Dance Lesson Ideas

Name of Activity: Opposite Grapevines

Purpose of Activity: To engage students in a dance by doing simple dance steps, but performing them in opposite directions.

Prerequisites: Students will need to know how to grapevine, and the basic concepts of left and right

Suggested Grade Level: 3-5

Materials Needed: If desired, teachers can place numbers on the floor in order to designate lines (1-5), and individual cards with an "L" for left and an "R" for right, music and CD player.

Recommended music: I Heard it Through the Grapevine from the "Big Chill" CD by Marvin Gaye or We All Live in a Yellow Submarine by the Beatles

Beginning dance formation: Place the students in line of 4-5. Each student will have a card on the floor in front of him/her marked L or R. This will help each student remember what direction he/she is to move.

Description of Idea

Variations:

Instead of having students in parallel lines ask them to face a partner. The concept of mirroring can now be introduced and students can perform the dance facing one another.

Assessment Ideas:

Watch for moving in the appropriate direction and having a general sense of rhythm when performing the dance.

Adaptations for Students with Disabilities:

Students in wheelchairs can move their chairs in the appropriate direction. For children with cognitive impairments, the movements of the dance could be done in all one direction thus emphasizing that direction. It could then be done later in the opposite direction. This could help reinforce the concept of right and left.