When I first walked into the classroom the little second graders were attempting to sit still on the rug while they knew they were about to begin their first dance class. I was pleasantly surprised when they eagerly asked if I was the dance teacher. How wonderful it is to have students who want to learn! We started off our first dance lesson by recognizing the shapes around us and learning how to incorporate them into our bodies. Straight, spiraling, bent, curved the students explored these new ideas and patterning in their body. They loved the challenge of seeing how far they could twist their bodies and then spiral them into little shapes. After exploring the movement I split them into groups and had them create their own dance using the moves we just learned. I had only set aside five minutes for their creation and practice time and I learned that giving them more time to create and rehearse will give them more confidence and overall more enjoyment. My assessment of the class is that they are little and want to move! My next lesson will allow them to use that energy as we learn about locomotor steps that travel through space!
September 19, 2017
Mary Beth it sounds like you have an adorable group of 2nd graders! Your reflection about the importance of setting aside time for creating and performing activities in a lesson is so valid. When students have more time to create they do build more confidence and this makes the performance experience more meaningful for the students. Excellent reflection! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete