Paola Padron's Final Lesson Plan

 Mini-Lesson Plan

Shortest Run Time: 27 minutes

Longest Run Time: 30 minutes


  • Warm-up

    • 5-8 minutes

  • Introducing the concept 

    • 2-3 minutes

  • Teaching the concept

    • 10-11 minutes to teach the activity 

  • Practicing the concept 

    • Integrated in the 10-11 minutes of teaching the combination

  • Assessing if the class learned

    • 6 minutes to expand on activity in small groups 

  • Cool-down

    • 3 minutes

  • Buffer time

    • 1-3 minutes


Lesson Plan

  • Title of the Lesson

    • Introduction to Dance for Kindergartners: Focusing on Dance Making

  • Grade

    • Kindergarten (After-School Students) 

  • Component

    • Movement Skills and Underlying Principles 

  • Learning Objectives

    • 1. Recognizes ways of moving various body parts.

    • 2. Explores aspect of shape with the body

    • 3. Demonstrates moving in personal space, using large and small kinesphere

    • 4. Demonstrates traveling through general space, straight and curved pathways, while in their own personal space. (DA.A.1.1.2)

    • 5. Explores the three levels of space: low, middle, and high.(DA.A.1.1.3)

    • 6. Moves to a steady beat. (DA.A.1.1.4)

    • 7. Improvises and explores creative movement ideas. (e.g., walk across the room, stop two times, and turn once). (DA.A.2.1.2)

    • 8. Creates movement patterns alone, with partners and with groups. (DA.A.2.1.3)

  • Competency 

    • The student can demonstrate two fast and two slow movements and three levels of space: low, middle and high, as the teacher verbally commands movement sequences (run slowly at a high level, jump quickly and jump slowly) (DA.A.1.1.3)

    • The student can respond to various rhythmic sounds with appropriate movements (fast, slow) (continuous, stop). (DA.A.1.1.4) (DA.A.2.1.1)

  • Materials 

    • Dance studio or open space

    • Bluetooth music player with age-appropriate, upbeat music

    • Water bottles for hydration 

    • TV to display videos and pictures 

    • Water bottles for hydration 

    • Your best self!

  • Warm-up 

    • Focusing on warming up the body by stretching and loosening muscles; simultaneously will be introducing ourselves 

    • Have all student remove their shoes and join me in the center of the room and position ourselves in the shape of a circle 

    • Start off with introducing myself as Ms. Padron and have the students repeat my name 

    • Students will be prompted to introduce themselves to the class by saying their name and one word that describes how they are feeling

      • Ms. Padron will start off to give the students an example of what is expected

    • While students share their responses, I will acknowledge how they are feeling and will encourage them to remain or become optimistic 

    • After introducing ourselves, I will explain to the class what we will be doing today

    • After explaining the lesson plan to students so that they know what to expect, I will lead a quick stretch to warm up the body

      • Include stretches for the neck, arms, legs, and back, holding each stretch for about 10 seconds.

    • We will end the stretch with a quick game of limbo, where I will ask one of the students to be Ms. Padron’s helper of the day 

      • Since flexibility is such an important part of dance, having the children play limbo at the beginning of a class is a great way to stretch their bodies and get them excited for the rest of the activities.

  • Main Concept 

    • Emotional expression through movement 

  • Activity: Paintbrush Dancing 

    • Children should be encouraged to use their imagination by playing this game. They must imagine that they have a brush on their hand or arm and then paint the surrounding space with that body part. 

    • To play this game, I will write down the different parts of the body on a piece of paper prior to class. For instance, I can write down hands, nose, elbows, knees, or head.

    •  In class, I will call out a body part and the kids will be instructed to paint the floor and everything around her with that body part stated. 

    • Once another body part is called out, the imaginary paintbrush shifts to the next body part mentioned. 

    • For example, if the imaginary paintbrush is on the elbow, the student will paint around him using the elbow. 

    • Students will be instructed to paint at a speed that is in accordance with the tempo of the music played 

  • Assessment 

    • Presentation in groups

      • 16 people in the class (assuming all students attend class that day)

        • Students will break up into groups of 4

        • With their groups, students will be instructed to think of a body part that was not included in today’s class activity 

          • To remind students of which were included, Ms. Padron will display a screen that has a picture of all the body parts practiced 

          • Each part of your body, every finger, toe - counts as one part

        • After choosing the body part, the group will have to work together to come up with a short routine that shows them “painting” with their said chosen body part

        • Once students are ready, each group will present their dance one at a time

        • Ms. Padron will provide feedback and encouragement to reinforce positive efforts. 

      • If there are absent students, the group will change in size according to number of students present 

    • Award the best group with “Dancers of the Week” and give out the crowns 

      • Instruct the class to clap for this week’s “Dancers of the Week” to encourage teamwork and support for each other 

  • Cool-down

    • End the class with a cool-down segment to help students transition from high-energy movement to a calmer state. Lead a series of slow, controlled stretches to release tension from the muscles and encourage relaxation

    • Finish with a brief guided relaxation or deep breathing exercise to help students calm their bodies and minds

    • Finish off by asking students how they are feeling after taking the class

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Safe Creative Mind

Implementing Brain Breaks & Journaling:  1. Since our program is after school, we are implementing a brain break after school, but before our dance class begins. Our students will have been in school all day, and are most likely exhausted. Thus, before starting class we will allow our students 10 minutes to reflect on their day and journal how they are feeling. By allowing our students to journal before our dance program begins, we will encourage them to express how they felt during the day through their dancing, in hopes of eliminating feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression.  2. Our second brain break will be after the lecture portion of our program. Before teaching the students how to dance, we will lecture our students on the style of dance they will be learning and practicing that day. Since lectures can be overwhelming, we will allow our students to take a 5 minute brain break to process what they were taught before executing the dance. 3. Our final brain break w...
Read more

Paola Padron's Statement of Philosophy

My goal as a dance teacher is to create learning opportunities that reinvigorate the excitement for movement for my students and myself during every class. I wish to allow dance to shape who my students are, how they relate to others, and how they perceive the world around them. In order to achieve this, I hope to create a comfortable environment for my students to express themselves freely.  Why I Teach: - I hope to serve as a mentor and coach, encourage lifelong learning, and show that creativty and fun are parts of learning. What I Teach: - I hope to teach my students responsibility and accountability, critical and creative thinking, and the importance of communication. How I Teach: - I hope to actively engage students by using multiple instructional strategies. How I Measure My Effectiveness: - I measure my teaching effectiveness by seeking the advice and feedback by communicating with students and parents.
Read more