ENTRY #1 - SHAKE THE SILLIES OUT
Never underestimate the power of a good warm-up! I find that the best warm-ups to get kids moving and grooving are simple ones that involve minimal individual participation.
The picture to the left outlines simple warm-ups or forms of dance to model warm-ups around, many of which we have used in class. I will highlight a few warm-ups that I have used in my placements.
The Wave
Students looovvve to do this warm-up, regardless of grade level. Start in a circle and play some music, something with a strong beat. Students will then create their one dance move one by one which will be repeated by the group until everyone has had a turn.
Locomotion
This warm-up is a lot like The Wave except that instead of staying in a circle, students have to move around the room together in a line while still repeating their fellow classmates dance moves. Students learn to spatial awareness and consider their relationship with the person in front of and behind them in order to move.
ENTRY #2 - DANCE AND MATH
Simon Says is a great warm up because it is low risk but still allows students the freedom to express themselves as their comfort level allows. And as the games goes on students are often inspired by their fellow classmates to explore more creative interpretations.
Our class had a lot of fun with this activity and showed such strong effort and collaboration!
These are just some of the interpretations that came forward from the word "triangle"
Lastly, Shimmy and Shape gave the students the opportunity to make use of the space and reflect on transitioning from shape to shape.
ENTRY #3 - DANCE AND SCIENCE
Continuing on with the subject cross over, I found the group lesson that focused on science very strong and I wanted to be sure to include the activity that I enjoyed the most as I believe it is very adaptable for language and other subjects as well.
After having time to move around as different types of atoms, the groups gathered to create the story of a transformation from one state of matter to another using words chosen by the group members. I loved that we were able to create our own interpretation of what we have learned through our expression and I thought it was a very good idea to have the other groups try to guess some of the words.
ENTRY #4 - FLOCKING
Flocking is one of the forms we learned that I feel is most suited for junior intermediate. While I do feel that it could be easily adapted for younger grades I think flocking is that perfect middle ground between fun and challenge and it can form the base of many variations of activities. One reflection I made after watching the video below is that I could have move slower to make following easier for my teammates and I think I would be sure to emphasize that to my class in the future.
ENTRY #5 - COMMUNITY BUILDING GAMES
I cannot stress enough the importance of building a classroom community that is supportive and safe, especially when engaging in activities that would make a student feel vulnerable. Which is why I think every teacher should have a list of tried and true community building games that involve movement so students can build up their comfort level working as collaboratively with others.
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| Retrieved from class photos |
I have gathered my own list over the years that I hope to add to as I gain experience:
Mirror Mirror - Mirroring game that uses themes chosen by the class to guide the movements. Will often pair with music.
Shake it Up- Create a five step handshake with your partner. Students may chose to present it to the class but are not required to. Students then find a new partner and they teach each other their handshake to make a new ten step handshake.
Let's Be - Someone shouts out "Let's Be (insert object, animal, person)" and the class must reflect that thing through their movements. Students must wait at least 10 seconds before bringing a new idea out.
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