Using “Galloping Song” to teach “Apples and Oranges”
Today I taught a lesson to Head Start 3 – 5 year olds on locomotor movement (traveling movement). This is my 10th lesson with the children. They have demonstrated competence in body control and concentration, learned about speed, energy, body shapes, direction in space, and successfully moved around the circle line flying as birds (Little Birds from Songs for Dancing).
I felt they would be successful moving alternately, as two groups, with one group watching or dancing on their spot while the other traveled around the circle line. I wanted to teach Apples and Oranges from Step on the Beat and wanted to ‘front-load’ the lesson (that means teach the necessary prerequisite information) to help them take turns traveling by galloping.
I began by showing a picture of a horse and asking how horses moved. After we got the 4-legged demonstrations out of the way, I asked what kind of movement people did that horses do. We finally got to ‘gallop.’ The child who named gallop demonstrated a gallop inside the circle line, as everyone watched. Sometimes the child did it with me, to demonstrate the necessary body control for returning to his home spot, and I used this rhyme, sung to the tune of This is the way we wash our clothes:
One foot leads, the other chases,
As we go to different places.
One foot leads, the other chases,
Then we end on our spot.
Everyone got up, and we did it together. Then I split the circle into two halves.
Using Galloping Song, I lead each group around in one line of direction. We passed behind the seated group waiting to take its turn. I asked the sitters to be in Ready Position (criss cross applesauce), hands in front, so as not to be galloped on by their peers. And when we returned to our spots, body control! (I wouldn’t dream of mentioning baseball slides….otherwise I’d plant the seed of that diabolical idea.)
Success!
We then moved to learning Apples and Oranges. First, I named the first group of ‘horses’ as ‘Apples.’ I literally touched each child in that group on the shoulder and said “You’re an apple, and you’re an apple…..” and named the oranges the same way. I checked for understanding by having each group raise their hands when I named their fruit.
Time to learn the dance. I could quickly teach slap and clap, since they already do Clap Along Song (Step On the Beat) regularly. We turned around on our spot, instead of taking hands to travel. Note: This is a super easy way to work. No muss or fuss with holding hands or traveling along the circle line. A great solution to doing this dance with young children. (Further Note: A good solution for Here We Go Round and Round (Songs for Dancing) too. Turn one way on your spot, and the other. Remember to tell your feet to stay when you are done turning!)
Then, I lead the Apples around, galloping in one line of direction, while the Oranges stayed. Next time it was Oranges turn.
On the repeat, we galloped in the opposite line of direction.
Fun and satisfying! Nice to end that session with Resting (Songs for Dancing).
Lesson Ideas for 3 – 5 year olds
This month I have been working with 3-5 year olds in two Head Start sites.
Our general flow for a 30 minute lesson is:
- Enter to a line; Down By the Station (from Songs for Dancing) First, name each child as a car on the train before you start. Be sure to follow the train car in front of you; this train might curve or make sharp turns. End the train in a circle (floor marked with gym tape, dotted line, for the circle)
- Sit Ready Position. Review the tools we need today: Concentration? Body Control? Imagination? Memory?
- Do an opener (Welcome Song or one set from Everybody Do This (from Songs for Dancing) or Clap Along Song (from Step on the Beat) or Drumtalk (from AlphaBeat) Remember, you can do these with live singing (and/or a drum and stick).
- Do a Warm Up (First 2 tracks from Brain Bop) or Gentle Warm Up from AlphaBeat. I do the warm up without music, too, so I can change the speed at which I teach, and use visual supports to show the ideas. I recommend using Picture Communication Symbols (PECS). Check out Boardmaker software to see what I mean. I worked with a site that printed the images I needed. There are also some downloadable visual supports on the Songs for Dancing CD for 4 of the songs.
