Introducing Unit Specifications and Unit Assessment Support Packs Dance: National 5

Unit Assessment  Assessments can be designed to provide evidence across more than one Unit or Outcome – combined assessments  Flexible and open Evidence Requirements in Units  Greater range of techniques and methodologies for assessment – encouraged through Unit assessment support packages  More opportunities to gather naturally occurring evidence – assessment as part of learning and teaching

Key points: Dance Units  Two Units: Technical Skills and Choreography  The Unit structure provides progression to the new Higher, and articulates with the NPAs at levels 4 and 5  Technical Skills Unit allows for personalisation and choice as 2 contrasting dance styles can be studied  Choreography Unit focuses on skills building and the application of these skills

Unit Specifications Technical Skills 1 Develop knowledge and understanding of a selected dance style by: 1.1 Describing the skills and characteristics of the selected dance style 1.2 Analysing the social and cultural influences on the selected dance style 2 Apply technical dance skills in contrasting dance styles by: 2.1 Demonstrating the technical skills and fundamental principles of two given styles 2.2 Performing a teacher/lecturer-choreographed dance sequence in two contrasting dance styles 2.3 Applying knowledge of the use of safe dance practice when demonstrating technical skills 2.4 Evaluating technical dance skills used in their own work and that of others

Unit Specifications Choreography 1 Develop knowledge and understanding of a range of choreographic principles by: 1.1 Developing understanding of choreographic devices, spatial patterns and choreographic structures appropriate to duet work 1.2 Developing an understanding of the impact of theatre arts on choreography with regards to lighting, costume, set, music and props to communicate ideas and themes 1.3 Evaluating the impact of choreographic principles used in dance 2 Apply choreographic principles to create a piece of choreography by: 2.1 Investigating a chosen theme/stimulus 2.2 Selecting a range of choreographic devices and structures appropriate to a chosen theme/stimulus 2.3 Creating and presenting a short choreography for two people 2.4 Evaluating the choreographic process

General Evidence Requirements for the Units Evidence Requirements for the Units  Assessors should use their professional judgement, subject knowledge and experience, and understanding of their learners, to determine the most appropriate ways to generate evidence and the conditions and contexts in which they are used.  Evidence should be gathered in combination with other Outcomes where possible, either from within an individual Unit or in combination with the Outcomes from either Unit.  Evidence may also be gathered for individual Outcomes where appropriate.  Flexible evidence requirements and combining assessment are the key to some of the main changes in terms of generating and gathering evidence.

Evidence Requirements: Technical Skills For this Unit learners will be required to provide evidence of:  the ability to describe the historical context, dance skills and characteristics of a chosen dance style  the ability to describe the factors that have influenced a professional dance practitioner and their work within the selected dance style  the ability to demonstrate technical skills in two contrasting dance styles by participation in structured dance technique classes  the ability to apply technical skills when performing dance sequences of a minimum of 1.5 minutes in two contrasting dance styles showing dynamic quality, timing and musicality  the ability to self-reflect and evaluate the technical dance skills used in the performance of self, peers and/or others  the application of safe dance practice within their own performance, including: posture, alignment, warm up/cool down, hydration, attire

Evidence Requirements: Choreography For this Unit learners will be required to provide evidence of:  their ability to investigate and select a chosen stimulus or theme to generate creative ideas that are expressed in their choreography  a practical demonstration of their use of choreographic devices and structures in a choreographed duet performed by two other dancers, excluding self  their ability to work with dancers and arrange rehearsals  how theatre arts are used to enhance ideas and themes within a dance performance  the evaluation and impact of the use of choreographic principles and theatre arts in their own work and the work of others

Unit Assessment Support Packages - purpose UASPs can be used to: Assess your candidates Adapt for your own assessment programmes Help you develop your own assessments

UASPs – key features  Valid from August 2013  Designed to encourage professional judgement  Provide broad-based tasks – allow assessors to choose appropriate context and forms of evidence  Show range of approaches to generating assessment evidence  Give information on the type of evidence which could be gathered and how this is to be judged against Assessment Standards

Dance UASPs Package 1  Unit by Unit– discrete assessment tasks for each Unit and combining of skills within individual Units Package 2  Portfolio approach to gathering evidence across Units for assessment Package 3  Combined assessment approach across Units

Judging Evidence Within each UASP there are 4 sections which outline the approach to judging evidence  Column 1 - Outcomes  Column 2 - Assessment Standards  Column 3 - information to support making assessment judgments  Column 4 - specific information relating to the assessment tasks in Appendix 1.

Exemplification - Sources  Education Scotland's website – advice and guidance on the National 5 Dance Course  SQA's secure site – exemplification for the National Progression Award in Dance (SCQF level 5). See your SQA Coordinator to access this

Moving on  Workshop 1 and 2 will give you the opportunity to look at the Unit Specifications and Unit Assessment Support Packages in detail.