Sophia De Caster's Dance Blog

Theme: the beach

Demographic: kindergarten

Exercises:

1. Get to know each other: each student goes one by one introducing themselves and doing a dance move that the rest of the class has to follow
2. Put them in groups: improvisation in groups, then split into partners, then as a class --> implement themes of beach as a class
3. Ball toss that explores different levels: jumping, standing, bending down, kneeling, sitting, laying down
   1. Pass the beach ball to each other!
4. Students sit back to back and pass ball to each other side to side
5. Beach animals:
   1. Crab
   2. Dolphin
   3. Fish
   4. Seagull
   5. Mermaid
   6. Be the shell
6. Ships and Sailors: (1 round)
   1. Different commands that the teacher will say to make class fun but have children do improvisation
   2. Examples:
      1. Captain's coming
      2. Hit the deck
      3. Lover's cradle
      4. Titanic
7. Cool down:
   1. BE THE WAVE. embody the wind, feel the water flowing, move like the currents

Mission and Vision Statement

Mission Statement: We strive to educate and foster a healthy environment within the classroom that encourages young students to participate in order to cultivate the students' love for dance. 

Vision Statement: We aspire to foster children's happiness and create students who are happy to learn now and in the future. We hope to give them to technical foundation to create confident dancers. 

Belief Statement

I believe that the students should feel at home within my studio and that they feel unconditionally loved and respected and that I want them to exceed in all areas of life outside the school

Our Studio at a Glance

We will have the uttermost respect for each other and care about the others enough to the point we can identify if something is wrong with someone and help them through it

The Curriculum-Clothesline Method

Lesson Plan

Theme: Teaching dance to children to help them release emotions and work on their coordination

Art Discipline: Be able to control their body movements and stay on the beat while fully completing each move

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Volume: Dance

Objective & Component: Recognizes ways of moving various body parts & movement skills and underlying principles

Standard: A

Plan: Start class with a song to shake their sillies out, 

Assessment: Informal, accomplish learning the dance and being able to perform it without watching me

Homework: The only homework in this class is in regards to remembering the dance for the parent recital at the end of the week

Cross-curriculum standards:

Differentiation: When teaching the dance I demonstrate the movements and say them out loud so both visual and auditory learners get their needs met. I also use counts and words when matching movements to the song.

Technology: The use of a song called “shake my sillies out”

Written Component: There is no written component to this class

Career Skills: I taught 2-7 year old dance for 6 years at my old studio

My Dance Class