- Do 1 – 2 Concept-based activities (see below)
- Resting (see below)
- Transition to end of lesson, including lining up or going to our shoes
CONCEPT-BASED ACTIVITIES:
Direction (Forward, Backward, Up, Down, Side to Side) Sodeo (AlphaBeat)
Energy (smooth, sharp, shaky) Action Dance (AlphaBeat) and Popcorn & Melted Butter (Songs for Dancing)
Shapes (straight, curved, twisted) Shape Song (Songs for Dancing) – download visual supports from the CD
Body Parts Body Shape Jam (AlphaBeat)
Speed (Fast and Slow) – A Trip to the Zoo (Songs for Dancing) – download visual supports from the CD
RESTING:
I leave 5 minutes at the end to do the instrumental – only Resting track from Songs for Dancing that is 4 minutes long. As the children lie, in the circle or scattered, I take time to give each one a quick adjustment (as modeled on the DVD). I do this with lights off. Then lights go on (or not) and we do a 1,2,3, transition (if we’ve used yoga squares – 1 = stand up with your square, 2 = make a ‘pancake pile’ with the squares, 3 = line up or go to your shoes.
The mood is mellow, the children are calm, and the teachers appreciate the behavior.
I didn’t used to take this time because I didn’t believe the children would settle down for this. Now I know differently and swear by it.
Co-Constructing Creating Activities with your students
How to make a dance with a group of children (in this instance, ages 6-7) and share leadership successfully?
No matter what the concept or the prompt (poem, word cards, image, etc)……you can use these strategies to build the dance together, get buy-in and ownership from the group, and keep the PROCESS central (with the PRODUCT as an outcome)
- Collect movement ideas from the students: Let’s use Veronica’s leg swing and Mei Lin’s arm swing.
- Ask, don’t tell: Veronica, how should we swing? How many times?
- Share leadership: Let’s follow Veronica for this part, the cue will be when she starts.
- Ask questions that spark variety (based on your aesthetic sense of what the piece needs) – Where shall we start? Together or apart? Where shall we go next in the space? How can we change levels? Do we all have to be on the same level? Can some be high and some low?
- Note opportunities for technical teachable moments: Sitting up from lying down could be an abdominal challenge. What tip could acknowledged the challenge? Could they connect and help each other up? Go more slowly and with intention, focusing on the abdominal muscles? Use their hand reaching forward or on the ground?
- Duration: How many times? What’s the cue for ending that section? You can also share the cuing with students, each one taking leadership for a different part (as suggested in 3.)
These are some things that came up today. The list could be longer. Share your own thoughts.
Everybody Do This as a Creating Activity
Everybody Do This from Songs for Dancing is something I usually use for teaching sequence and recall and as part of a warm up.
This week, one of my college students decided to use it for a Creating activity on the concept of Body Parts. We used the Instrumental only tracks, Everybody Do This Part 1 and Part 3 that played 4 sets of 16 beats. You could use Part 2 and Part 4 for shorter versions that play 4 sets of 8 beats.
We introduced the activity as a dance using body parts. Brainstorming included asking one child to name a favorite part. To another child: How can we move that part? After a short moment with that, asking another child: How else can we move that part? Each idea, shaped in the framework of time (pulse, pattern), was sequenced and repeated. Likely we’d do one movement idea for 4 beats, and the other for 4, and repeat. Or 8 and 8 and repeated, depending on the interest and complexity of the movement ideas.
Add another body part sequence: Ask a different student for favorite part, another student for Idea 1 (with brief explore) , and a third for Idea 2 (with brief explore). Last, shape the two movement ideas into a phrase and repeat the phrase.
Final step, sequence body part 1 with two moves and body part 2 with two moves into a longer phrase. Do with the music.
As you explore and shape the ideas, include other concept lenses, such as direction. Example: can we travel this forward and back in the circle as we move our head? Around the circle as we lift our knees?
Other concepts to use as the viewing lens could be speed, level or size.
Reflection: What body parts did you use?
Once you’ve got your sequence down, try it to Galloping Song (Instrumental Only) for a different musical feel.
Extensions: Sequence more than two body parts into the phrase. Break into smaller groups and create your own dances that follow this structure. Show and share.
Reflection: What body parts did you see the dancers use? What body parts did you use?
Happy creating!
Thoughts on acquiring teaching expertise
In this week’s seminar class, we were talking about what the novice teachers are noticing about their own teaching.
One realization was the importance of being a good boundary-setter, kind but firm, not concerned about being a child’s friend but rather focused on creating an emotionally, physically and socially safe environment. Without a firm hand, certain students strive to take control, diminishing the experience for others. It’s our job to keep that from happening in the first place, and nip it in the bud when it shows up.
