Smithsonian Institution
African American Music: Let’s Sing and Play Clapping Games
Two lessons focus on making a beat. Using popular African American music of its time, scholars listen and analyze the rhythm then recreate it with hands drums, and cups.
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Music Lesson Plan for Teaching Children with (Severe) Autism
Here's a packet of music activities designed specifically for children with autism. Kids learn greeting, echo, and repertory songs, as well as rhythmic patterns to play rhythm instruments.
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Dancing With Props
Students move a prop by moving their bodies. They are encouraged to focus on balance, a variety of body movements, and making the prop central to their movements.
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Small and Tall
Students demonstrate pitch direction by using movement and visual representation.
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The Charlie Brown Dance
Students attempt to be creative while practicing the movement concepts of Effort - fast/slow, Space Awareness - Levels and Self space, and Relationships - moving in unison.
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Creating Characters: Movement
Students compare two characters and role-play how they would perform various actions. They view and discuss a video, list opposite descriptions for the two girls in the video, and role-play the opposites.
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Spicy, Hot Colors
Students demonstrate an understanding of colors. In this visual arts lesson, students read the text Hot, Spicy Colors and name their favorite colors. Students complete a bar graph to show the data. Students discuss how each color can...
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Discovering Art - Scott Gallery: Line
Students study how line is used in art. They identify horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines in artwork. They view the painting, The Western Brothers, and identify the line the dog makes and the position of the boy's arm. They discuss...
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Attack Theatre Movement Lesson: The Toy Shop
Students study even and uneven rhythms in music. They demonstrate slow and fast movements using various body parts and echo clap with their hands. Listening to uneven rhythms of the drum, they skip, jump and hop and simulate toys in a...
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Paper Bag Butterfly Puppets
Whether you're using it to tell stories, explore the letter b, or during a life science lesson, these butterfly puppets will be a hit. Youngsters use crayons, tissue paper, and paper bags to create butterfly puppets.
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Moving and Grooving with Tempo:
Students are able to repeat various movements. They are able to state the definition of tempo. Students are able to distinguish between a slow temps and a fast tempo. They form a circle and play the music detective game.
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Life of a Navajo Weaver
Young scholars explore Native American weaving patterns and dance movements. In this Native Americans lesson, students view examples of weaving patterns on the Internet and compare the patterns to a Native American dance. Young scholars...
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The Nutcracker
First graders define a ballet as a story told through dance. They listen to melodies and demonstrate beat and accent through body movement. They watch the ballet.
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Drama: Working Together
Learners participate in a host of activities designed to encourage creativity, collaboration, and cooperation. They experience walking in different ways, greeting various types of people, and mirroring, where one student duplicates the...
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Sensational Sayings
Students recognize and interpret the meaning of proverbs and saying through music, poetry and movement. In this familiar sayings lesson, students participate in various games and activities to gain understanding of the meanings of...
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Animation Flip Books
Students investigate examples of animation made from a flipbook technique in order to learn how to create their own flipbook and to learn how this process looks like an animated cartoon. In this animation lesson plan, students will...
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Tempo Contrasts in partner Dances
Students explore the differences in tempo through movement. In groups, students create an original dance phrase and illustrate both fast and slow movement. They share their observations and evaluate each dance according to originality...
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Kandinsky Color Studies
Students study the artist Wassily Kandinsky as well as his art and and music. In this art appreciation lesson, students view a variety of Kandinsky's work and circular color studies. Students relate the use of color to emotion...
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Honey Bees and Communication
Did you know that honey bees dance to communicate information? Do you know why bees use hexagons to build their hives? The Honeybee Man, Brilliant Bees, and Show me the Honey provide background information on how honey bees communicate....
Lauren Kitchin
Singing in the Classroom
Those new to the Kodály Method of music instruction, as well as experienced educations, will find everything they need in a resource designed to launch a five-week vocal music program. Packed with warm ups, games, activities, and...
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Dancing With Props
Students use move a prop by moving their bodies. They are encouraged to focus on balance, a variety of body movements, and making the prop central to their movements.
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Animal Actions
First graders act out a story. For this animal actions lesson, 1st graders listen as a story is being read and performs movements to represent the animals described.
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The Leaves of Autumn
First graders express the words of Autumn through creative dance movements.
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Lines: Invisible Journeys
Learners create visual roadmaps and follow them with gesture to create lines. They draw lines with a white crayon on paper and then paint to create a crayon resist.