ArtMaking

In DELLTA, students collaborate to make artistic choices and create original works of art.
Four students pose with their bodies in dance shapes. Two are standing with one arm extended and one arm curved. One is kneeling with one arm extended up and one reaching back to her feet. One student is kneeling on one leg with her other leg extended on the floor. She is reaching both arms to that leg and her head is down.
 
 

Working and Thinking like an Artist

  • Use artistic tools to take risks and make choices
  • Collaborate to explore and communicate concepts or feelings
  • Give voice to ideas, envision possibilities and persevere
  • Integrate higher order thinking with social-emotional learning
 
 

Why Arts for Multilingual Learners?

By engaging in an artistic process, MLs learn to think and work independently, take imaginative risks, discover and develop ideas, and collaborate. Students learn to communicate and express complex ideas and understanding through their artmaking.

 
https://www.youtube.com/embed/CX9Df4sr4Rs
Language Learning in the Arts
Artmaking uses nonverbal expression and playful exploration of language to create a safe, inviting space for language learners. This helps MLs communicate beyond their proficiency level.
More on Language Learning
 

Artistic Process

Artist residencies are structured to lead multilingual learners through a process of exploration, creation, development and reflection. The artistic process allows students to develop their work and voice with confidence and independence.

Learning the
essentials
 
A middle school student kneels on the floor, extending one arm up and pulling the other elbow back.

Dancer's Toolbox 

Dancers explore the elements of dance through warm-ups and choreography. Learning a physical and verbal vocabulary while building foundational skills in the art form. 
Anatomy of a Residency: Dance
A teaching artist stands with four middle school on a stage. As she speaks to them, the rest of the class is seated on the floor watching.

Theater Toolbox

Actors learn to use their face, voice and bodies to express ideas and tell stories. After an introduction to basic theater skills and concepts, students create their own scenes.
Art Making Toolkit
Three elementary school students dance together on the stage. Two students clasp hands and rotate around a student in the center who is in a low pose.

Dance as Language

By working and thinking as choreographers...
Students develop skills in collaboration, communication and both creative, and critical thinking.
Dance as Language
Inspiration
 
There are two images side-by-side. The first is a black and white photo of professional dancers creating a tableau with their bodies. The second is of a small group of middle school students recreating the same pose.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/0wPMjznKuok
Points of Inspiration
The point of inspiration for an original work of art could be an abstract painting, a text, a photograph, a curricular theme, a movement or an engaging question.  Working with a clear structure and a compelling inspiration, students enter into an open-ended artistic process.
Strategies like making connections
Co-Creating
Original
Work
 
Four middle school students create a dance tableau. Two boys hold another boy up, his feet rest on their thighs. He reaches his arms straight up . Another boy with his back to the audience, lunges towards them and touches the elevated boy's legs. They all look at this dancer.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/POxp51tcBR4

Dance: Putting it Together

Eighth grade MLs collaborated in small groups to choreograph a dance while using an iPad to document and analyze the development of their dance.
Four middle students are in a scene on the stage of a school auditorium. One of the students in the front is pantomining holding a steering wheel. The student next to him holds his hand near his mouth as if speaking into a handheld radio.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/vHFTBtYAjks

Creating a Scene

Performing arts are collaborative by nature.  Learners co-create  works of art in theater and dance each bringing their own perspective and voice. The process of collaboration leads to d
Feedback
and Revision
 
Four middle school students create a dramatic dance shape -with arms and legs extended. One is captured jumping in midair. On the edge of the photograph, an ipad is visible photographing the students' pose.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/gV1SgtWhIpc

Formative Assessment in Dance

Dancers refine their dance phrase through peer feedback and revision.  When done well, a formative assessment practice recognizes student voice and encourages growth.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/rBbauzDihZA/

Creative Learning Loop

In the Creative Learning Loop, learners provide feedback to one another and use that feedback to revise their artwork. Clear criteria in the arts grounds feedback and revision.
Performance
 
https://www.youtube.com/embed/vk0qYulXMq8
Performing versus Sharing
The experience of performing is integral to dance and theater.  When the focus is on process over product, we call culminating events “sharing our work,” rather than “performances.” These sharings are structured to be safe, supportive environments  to celebrate students’ learning and share their artistic creations.
Reflection
on Learning
 
https://www.youtube.com/embed/3byU4vJZp2k

Dance: Reflections on Learning

Eighth grade ML students collaborated in small groups to choreograph a dance while using their iPad to document and analyze their learning in a portfolio.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Au4JMfh1n-4

Theater: Portfolio Presentation

In Digital DELLTA, the Collaborative Portfolio process created a structure and routine for reflection and assessment in theater.
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