendix A
The Central Nervous System Image
Retrieved from: https://artistsintheclassroom3.tumblr.com/post/9607273169/brain-dancewarmup-k-5 Oct. 19, 2020.
Adapted CODE (Council of Ontario Dance and Drama Educators)
ED-EDST 3100 Recreation and Education DPA Activity
Lesson Plan Template
F/W2020-2021
Appendix B
8 Brain Dance Components Anchor Chart
Retrieved from: https://artistsintheclassroom3.tumblr.com/post/9607273169/brain-dancewarmup-k-5 Oct. 20, 2020
Adapted CODE (Council of Ontario Dance and Drama Educators)
ED-EDST 3100 Recreation and Education DPA Activity
Lesson Plan Template
F/W2020-2021
Appendix C
Retrieved from: https://sites.google.com/a/oratia.school.nz/room-22/other-curriculumareas/the-arts/dance/term2week9-elementsofdance Retrieved from: Oct. 20, 2020.