English Language through Civic Education (ELCE): #25 Fourth Competition for Teacher Generated Materials / Multiculturalism / Grade 11

Grade 11

Lesson topic: Multiculturalism

Overall Objective: Students will be able to practice pre-reading, while reading and post reading skills while reading a text on dances in three countries: Poland, India and Armenia.

Language Objective: Students will be able to learn new vocabulary about dances, answer the questions and do the exercises before and after reading the text

Civic Education Objective: Students will be able to learn different countries’ dances and demonstrate them during the lesson

Class Context and Needs: 11 students

Materials: pens, text, computer, speaker, handouts

Activities: warm-up, pair-work, group work, speaking, reading, writing, listening, fill in the gaps, true false exercise, answer the questions, vocabulary

Stage of lesson	Activity	Time
Warm up	Teacher introduces the topic and new vocabulary. Teacher explains that dance is expression of a country’s culture. Teacher gives each pair pre-reading activity: fill in the gaps using the words below, one word is extra. The sentences are given from the text. Students don’t know the sentences, they guess. Pair of students report out answers in turn and the teacher checks right answers. Handout 1	5 min
Activity 1	Teacher divides the class into 3 groups and gives them the text about three country’s different dances. (Polish, Indian and Armenian) Each country has five or six dances. Students begin to read the text. The text has vocabulary with new words. Each student reads about 2 dances as the text is long because each country has more than two dances. Handout 2	15 min
Activity 2	After reading students do post reading exercises; do true false exercises and correct the false sentences. Then the students read their answers and the teacher checks. After that the students answer the questions filling out the chart. Handout 3	10 min
Activity 3	After doing all exercises students answer some questions from the text. They discuss different dances, costumes that they have learnt from the text as the dances are the main part of each country’s culture.	5 min
Activity 4	Students demonstrate what they have learnt. They performed different countries’ dances; Armenian, Georgian, Russian, American, Spanish, Irish, Indian. Students learnt dances in advance from the Internet watching the videos on You Tube. They learnt a lot about these dances as they are the part of each country’s culture.	15 min

Handout 1

Pre-reading activity

Fill in the gaps using the words below. One word is extra.

1. The ___________________of Kraków is the one that is most identified with Poland.

2. The Mazur is a _________________dance in which pairs glide across the floor.

3. As with other aspects of Indian culture, different forms of dances originated in different parts of________________________, developed according to the local traditions and also imbibed elements from other parts of the country.

4. The Odissi dance form is known for its ________________________, the independent movement of head, chest and pelvis.

5. Yarkhushta associated with the highlands of the historical region of _____________________in Western Armenia.

6. Each region in the Armenian Highlands had its own_____________________, with its unique way of both dancing and music.

Kochari style costume Sassoun India faster region

Handout 2

Dance in Poland

Polish folk dance is a tradition rooted in many centuries of Polish culture. Many of the dances stem from traditions or historical events, but also include ballroom and ballet style elements. Polish dances tend to be lively, energetic, and joyful. Hops, twirls, and athletic movements are common. Many dances involve a circle but also partners. Polish costumes are a wide variety depending on each region; there is no "one" polish costume. Common elements in Polish costumes feature coral necklaces for the women, and hats and capes for the men. Traditionally, a married woman wears a headscarf and unmarried girls wear flowers in their hair.

The Polish national dances are the Krakowiak, Kujawiak, Mazurek, Oberek, and Polonaise.

Krakowiak

The Krakowiak originated in the southern Polish city of Kraków, Poland’s capital. Known as the Polish dance, the Krakowiak has a 2/4 timing, and is danced in groups, often forming intricate formations, like stars. The steps include shuffling, running, and heel clicking. The costume of Kraków is the one that is most identified with Poland.

Kujawiak

The Kujawiak has its origins from the Kujawy region. It is a simple slow dance with much dignity that appeared in the 19th century.

The music is in triple meter and fairly slow. The dance usually involves couples walking gracefully in a quarter-note rhythm, on slightly bended knees, with relaxed turns and gently swaying It is a beautiful romantic dance.

Mazurek

The Mazur originated in the Mazowsze region of central Poland and was danced in villages throughout Poland.

The Mazur is a faster dance in which pairs glide across the floor. The dancers move with grace and speed. With its quick 3/4 tempo…accented on the 2nd or 3rd beat, and intricate steps…heel clicking, slides, and running steps. Mazur danced in different ways to different types of music. The Mazur also found its way into operas.

Oberek

The Oberek came from the Mazowsze region of Poland. Its name comes from the Polish verb ‘obracac sie’ which means “to spin”. It is the fastest of the Polish Folk Dances. Obereks were very lively dance with turns and twirls and difficult to dance and its rhythm mostly remained a polish treasure. It is danced by couples who are placed on a circle and rotate both around the whole circle and around their own axis (to the right). Their steps have to be light and flexible – they make dragging movements with their feet. With its quick tempo, 3/4 timing it soon became popular in almost all of the regions of Poland. The Folk costumes from many regions of Poland are associated with the Oberek, though the costume is favored by many dance troupes.

Polonaise

The polonaise is a dance of Polish origin. Its name is French for "Polish." The Polonez may be danced wearing a folk costume from any of Poland’s ethnographic regions. Danced to a slow 3/4 tempo, the partners do not face each other, but rather walk to the music around the ballroom… forward, back, side, often bowing, but always maintaining a formal, stately posture.Dancing the polonaise requires a straight, upright posture with no hip movements, smooth and elegant hand gestures, and the head held high, with pride. The dancers walk around the dance floor. It was danced even by royalty and nobility. Polonaise is a widespread dance in carnival parties.

