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发帖数: 19398 | 1 Students dance to demonstrate Common Core math
http://www.nhregister.com/social-affairs/20140408/east-haven-st
EAST HAVEN >> Students at the Momauguin Elementary School took to the dance
floor Tuesday morning and wowed parents and teachers with choreographed
moves designed to show their understanding of new Common Core State
Standards.
Sound confusing? Allow the idea’s originator, physical education teacher
Liz Franco-Spano, to explain:
“Students work on math during the dance program,” she said. “They are
constantly working on measurements in all units, they are asked to stand
apart from each other at different distances.”
Students from third through fifth grades formed patterns by using fractions.
Division and multiplication prompted students to form even-numbered rows.
The end result was a series of dances set to songs ranging from Marcia
Griffiths’ disco classic “Electric Boogie” to “Macarena,” the iconic
Spanish dance song of the 1990s written by Los del Rio. Each grade performed
three dances set to three different songs. Before each tune, the students
took their cue from emcee and fifth-grader Sage Pappacoda.
“The song is about a woman of the same name,” Sage said about “Macarena,
” during his introduction for fourth-grade dancers. “In 1996, a world
record was set when a crowd of more than 50,000 danced the macarena at
Yankee Stadium.”
Franco-Spano said part of the learning process also involved learning about
the history of dances and the artists behind them. After delivering his cue,
Sage then put aside his microphone and turned up the music. Inside a
crowded school gymnasium, about 100 parents whipped out tablets and
smartphones to catch the moment.
“I worked on this every day, every night,” Sage said about the production.
Fourth-grader Priya Patel said she loved the dances because it made learning
division and multiplication tables more fun.
“We have to estimate how far apart one foot is,” she said about the
spacing. “We’ve got 16 students and two rows of eight. It takes a lot of
practice.”
Parent Lenore Berrios, whose daughter, Samantha, is in fifth grade, said
Momauguin School always offers special programs and a unique learning
experience for children.
“Really couldn’t ask for a better school,” she said.
Celeste Perrelli, whose fifth-grade daughter Hailie took to practicing her
dance moves at home, joked that she’s practically memorized all of the
songs. Practice time at the Perrelli house usually involved friend and
fellow fifth-grader Brianna Granata. Her mother, Michelle, said her fourth-
grade son, Austin, also is a fan of the dance approach to learning.
Franco-Spano’s idea was an easy one to sell to Superintendent of Schools
Portia Bonner. Bonner said the different genres and styles of music were a
way to “embrace everyone’s culture.”
“Again, she (Franco-Spano) posted all of the Common Core State Standards on
the wall for the students to read and follow,” she said. “All these
things posted on the wall about the standards, it looks like they enjoyed
learning about those standards through this dance.”
Franco-Spano had the standards posted on the walls of the gymnasium. The
students had written them down on poster-sized sheets of colorful
construction paper.
Momauguin Principal Mark V.A. Levy praised Franco-Spano and said all of the
teachers worked to “play a great part in getting this done.”
Addressing students and parents, Franco-Spano congratulated the work
involved and introduced a surprise guest, Town Attorney Joseph Zullo. Zullo
participated alongside teachers and administrators in their own “Mexican
Hat Dance,” a Mexican folk staple of the 19th century.
Franco-Spano said it was Zullo who bought the students their field day T-
shirts.
After the performance, Zullo recalled attending field day last June. He said
by the time 3 p.m. rolled around, he was ready to “pass out.”
“I joked to my dad that I never thought being a town attorney would be this
much fun,” he said.
Call Evan Lips at 203-789-5727. Have questions, feedback or ideas about our
news coverage? Connect directly with the editors of the New Haven Register
at AskTheRegister.com. |
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