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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

The Sounds of an Island: Jamaican Music for the Classroom

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
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.
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Lesson Plan
Lesson Plans

Photosynthesis Activity

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
When is the last time pupils did a happy dance in class? Scholars act out photosynthesis and dance excitedly in front of the class. The resource also comes with a worksheet for those waiting or who have already completed the activity....
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Activity
Quaver

World Percussion — Latin America Project Book

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What's the most popular music style in Brazil? What about Cuba? Or the Dominican Republic? An immersive project teaches young learners about the salsa, the samba, and the merengue with research assignments and dance performances.
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Activity1:00
Phys Ed Games

Classy Moves

For Students 2nd - 8th
Choose a leader to stand in the middle of a circle of students. The leader does any sort of move for 20 seconds, including tuck jumps, jumping jacks, silly dance moves, push-ups, burpees, etc. The rest of the class must mimic the leader...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jump if you feel like it

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students incorporate historical references into the modern circle dances.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Students participate in a partner dance. In this dance lesson, students listen to the song "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" and repeat dance steps according to the music.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

EXPRESSIVE QUALITIES

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students create a dance that expresses a specific mood. They describe the composition in writing and explain how they would alter actions, movement qualities and spacing to convey a new mood. They perform the dance they created...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Force: The Nutcracker

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students explore basic dance element of force, compare and contrast the use of force as it distinguishes the expressive qualities of a given dance, and explore the use of force in several of its many expressions.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dancing Skeleton Puppets

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students study the Mexican holiday known as The Day of the Dead. In this holiday lesson, students study bones, listen to Tony Johnston's, Day of the Dead and learn on about the holiday. They listen to two more books before making puppets...
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Braiding Rhythms: The Role of Bell Patterns in West African and Afro-Caribbean Music

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
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...
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Activity
DiscoverE

Circuits Activity Packet Grades: 6-12

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Generate a buzz about circuits. Scholars conduct four activities to learn about electric circuits. They create dance pads that buzz and flash when stepped on, build hidden alarms, design creatures with eyes that flash, and take part in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Folk Dances of Eastern Europe

For Teachers K - 12th
Students discover the rich cultural heritage of Eastern Europe by experiencing folk dance as a form of expressive art.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music: Dancing a Jig

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students Watch a video to observe Celtic dancers prior to playing a game called, "Irish Jig Tag." When students are tagged with a Shamrock wand, they mimic an Irish jig. The game can be adapted to celebrate other nationalities or...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Going on a Bear Hunt

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students investigate pantomiming by going on a fictitious bear hunt.  In this performing arts lesson, students collaborate in groups to sing songs and perform pantomimes based on a hunting trip.  Students create their own dance to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Owl Dance

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students are introduced to a social dance from Canada's Aboriginal peoples. Students warm up listening to the music and listening for the beat before trying the 'Stomp' step without a partner. After some practice, students choose...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Caloric Expenditure in Powwow Dancing

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders investigate the meaning of different types of Native American music and dance. They determine how this music and dance has contributed to modern music and dance. They problem solve to determine the average length of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fun Dance

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Pupils perform activities to practice locomotor skills. They walk for a specified number of steps and then do jumping jacks. Students grapevine, swim, and perform the crawl stroke.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Native American Friendship Dance

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students demonstrate the proper steps in sequence to the Native American Friendship Dance.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Disco Dances

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students do the basic steps required in the dance: grapevine (three steps and a touch - side, back, side, touch); and the "funky chicken" (placing your hands under your arms and flapping them (4 Counts) at the same time you click your...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Native American Friendship Dance

For Teachers All
The performing arts offer artistic perception, creative expression, historical and cultural context and aesthetic valuing. This dance helps students understand dance history and develops cultural awareness. Students are given the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Native American Music and Dance Activity

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Young scholars demonstrate keeping steady beat through practice exercises and stepping to the beat using instruments such as conga drums, tambourines and rhythm sticks.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planting a Garden Through Dance

For Teachers K - 4th
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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Spark Activity: Louisiana Line Dance

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students learn and practice 1 step at a time of the Louisiana Line Dance, then put all steps together and practice the dance to music. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rhythmic Dancing

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders practice expressing themselves through the art of dance.  In this physical education activity, 4th graders discuss choreography and how moving specific ways at certain times can be artistic.  Students create and perform a...

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