Another was being skilled enough in the ‘script’ so as to be able to teach to what’s happening in front of you, rather than adhering to your intention with slavish devotion. Awareness dawns for the teacher when she can begin to shift the focus from simply delivering the instructions for the activity to recognizing the IMPACT on the students and teaching to that.
The example we discussed was based on moving across the floor. The novice teacher failed to recognize an underlying weakness in some of the students, which was that they did not feel the pulse of the music. Without a sense of phrase, they could not accomplish the movement. We seek to identify the most glaring issues first, then refine in further passes, addressing performance quality, relating to other dancers, etc.
Another realization was the importance of repetition once you’ve built up a sequence. After you’ve gone to all the effort to teach the component parts, it’s time to deepen in the experience. In this case, the novice teacher had taught the four separate phrases of Walking Song (Songs for Dancing). Ready to put the activity aside and move to reflection questions, she didn’t realize the importance of repetition for the satisfaction of enjoying and demonstrating the new skills. We lay the path….now let’s walk on it!
Thoughts on Across-the-Floor Movement
I’d like to share some observations we made after one of my college students lead a combination for ages 6 and 7. The combo was march for 8, make two shapes for 4 counts each, slide for 8.
Technique Issues: We noted a relative weakness for moving on the pulse in a sequence. Some children had trouble staying on the pulse. Generally, we spend time on creative and exploratory activities that are not metered. We see that we can spend more time on metered movement. The children are ready and interested.
How to help them improve? This can be handled by observing the weaknesses and addressing one of them at a time on a pass across the space. e.g. just focus on the pulse. Perhaps, after observing the skill level, have the children just march across. Then just slide across. Then do the combo. Some other things we could help the children focus on….thinking ahead for transitions, improving their performance energy, being aware of their traveling partner.
Space Issues: We found that an adult helper waiting on the other side to keep the children organized in the far corner was valuable. Without a helper, we might have the children peel off and return to the first line, always moving across the floor in the same direction. Or, revert to short lines and make the phrase shorter (4 marches, 4 slides).
Behavior: we found that some children moved across in pairs with a student who had the same low-energy attitude, and this held them back. It’s worth checking to see how people are paired up and fix that, after they move across the floor once.
Animal Tracks: Lesson Ideas for ages 4-7
Here’s a really fun lesson idea connected to animals, animal movement, literacy, science and just plain fun! Use ANIMAL TRACKS: Some Basics found at the end of the lesson for ‘authentic’ animal movement ideas.
ANIMAL TRACKS
Moving Like Animals
Resources:
Animal Tracks: Some Basics
Bibliographic Suggestions
Duffy, Dee Dee. Forest Tracks. Boyds Mills Press, 1996
Dorros, Arthur. Animal Tracks. Scholastic, Inc. New York. 1991
Ways of walking like animals (Start from spread to personal space)
Do half group watch, half group do, then trade.
Explore ways of moving around the room.
Bear Walk
Crab Walk
Bird Walk (and flutter, fly)
Frog Hop
Snake Slither
Horse Gallop
Lizard Dart
Cat Prowl
Elephant Lumber
Kangaroo Hop
Squirrel Scamper
Tortoise Trundle
As you explore, combine ways of walking with pathways and directions.
Making Animal Tracks (Start in flanking lines for across the room)
Refer to Animal Tracks: Some Basics
Pacing
Diagonal Walking
Bounding
Galloping
Extension Idea: Repeat tracks with additional things to think about:
Pick an animal you’d like to be. What do you look like?
Are you short or are you tall?
Are you big or are you small?
Are you heavy or are you light?
Do you move by day, or by night?
Are you quick or are you slow?
Do you move high, do you move low?
Do you stop and go?
What do you look like? I don’t know?
Where are you?
in the woods
in the meadow
in the desert
in the rainforest
Going Further: Notice carefully how you use your fingers and toes.
Do you need your whole hand and foot?
Finger tips? Toes only?
Heel of your hand? Sole of your foot?
A mix of these things?
How would you move your parts? Head? Neck? Arms? Legs? Torso?
How would you: Eat? Drink water?
Extension Activity 1: Small groups form based on a specific animal, sit in individual circles.
Choreographic Assignment (3-5 minutes)
1. Decide how to move to the center of the space as your animal
2. Perform some type of action in the middle of your circle as your animal OR
Travel around the circle as your animal
3. Decide how to move back out to the edge of the circle as your animal
Then, all groups sit in large, semi-circle (if performance-based) OR large circle (if process-based). Show dances one by one.
