Curated OER
Raise the Roof
There are only four different dance moves to teach in this activity. Each move is done for eight-counts. First is pushing the hands above the head, second is a combination of moving the arms and shrugging the shoulders. Third is doing a...
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Machines
What do science and dance have in common? Simple machines, work, and force! First, children discuss machines, wheels, inclined planes, and wedges. They create inclined planes with their bodies and make up dances about wheels and wedges....
Curated OER
This Land is Your Land Shaker Routine
Shake it up! Give each dancer two hand-held shakers of any kind. If your class doesn't have any shakers, do a project and make your own. Small containers with lids, some rice or dried beans, and glue or tape to seal the lids shut. Teach...
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Pilobolus
After reviewing dance-specific terminology and watching a clip from the dance troupe Pilobolus, learners create dances of their own. They pair up and use the teacher's cues to create creature dances that exemplify mood and shape. Any...
Curated OER
Yoga Ball Bash
This line dance lesson involves the use of PE equipment. If you have yoga balls and rhythm sticks then take a look at this lesson. Of course there are other things that could be used instead of yoga balls. This is a 48-count dance...
Curated OER
Celebrating Halloween With the Purple People Eaters
Get youngsters moving by teaching them some basic dance moves. This dance can be done in a circle, a line, or scattered around the gym. There are four movement combinations that are taught to the song "Purple People Eater" by Sheb...
Curated OER
Celebrate Oktoberfest with the Polka
Here's a pretty comprehensive instructional activity on the polka. There is information on the origins of the polka and the history of Oktoberfest. There is even a list of how to count to ten in Polish, Czech, and German. Include or skip...
Curated OER
Triple Step Stomp
Here's a 32-count line dance to the song "Disturbia" by Rihanna. This dance introduces the triple-step. It's a quick right-left-right or a quick left-right-left step. It's not complicated. The really nice thing about this lesson is that...
Curated OER
Occupy the Gym Floor
There are eight different steps in this line dance lesson: angle step, jump step, punch step, marching step, grapevine step, turn step, stop step, and down step. Each step has it's own eight-count. Teach these steps to youngsters and...
Curated OER
The Hamsterdance
It's unbelievable that there really is a dance that goes with a song called "The Hamsterdance!" This is not a lesson plan per se, but rather steps to the dance. They include head bobs, slide steps, thigh slaps, and clapping. Short dances...
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Push and Pull
I love mixing arts lessons with core content! Here, the class will discuss energy, motion, and force (push/pull) as they review dance vocabulary and movements. They preview vocabulary for force and dance. Then they pair-up to dance a...
Curated OER
Jump Band Hokey Pokey
Add a new dimension to doing the Hokey Pokey by giving each group of four dancers a set of jump bands. There are dance moves for the two dancers holding the jump bands as well as for the dancers doing the Hokey Pokey. The goal is to...
Curated OER
Lummi Stick Macarena
Hey, Macarena!! The Macarena is very simple to dance: left, right, left, right, wiggle the hips. Spice it up a bit by giving the class things to hold in their hands such as lummi sticks or scarves. Give them anything that will not be too...
Curated OER
Using Rhythm to Teach Patterns and Directions
Introduce young learners to line dancing. Here are some simple movement patterns to teach them. First teach, repeat, and repeat again without music. Then when they have a pretty good grasp of the movement patterns, add music and practice...
Curated OER
Great Balls of Fire - I Got Locomotor Skills
Teach and review elementary locomotor skills. Use "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis to get youngsters up and grooving to the beat! The dance steps are described in rich detail and you will have the class jumping, skipping,...
Curated OER
Surfin' USA Lummi Stick Routine
"Let's go surfin' now, everybody's learning how, come on and safari with me." One of the Beach Boys more famous songs that is bound to get your class up and moving. This dance has basic dance steps and the added dimension of using Lummi...
Curated OER
Follow The Leader - Soca Style
Here's a great warm-up activity to get your dancers up and moving. There are some very basic moves like hopping, sliding, marching, and bouncing in place. Add some hand and arm movements. Some days you could have slower music and some...
Smithsonian Institution
The Sounds of an Island: Jamaican Music for the Classroom
Introduce young explorers to the music and history of Jamaican culture through game songs and dances. As a bonus, class members get to play simple songs transcribed for the recorder.
Curated OER
YMCA With a Twist
Skip, march, do some jumping jacks! These are the basic moves in this version of the "YMCA" dance. There are some new poses for each of the letters. Watch the video and learn the new poses, or just use the video to teach the dance to...
Smithsonian Institution
Braiding Rhythms: The Role of Bell Patterns in West African and Afro-Caribbean Music
Africans transported to the Caribbean as part of the transatlantic slave trade brought with them a rich tradition of music and dance. Four lessons teach young musicians the rumba clave rhythm, cascara rhythm, and the 6/8 bell patterns...
Curated OER
Basic Waltz Steps
Learn the five basic waltz steps: box step, under arm turn, walt left box or waltz right box, hesitation step, and progressive waltz step. Teach a little about the history of the waltz and the countries from which it came: Germany and...
Curated OER
Thrilling Information: Music and Reading
Here’s a cross-curricular program music activity that uses Peer Gynt to engage class members. Groups take one section of “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” choreograph their section of the tune to represent the story as they imagine it,...
Curated OER
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....
Denver Art Museum
My Animal Symbol
Here is an art lesson plan that combines visual arts and language arts into one very nice package. In it, youngsters study a fascinating painting called Painting of Bear and Sun Dances. They begin to understand the importance of...
Other popular searches
- Dance History
- Tap Dance
- Modern Dance
- Jazz Dance
- Folk Dance
- Ballroom Dance
- Choreography Dance
- Dance Moves
- Dance Elements
- Ghost Dance
- Dance Class
- Dance Steps