Dance

These are my informal notes of a Lesson Plan for ages 3-4 yrs.

Big and Small (Could substitute other opposite themes, such as "Fast and Slow", "High and

Low”, or simply “Opposites”) Age: 3-4 year-olds Time: 40 minutes CA State Standards:

• Creating: Students will respond in movement to open-ended prompts throughout the Exploration and Give it Form phases of class; students will practice locomotor and non-locomotor movements; students will practice starting and stopping their improvisational dances at the instructor’s cue throughout class, especially during the “Freeze Dance”; students will practice changing their movements in response to imagery-based prompts during guided improvisations.

• Performing: Students will practice maintaining their personal space, as well as finding and returning to a specific place in space during several activities, especially during the “Toy Store”; students will practice moving with opposing dynamics when they explore opposites, with special focus on big and small movements, throughout class, especially during the “Land of the Giants and Fairies”; students will share their improvisational dances with their peers.

• Responding: Students will observe each others’ dances and report what they Saw, Heard, Thought, and Felt; students will share about their experiences in class during the Reflection phase of class.

• Connecting: Students will share their personal responses to the dances they see and do; students will share their personal experiences with their peers by improvising together, including sharing and dancing as their favorite toys.

Goals: For kids to explore ideas of Big and Small using their bodies and to creatively express themselves using the elements of dance; to practice following instructions and practice keeping their “dancer’s space; to practice being respectful and active audience members. Warm-up (5 min): In a circle, imagery-based stretching (“Be a tall wall, a small ball, turn around, look upside down, go low, say hello, reach wide and side to side, touch your head, shoulders, knees, toes, touch the sky and say Goodbye!”); Butterfly stretches; Touch toes counting to 10 in different languages; Plant a garden, etc.

Present (5 min): At Home Base, brainstorm the ideas of big and small in and have kids demonstrate big or small things they know (ie, elephant, mouse, etc.). Make the shape of those ideas right at home base. Explain that dancers have a “dancer’s space” or “dancer’s bubble” that keeps them safe. Have everyone use their fingers and toes to paint the edges of their dancer’s bubble. Explain that during this class, we will be practicing keeping their dancer’s bubble safe! Explore (20 min): 1) Circle Activities: Standing holding hands in a big circle as a group, practice moving slowly in a circle (walking in big steps, small steps, tip toeing, sliding (chasseing) in a circle, then quickly; put some steps together to make a circle dance to music. 2) Across the Floor: Reminding them of their dancer’s bubbles, as a clump (not lines) travel across the floor using big and small locomotor steps (walk, run, gallop, slide, hop, jump, etc.). For leaps, only a few at a time, using shoes or “perfect spots” for jumping over. 3) Freeze Dance in Scatter Formation with Animal theme: Again reminding them of their dancer’s bubbles, have kids find a “perfect spot” on the dance floor. Give them a big or small animal; have them make the shape of that animal; when the music starts, dance as that animal; when it stops, freeze in the shape of that animal. Suggest a few, big and small, then start to allow students to raise their hands and suggest animals. 4) “Land of the Giants and Fairies”: Using bright colored tape, divide dance space into two worlds, one land of the giants, the other of tiny fairies. Pretend there is a full moon and everyone is celebrating with a dance. Students should show through their movements if they are giants or tiny fairies! Do it again where students may cross the magic line and change their dance from the Giant side to the Fairy side or vice versa. Challenge them to be clear about when they are changing over – their whole body and movements should grow or shrink! 5) "Toy Store" Game: students choose a favorite toy; they assume that toy on an imaginary "shelf". Remind them of their dancer’s bubbles on the shelf. Theatrically close the shop, turn out lights, close door, “go home to bed,” and then…magically…the toys come to life! Narrate the students starting to become aware that they are alive! Move eyeballs only. Now heads. Now shoulders. Fingers. Legs. (You can substitute words that make sense for their toys, like their “antennae” or “wings” etc.). Now jump down from the shelf! Narrate the toys being so happy to be alive that they danced around the room. Have them explore big and small movements. Then suddenly, Oh no! The toymaker is back! The music stops, they must rush back to their spots on the shelf and assume their

pose. The toymaker examines the room, the toys, wonders what sound she/he heard from outside. Repeat a few times! Give it Form (5 min): Divide class in 1/2. Have one 1/2 become the dancers, the other 1/2 the audience; explain that the audience has a very important job. (Have them put on their special dance watching "glasses" because they must tell you what they saw when dance is over. They may write “notes” with imaginary notebooks as well.) Give simple instructions for a dance, such as one of the exploration activities, but now with an audience. Have them start in a "Beginning Shape" and when the dance is over finish with an "Ending Shape." Switch groups. Remember to ask audiences what they saw. Reflection (5 min): Could do a simple "Goodbye Dance" where one at a time each child shares their favorite big or small movement or shape. If time allows, pass out crayons and paper and have them draw the big and small movements or shapes they did or saw.