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This lesson was taught on November 7th, 2018. The standard that was integrated was comparing and contrasting animals to humans. We began by reviewing how our bodies can move, then discussed different animals that the students were familiar with and how they move. The students danced to a cute song entitled "If Animals Could Dance" for the Hello Song. I loved watching the students dance like animals and make the animal sounds as they moved. They each chose unique animal characteristics and levels that represented the animal. I felt that this lesson was engaging and fun for the students because they had a lot of background knowledge about animals, and loved learning more about their favorite animals and moving like them in several ways.
I loved playing "Guess the Animal" with the students. I had chosen a variety of animals and read out characteristics that they possessed. It was so fun to hear their guesses and to watch them marvel at crocodile's numerous teeth, or giraffe's long necks. The students then danced as each of the animals, as we discussed moving in herds, flocks, schools, or alone, levels, tempo, and a variety of other dance vocabulary. I think that this activity was a good engaging activity because it allowed students to think about a lot of animals differently as they moved like a variety of animals in a variety of ways. The students loved taking turns being the "Safari Guide" leading their peers around the room and back to the keva area each time, and it was so fun to see their creativity.
Lastly, the students chose their own animals to dance and move like throughout the room. Afterwards we talked as a class about the different animals we saw, how they were moving, and how we knew or guessed what they were. I think this activity was solidifying because students chose a variety of animals and saw new animals movement demonstrated by their classmates.
I hope this lesson helps the students to recognize how capable and amazing both their own bodies as well as other animals bodies are. I further hope that this lesson allowed students to compare and contrast animals to themselves and understand animals on a deeper level. I hope that the students will draw upon this lesson in future lesson and classes in which animals movement or characteristics are discussed.
Class Videos:
Animal PowerPoint:
Animal Guess Who Clues:
Official Dance Lesson:
Until Next Time!