MYP unit planner

Unit title How does the show go on?

Teacher(s) Kristin Tillotson, Margaret Haug

Subject and grade level Drama Grade 8 MYP year 3

Time frame and duration Feb 1 to June 1st 2013

Stage 1: Integrate significant concept, area of interaction and unit question

Area of interaction focus Significant concept(s)

Which area of interaction will be our focus? What are the big ideas? What do we want our
Why have we chosen this? students to retain for years into the future?

Human ingenuity: It takes many people working together to

In this unit we will learn about achieve success.
collaborating to create.

MYP unit question

How do we engage an audience?

Assessment
What task(s) will allow students the opportunity to respond to the unit question?
What will constitute acceptable evidence of understanding? How will students show what they have understood?

Students will be able to present theatre job projects and reflect on why those jobs are important.
Students will collaborate with a group on a successful script and performance.
Students will be able to reflect on why collaboration was important in their groups, important in all theatre
settings, and in life settings.

Which specific MYP objectives will be addressed during this unit?

A: Knowledge and understanding

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the art form studied in relation to some aspects of
societal, cultural, historical or personal contexts.
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of some elements of the art form studied, including some
specialized language, concepts and processes.
• demonstrate an informed opinion of the art form studied in the context of their own artwork.
B: Application
• articulate an idea, theme or personal interpretation to a point of realization.
• develop skills and apply the techniques and processes involved in creating, performing and/or
presenting art.
C: Reflection and evaluation
• evaluate their work.
• consider feedback when identifying strategies to develop and improve.
D: Personal engagement
• show commitment in developing their own artistic processes.
• demonstrate curiosity, self- motivation, initiative and a willingness to take informed risks.
1-• support, encourage and work with their peers in a positive way.

Which MYP assessment criteria will be used?

A: Knowledge and understanding

B: Application
C: Reflection and evaluation
D: Personal engagement

Stage 2: Backward planning: from the assessment to the learning activities

through inquiry

Content
What knowledge and/or skills (from the course overview) are going to be used to enable the student to respond to the unit
question?
What (if any) state, provincial, district, or local standards/skills are to be addressed? How can they be unpacked to develop the
significant concept(s) for stage 1?

Knowledge & Skills:

• NATIONAL CONTENT STANDARD 3: Designing and producing by conceptualizing and realizing artistic
interpretations for informal or formal productions. NATIONAL CONTENT STANDARD 4: Directing by
interpreting dramatic texts and organizing and conducting rehearsals for informal or formal productions.
NATIONAL CONTENT STANDARD 5: Researching by evaluating and synthesizing cultural and historical
information to support artistic choices.

Approaches to learning
How will this unit contribute to the overall development of subject-specific and general approaches to learning skills?

The instructor will use various ATL skill areas to involve all students in their own learning process.
1- Communication- being informed, including the use of a variety of media such as
video documentaries, online resources, articles and dance history books.
2- Collaboration- working in groups demonstrating teamwork, accepting others by analysing other
idea’s respecting others points of view, respecting cultural differences.
3- Reflection- self-awareness and self-evaluation through video analysis of own work and journaling
reflecting on their perception how dance was formed and their artistic development.
4- Transfer: making connections with dance history events in other subjects (art, music, social
studies)
Collaboration in groups to write a play
Collaboration to put together a production of their play
Reflection Papers on how things went/how they could have gone better
Peer Critiquing
Pre & Post Performance Discussions

Learning experiences Teaching strategies

How will students know what is expected of them? Will
they see examples, rubrics, and templates?
How will students acquire the knowledge and practise
the skills required? How will they practise applying
these?
Do the students have enough prior knowledge? How will
How will we use formative assessment to give students feedback
during the unit?
What different teaching methodologies will we employ?
How are we differentiating teaching and learning for all? How have
we made provision for those learning in a language other than their
mother tongue? How have we considered those with special
 educational needs?
we know?

Daily Objectives: Feedback: Teacher-led discussions to provide context.

• Students will demonstrate a basic knowledge of Periodic quizzes to check progress, in terms of both
theatrical elements by Knowledge and conceptual understanding. Use of
observation and correction through modeling the technique.
creating a list of theatre “terms” as a group, which
will Methodology: The dance classroom takes into account all
be studied learning styles, and the variety of activities and
throughout the unit. assessments appeal to the different learners. Found in the
• Students will demonstrate a basic knowledge of classroom the visual learners will experience colourful
what a Playwright, posters, handouts, modelling the drama technique, and
Producer, and Director are (and their jobs) by watching documentaries. The auditory learner will
helping experience the teacher using vocabulary words, and
to create several different music selections that enhance the dancers
quality of movement. The kinaesthetic learners will be able
terms/definitions that they will be tested on.
to use the entire space to demonstrate their understanding
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of of drama
what goes into being a
designer by participating in a set design project Students with special needs: will use
and by helping create exploration through inquiry, modifications of more difficult
terms/definitions to be tested on. moves, Learn drama as expression through creative
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of movement, movement therapy games and improvisation.
who a Dramaturge is by participating and Use audio and visual aids to assist in learning the history of
presenting dance.
research done for a film clip.
• Students will demonstrate a basic knowledge of
acting by participating
in improv games and helping create a definition
for
their quiz.
• Students will demonstrate a knowledge,
understanding, and appreciation
for all the roles/jobs in theatre by creating and
performing an
infomercial, and writing a short response.
• Students will demonstrate their understanding of
theatre “jobs” by
presenting their project, turning in their written
work,
and taking a
quiz on all the terms/definitions they have created.

Resources
What resources are available to us?
How will our classroom environment, local environment and/or the community be used to facilitate students’ experiences during
the unit?

A variety of resources include the MYP guide for Arts,

Ongoing reflections and evaluation

In keeping an ongoing record, consider the following questions. There are further stimulus
questions at the end of the “Planning for teaching and learning” section of MYP: From
principles into practice.
Students and teachers
What did we find compelling? Were our disciplinary knowledge/skills challenged in any way?
What inquiries arose during the learning? What, if any, extension activities arose?
How did we reflect—both on the unit and on our own learning?
Which attributes of the learner profile were encouraged through this unit? What opportunities were there for student-initiated
action?

Possible connections
How successful was the collaboration with other teachers within my subject group and from other subject groups?
What interdisciplinary understandings were or could be forged through collaboration with other subjects?
Assessment
Were students able to demonstrate their learning?
How did the assessment tasks allow students to demonstrate the learning objectives identified for this unit? How did I make
sure students were invited to achieve at all levels of the criteria descriptors?
Are we prepared for the next stage?

Data collection
How did we decide on the data to collect? Was it useful?

Figure 12
MYP unit planner