Extension Activity 2: Read Forest Tracks. Duffy, Dee Dee. Boyds Mills Press, 1996
This book uses the format of Listen (the sounds the animal would make), Look (the tracks the animal would make), See (picture of the animal).
As you read, have children guess what animal is coming next, before you turn the page for See.
To dance the book, use the story following the format of Extension Activity 1. Use the text to shape the dance, with everyone making body percussion sounds on Listen! Small groups decide ahead of time which of the animals in the book they want to be, and go in, group by group, for rabbit, deer, raccoon, etc.
For skunk, everyone goes in, bit by bit. Teacher comes in as skunk, and everyone scurried back to his spot on the circle.
Decide with the group what to do for the jeep tracks at the end, or don’t include it in your story dance.
ANIMAL TRACKS: Some Basics
based on material from “Into Winter” by William P. Nestor
PACING done by dogs, cats, foxes, deer
Both limbs on one side (right) move, then both on the other (left). Track fairly far apart, forming a zig-zag pattern.
DIAGONAL WALKING done by animals with wide bodies and short legs (racoons, skunks, woodchucks)
hind left foot and front right foot move, then hind right foot and front left foot.
BOUNDING done by slender, long bodied animals with short legs (weasel, mink, otter)
front feet go together, then hind feet follow as a pair.
when walking, hind tracks fall behind front.
when running, hind fall into front tracks, or even a little ahead of front tracks
GALLOPING done by animals with short forefeet and long hind legs (rabbits, hares, squirrels, some mice)
similar to bounding, but hind feet land on either side or ahead of forefeet
RUNNING done by shrews, voles
combines running and galloping. similar to diagonal walking, but with tracks wider apart
Songs for Dancing Extensions: Popcorn & Melted Butter
Working with the instrumental-only version of P & MB with 4/5 year olds, the concept was Energy (smooth, sharp, shaky, swinging) and the structure was:
1) Galloping 4 cts through general space/in place- sway smoothly 3 cts. /REPEAT sequence 3 times – melt smoothly and pop sharply with music// Listen for quick instructions for next thing
2) Sliding with a swing of the arms 4 cts through general space/ sharp arm and body movement 3 cts in place/ REPEAT sequence 3 times – melt smoothly and pop sharply with music// Listen for quick instructions for next thing
3) Hopping 4 cts through general space/ float smoothly in place/ REPEAT sequence 3 times – melt smoothly and pop sharply with music//
Practice without music first. All move in scattered space. Remember to use soft focus (good potatoes – “eyes everywhere, no mouth”). Practice one phrase a couple of times. Layer on.
Lessons on Place
Here are a three downloadable lessons on the concept of place for ages 4/5, 6/7 and 8-10 taught in a studio setting.
Place for 8-10s
Place for 6s and 7s
Place for 4s and 5s
The 4/5s lesson is a 45-minute plan. The others are 60 minute lessons.
THIS IS TYPICALLY A DAY ONE LESSON. That accounts for the “Getting To Know You” activity at the top of the lesson for the two younger groups, before the warm up.
I always start with Place as a Day One lesson, to teach the difference between in-place and traveling movement. HOWEVER, when I teach in an early childhood site, I do not get to traveling movement on the first day (and often not for several lessons). Under those circumstances, I am interested in cultivating the body control and concentration that is necessary for successful teaching.
In my studio classes, however, we have a BIG ROOM, a SMALL GROUP, and AN ASSISTANT, which makes a huge difference.
Music resources are generally:
- All my CDs
- Contrast and Continuum Vol. I – IV by Eric Chappelle (pairs with Anne Green Gilbert’s concept-based approach, that I use) I use the abbreviation C & C, then refer to the Volume and the Track on that Volume (e.g. C & C Vol II #11)
- Gradual Motion by Peter Jones (good, general warm up music for modern dance)
- Music by Shenanigans (Dance Music for Children, and others as indicated)
- Music by the New England Dancing Masters (Jump Jim Joe, and others as indicated)
- Later lessons will also reference:
- Music for Dancers by Kerri Lynn Nichols (different rhythms, pulses and patterns)
- Various folk dances, including some from Sanna Longden – http://www.folkstyle.com
All of these resources are available directly from the artists or from West Music, except Peter Jones. Google his name and the title to get a link.