Dance in India

Dance in India comprises the varied styles of dances in the country. As with other aspects of Indian culture, different forms of dances originated in different parts of India, developed according to the local traditions and also imbibed elements from other parts of the country. Folk dances are numerous in number and style, and vary according to the local tradition of the respective state, ethnic or geographic regions. Contemporary dances include refined and experimental fusions of classical, folk and Western forms.

These are Indian popular dances:

Bharatanatyam – Tamil Nadu

Bharata Natyam is considered to the oldest form of dance and mother of all other style of classical dance in India. The classical Indian dance Bharatanatyam originated from the art of temple dancers in the South India state of Tamil Nadu. Bharatanatyam is reworked form of dance from the traditional sadir and combination of expression, music, beat and dance. Bharatanatyam or the fire dance is one of the most popular styles of dance performed by male and female dancers.

Kathak – Uttar Pradesh

Kathak is originated from Uttar Pradesh and one of the eight forms of ancient classical dances of India. Famous Kathak dance is derived from Katha or story-tellers, people who narrate stories during the whole art of Kathak dance.

Kuchipudi – Andhra Pradesh

The Classical Indian dance form originated Andhra Pradesh state and got its name from Kuchipudi village near the Bay of Bengal. Kuchipudi is the most popular traditional dance form in South India performed with violin, flute and the tambura instruments and the characters first introduces themself by the dharavu.

Odissi – Orissa

Odissi is the oldest surviving dance form in India, originates from state of Orissa. The Odissi dance form is known for its style, the independent movement of head, chest and pelvis. Beautiful Odissi Dance is traditional and ancient style of dance performed in the temples.

Mohiniyattam – Kerala

Mohiniyattam is another classical dance style from Kerala state and one of the eight principal Indian classical dance. The Mohiniyattam is a popular dance form with a drama in dance, performed with subtle gestures and footwork.

Dance in Armenia

The Armenian dance has been considered one of the oldest and most varied in its respective region. From the fifth to the third millennia B.C., in the higher regions of Armenia, the land of Ararat, there are rock paintings of scenes of country dancing. These dances were probably accompanied by certain kinds of songs or musical instruments. All dancers wear the traditional costume to embody the history of their culture and tell their stories. The design of these costumes is influenced by many factors, such as religious traditions, family methods, and practicality. The traditional coloring and exquisite beading of the costumes ties the dance and the tradition together. The beautiful movements of the Armenian cultural dance are adored by all audience around the world.

These are Armenian popular dances:

Kochari (Քոչարի) - Kochari is one of the most popular dances of Armenians. Kochari is danced in a group of men and women and is known for its tune played on the zurna. Kochari is a type of dance, not a specific dance. Each region in the Armenian Highlands had its own Kochari, with its unique way of both dancing and music.

Shalakho (Շալախօ) - A dance for men from Ancient Armenia. It is performed in dance studios by men, but danced at public gatherings by women as well.

Yarkhushta (Յարխուշտա) - Yarkhushta is a martial dance from the Taron and Aghdznik regions of Western Armenia. Yarkhushta associated with the highlands of the historical region of Sassoun in Western Armenia. Yarkhushta belongs to a wider category of Armenian "clap dances" (ծափ-պարեր). The dance is performed by men, who face each other in pairs. The key element of the dance is a forward movement when participants rapidly approach one another and vigorously clap onto the palms of hands of dancers in the opposite row.

Berd (Բերդապար) - Berd (Fortress) is an Armenian dance which roots are from the old Armenian Vaspurakan city. Berd is a dance famous for having a circle of men stand on the shoulders of another circle and rotate. Berd means "fortress" in Armenian and is named accordingly because of the shape the dancers make. During the dance dancers wear only Armenian dress "Taraz". The main part of the dance is to make a fortress, which is a 2-Storey wall.

Menapar (Մենապար) - Menapar translates to "solo." It may feature a man or woman. Normally, if a man is the one dancing, the music will be fast-paced and in the case of a woman, a slower, more elegant music will play.

Handout 3

Post-reading activities

1. Read the statements and mark them T (true) or F (false). Rewrite the false statements to make them true.

______ 1. Indian costumes are a wide variety depending on each region.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

______ 2. The dance is performed by women, who face each other in pairs and they vigorously clap onto the palms of hands of dancers in the opposite row.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______ 3. Oberek is a nice romantic dance.

______ 4. Kochari Dance is traditional and ancient style of dance performed in the temples.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____ 5. Mazurek the partners do not face each other, but rather walk to the music around the floor.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______6. The classical Indian dance Odissi originated from the art of temple dancers in the South India state of Tamil Nadu.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____ 7. All dancers wear the traditional costume to embody the history of their culture and tell their stories.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______ 8. Kuchipudi is the most popular traditional dance form in South India performed with violin, guitar and the accordion instruments.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Use the chart for group work, first. Then ask each group to report their answers.

	Poland	India	Armenia
Which country has shuffling, running and heel clicking in dances?
Do these three countries have national costumes? Write at least 2 or 3 costumes that represent the country or dance.
In which country’s dances are for men, women or both? Give examples.
Describe the general features of each country’s dance