It's so hard to believe that next week will be the last week of dance for the K, 1st and 3rd graders! We've done so much hard work learning our community dance. In fact, if you'd like to practice it at home, here is the song we've been using:
And now... it's time to think about lesson plans for the 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th graders!
We are thinking about the U.S. Constitution as the central academic theme for our upcoming dance classes with the 5th graders, using choreographic exercises that:
A. Demonstrating the growth of enfranchisement and the living quality of the constitution
B. Help children understand the concept of checks and balances
C. Demonstrate the mechanics of government as set up by the constitution
Woven in to these lesson plans, of course, will be ideas about conflict resolution, collective agreement, growth mindset, etc.
For the 2nd grade dance classes, we're thinking about a dual theme:
1. Multiplication/Division and Fractions
During the warm-up portion of class, we will focus on phrases and combinations that adhere to musical structures that can be multiplied and divided to create different movement qualities. Likely, we will focus heavily on even-numbered figures because of the way music is structured, which will help reinforce the learning and make creative connections.
2. Biographies/Cultural and Family Heritage/Non-Fiction Writing
During the choreographic portion of class, we will engage the students in a build-a-dance process around their own autobiographical experiences: family rituals and cultural practices that have particular meaning to them. We will work in english language arts to create these narratives, and then abstract them into dance phrases that we can perform as a class.
Looking forward to a fun-filled Spring!
We are thinking about the U.S. Constitution as the central academic theme for our upcoming dance classes with the 5th graders, using choreographic exercises that:
A. Demonstrating the growth of enfranchisement and the living quality of the constitution
B. Help children understand the concept of checks and balances
C. Demonstrate the mechanics of government as set up by the constitution
Woven in to these lesson plans, of course, will be ideas about conflict resolution, collective agreement, growth mindset, etc.
For the 2nd grade dance classes, we're thinking about a dual theme:
1. Multiplication/Division and Fractions
During the warm-up portion of class, we will focus on phrases and combinations that adhere to musical structures that can be multiplied and divided to create different movement qualities. Likely, we will focus heavily on even-numbered figures because of the way music is structured, which will help reinforce the learning and make creative connections.
2. Biographies/Cultural and Family Heritage/Non-Fiction Writing
During the choreographic portion of class, we will engage the students in a build-a-dance process around their own autobiographical experiences: family rituals and cultural practices that have particular meaning to them. We will work in english language arts to create these narratives, and then abstract them into dance phrases that we can perform as a class.
Looking forward to a fun-filled Spring!