Prop resources include:
- yoga mats cut into square (1/8″ mats; one mat = 10 squares). yogadirect.com has lots of colors and good price.
- small traffic cones
- chiffon scarves from Seattle Display and Costume. Good quality and price. Bright colors and don’t fray. Long-lasting. (http://displaycostume.reachlocal.net/store/Chiffon.html)
- Later lessons will also reference other props including:
- pool noodles cut into 1 ft. lengths (with any kitchen knife)
Instruments:
- tambourine and stick. I like the Remo Economy with 10″ head and a double row of jingles, I play it with a soft-headed mallet.This is a must for cuing transitions, getting the children’s attention, playing the pulse.
- YOU MAY ALSO WANT…..
- pitched percussion – temple blocks. A pentatonic scale. Played with two sticks. If you have any good, inexpensive sources….please share. The blocks run upwards of $175. The are generally mounted on a stand. My woodblocks came from a sale at a music store and were deeply discounted.
- soprano recorder. I use this for transitions (as a clean up time cue after free dance at the beginning of class) and for movement quality contrast.
Spring Fever Lesson Ideas
Now that the weather is changing, the children are getting restless. Yesterday, I aligned my lessons with 3-5 year olds to address this.
Little Seed
One group did “Little Seed” from AlphaBeat. I set up the activity by first exploring body shapes and level changes. We also spent a little time on Energy, by doing a live version of “Drumtalk” (also found on AlphaBeat) and talking about the “S” words “Smooth,” “Sharp” and “Shaky.”
Then, we talked about seed shapes, roots and shoots. See the notes for the Companion Guide on the AlphaBeat page on my website (a download, available in the side bar). We explored three kinds of seeds and how they fall. Heavy seeds fall directly down, sharply. Light, blowing seeds drift down. Maple seeds spiral down. (I used the vocabulary spiral). We practiced each of these seed types, chaining the next one on as we learned it. Then, I asked them to choose their favorite one to use in the dance.
Then I demonstrated the dance with the music and asked them to observe what I did. Next, they all did it. Lastly, I divided the group into two and they took turns being ‘audience’ and ‘performer.’
With sufficient front-loading, this is a very satisfying activity.
Trees
Another group did the Trees poem from AlphaBeat and following that with “Travelers and the Magic Forest” (also on AB). As with the seeds exploration, for each new tree we chained on to the sequence. I kept it simple, combining their ideas (e.g. What does a king wear? A crown! What would the king of trees look like? We made a shape balanced on one leg (child’s idea) with a crown made from two hands (another child’s idea) or showing simple solutions (e.g. an aspen has trembling leaves. Let’s tremble our fingers.)
Keep drawing out the critical thinking from the children. (e.g. If a poplar grows up straight and tall, where would you start to show that? Being high or being low? Low!)
Travelers and the Magic Forest
We did this in four “quadrants” after scattering to self space spots. I joined each group to help them with the journey through the forest and back home again, and to help them see that traveling “between” the other trees was more fun that just going “around” the whole group (something they are used to from other activities). It helps when you have other teachers and aides in the room, to anchor different groups.
This could also be done in two groups. One stays, one goes, and they alternate three times.
Free Dance
Using “Free Dance” from the new Songs for Dancing, I have three students go into the middle of the circle to do their own dance, as everyone on the edge copies. After everyone has had a turn in the middle, everyone goes in and we all free dance.
This has been a great way to discharge that extra energy, to build community, and to be personally creative and expressive.
I follow that with “Resting” to bring everyone back to calm and centered focus.
Apples and Oranges
This dance, from Step on the Beat, also helps everyone dance in an exuberant, yet structured fashion. With the youngest, we don’t even attempt to hold hands and follow the circle line; we just turn around on our own spot during “circle ’round.” We reverse the rotation the second time.
Then, half the circle is Apples, and follows the leader (the teacher or aide) around the circle line (galloping or skipping) while the Oranges put on their binoculars and watch.
Next time, it’s the Apples’ turn to watch while the Oranges dance.
In the next full rotation, the children follow the circle line in the opposite line of direction (again, lead by you, having moved over to the other side) doing the same or different form of locomotor movement.
Happy Spring Dancing!
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