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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Telling Stories Through Dance

For Teachers K - 2nd
Examine the movement of characters in the story, Caps for Sale. Using the text, pupils invent gestures and movements for some of the actions and major events. They practice retelling a story by using the movements they developed. They...
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

The Sounds of an Island: Jamaican Music for the Classroom

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Introduce young explorers to the music and history of Jamaican culture through game songs and dances. As a bonus, class members get to play simple songs transcribed for the recorder.
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Lesson Plan
Little Kids Rock

The Influence of Latin Music in Postwar New York City

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Music has often been called the international language that transcends cultures and regions. Scholars analyze the impact of Latin American music on New York City culture in the years following World War II. They research music, video,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Transferring Rhythmic Patterns From Music to Movement

For Teachers K - 5th
Students identify and demonstrate movement elements in relation to musical notation. They clap to rhythms, beat on drums, match musical notes to speech patterns and use the rhythms of the their names to create a dance.
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Jamaican Song, Dance, and Play: Experiences with Jamaican Musical Traditions

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young musicians experience song, dance, and play of the Jamaican culture. Scholars listen for and recreate beats, they play tunes, make up original dances, and play a game that challenges pupils to pass stones to a specific beat.
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Braiding Rhythms: The Role of Bell Patterns in West African and Afro-Caribbean Music

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Africans transported to the Caribbean as part of the transatlantic slave trade brought with them a rich tradition of music and dance. Four lessons teach young musicians the rumba clave rhythm, cascara rhythm, and the 6/8 bell patterns...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Same and Different Through Music and Art

For Teachers K
This lesson is intended for a music class but would be a great way to teach compare and contrast to any class. Kindergarteners dance the Hokey Pokey to four different styles of music and examine two paintings of Humpty Dumpty, then...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dancing Levels in Space

For Teachers K - 5th
Learners practice mirroring human moves by performing a dance in class.  In this physical education lesson, students utilize different spaces around them to perform a dance expressing their full motion.  Learners cooperate in pairs or...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dance Sequences and Phrases

For Teachers 8th - 12th
A series of lessons about dance would be a great addition to your physical education class. Straightforward as well as creative, it teaches the basic skills of dance movement. A rubric helps guide the dancers to let them know what steps...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dancing the Colors of Birds

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students explore colors through storytelling and dance. In this visual arts lesson, students view the painting "Bird and Cornstalk Rug" and identify three colors. Students express how the colors make them feel through the rhythm of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Elementary Music Plan

For Teachers 3rd
Hey Macarena! Third graders keep time while they sing a Latin Folk Song. To practice keeping a steady rhythm and singing in pitch, the class sings the Folk Song together and in a round while keeping a beat. They then learn to do the...
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Lesson Plan
National Dance Week Foundation

Modern Dance Project

For Teachers 5th - 8th
As part of a celebration of National Dance week, class members engage in a series of exercises that introduce them to the movements of modern dance.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Contra Dance

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Contra dance was brought to America by French Soldiers after the Revolutionary War. Contra dancing is done in lines, but with partners facing each other. Some moves one partner is moving forward while the other moves backwards. Some...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Crazy Frog Dance

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Teach your young learners some basic line dance steps. Get them moving to increase their heart rates and to have fun. This dance consists of a few steps and there is a part that is for free-style moves. While the written description is...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heritage: Line Dance is a Pattern!

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Line dancing is the repeating of a pattern of steps, done to music. Teach youngsters how to line dance and they won't feel so awkward when they grow up. Let them experiment with creating their own patterns and teaching their classmates....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scattered Square Dance

For Teachers K - 5th
Take a good, square look at this introductory square dancing lesson. Each square dance move has what is termed a "call." Teach some beginning calls to your young dancers. They can be scattered around so that their focus is on learning...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jingle Bell Dance With the Crazy Frogs

For Teachers K - 4th
Skater's Glide, Reindeer Stomps, Skiers, and Snow Shoe Marches are the four types of dance steps in this activity. Find the Crazy Frog version of "Jingle Bells" and teach these dance moves. There is a video included so take a look at it...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fun Dance

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
"Fun Dance" is a 32-count dance of some very basic dance moves. Walking forward, walking backward, grapevines left, grapevines right, some punching arm moves, and some swimming arm moves. Put on some upbeat music and get movin'.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Jiggy Dance

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Grapevines, jumps, pivots, stomps and more are moves you will learn in a dance activity. There are quite a few counts to learn and it will take some practice to remember it all. So get out those dancing shoes and find Will Smith's...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Japanese Music Study

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Gagaku is music traditionally played in the Japanese imperial courts of long ago. Learners listen to this and other traditional Japanese music to gain an understanding of culture and music history. They work to identify Japanese...
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Lesson Plan
John F. Kennedy Center

Jazz music, Dance and Poetry

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Learners view video and become familiar with the type of movement in jazz dance.  In this jazz dance instructional activity, students write a cinquain about jazz dance.  Learners recognize the elements of jazz dance and the type of music...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Character Traits in Fables

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Combining art, music, dance, and reading comprehension, this lesson is geared to reach all ability levels. After reading a variety of fables and discussing story elements and character traits, class members select a moral to use as the...
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Lesson Plan
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education

Comparing Cultural Dances

For Teachers 2nd
All cultures express similar thoughts, feelings, and ideas. But, often times those things are expressed differently. Learners compare and contrast traditional dances from two cultures. They watch videos of each performance, stop to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Groovy 60s Dances!

For Teachers 6th - 12th
1960s dances: The Twist, The Jerk, The Swim, The Monkey, The Mashed Potato, The Watusi, The Hitchhiker, and The Boog-a-loo. Introduce your class to the dances of the 60s. Find Motown music, watch online videos that show the different...

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