Missouri Department of Elementary
Diversity Day
Party time! Here's a resource that suggests celebrating diversity by organizing a school-wide event that features performers and speakers that represent the various cultures and traditions. The packet includes a list of suggested...
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The Water Cycle: States of Water
Elementary schoolers explore states of matter by concentrating on the ways in which water moves between its solid, liquid, and gaseous states in a variety of Earth environments. Learners interpret these movements through dance. The...
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Re-Name That Tune
Students select a familiar children's tune and redesign it by rewriting the lyrics, writing a play, a dance, a storybook or a puppet show. Students work in groups and share their finished project with their classmates.
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Telling Stories About Ourselves
Students discover how visual images communicate meaning. They create costumes that tell personal stories and perform dances wearing the costumes.
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Groovin' with the cows
Third graders create dance moves to a song. In this dance lesson, 3rd graders listen to the cow song and create dance moves that match the words they hear. They work in small groups and perform their dance and song.
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Scarecrow: A Lesson Against Hate Crimes
Students analyze and discuss different types of hate crimes. They listen to and discuss the background behind the song, "Scarecrow" by Melissa Etheridge. They research a hate crime and imagine how the victims must have felt. Finally they...
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Storytellers: Dave Matthews Band
Students decide what the term "art" means to them. They identify artistic elements displayed by the Dave Matthews Band. They understand the relationship between music and other means of artistic expression.
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Just Dancing Around? Trisha Brown
Young scholars view a video clip highlighting the work of choreographer Trisha Brown and read her biography. They complete a table to summarize her work and they discuss their answers.
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Hip To Be Square
Young scholars explore performing arts by reading a children's book in class. In this body movement lesson plan, students read the book Dance and create their own artistic impressions based on dancing images from the book. Young scholars...
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WHO WE ARE
Students work with Elders or a knowledgeable adult/expert to learn details of their culture which may include the language, dance, songs, art, and stories and create a play or poem which reflects aspects of their culture.
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GET'N JIGGY WITH THE JITTERBUG
Twelfth graders research the history of the jitterbug dance through an interactive group project. The goal of the lesson is to get them to execute the dance steps independently with little outside help from the teacher. The steps are...
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Choreographic Variations on "Plod"
Students examine the choreography of Dan Wagoner. For this art lesson, students create their own choreography based on the work of Dan Wagoner's dance "Plod."
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Plodding Along: The Dan Wagoner Experiment
Students research Dan Wagoner and apply his choreographic ideas in "Plod" to dance study. In this art lesson, students discuss Dan Wagoner. Students select four shapes from "Plod" and connect in a dance.
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Beyond the Notes
Students observe as the teacher introduced themself as a talent scout for a clothing company for teenagers who is looking for a choreographer for a commercial for a new line of clothes called, "The Wrap". They work alone or in groups of...
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The "Hora - And More"
Students express themselves creatively, apply their knowledge of dance steps and rhythmic elements to the creative process, and ultimately to create their own dances.
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Creative Body Movement
Learners perform a brief dance movement and demonstrate the use of the three postures correctly, safely, and creatively.
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Planting a Garden Through Dance
Students create a dance study based on the growth cycle of a flower. They improvise movements that relate to each stage of growth. They create artwork on the growth cycle of a flower. They perform their dances for the whole class.
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Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride
Students participate in a partner dance. In this dance instructional activity, students listen to the song "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" and repeat dance steps according to the music.
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Pata Pata Pat Pat
Learners are exposed to the arts with a simple, introductory rhythm/dance activity which can lead into the traditional Pata Pata folk dance, or dance in general.
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Little Black Book
Students are introduced to simple folk dances, already having been introduced to dances with an 8-count beat. They perform various dance steps.
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Kye Kye Kule
Third graders study the repeating patterns and basic dance movements used in traditional African drumming songs. In groups, they create a story that can be used with a ritual/tradition and a rhythmic piece that uses repeating rhythmic...
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California Strut
Students perform the line dance California Strut. In this dance lesson, students listen to the music "Hot, Hot, Hot" and perform a line dance.
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From Broadway: Fosse
Students examine the life and contributions of choreographer and director Bob Fosse. They analyze reviews, write a review after watching one of Bob Fosse's films, and view and compare Fosse dances to current music videos.
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Historical Witness: Social Messaging
Learners create a self portrait using symbols that represent them. In this self portrait lesson plan, students look at a nineteenth century painting and discuss the symbols that represent this era. They then recreate a dance in the...