Topic: Dancing for activism
Theme: Peace on Earth
Objectives:
Students will be able to identify the components of being STARS. Students will be able to do a sun salutation and explain why we do sun salutations before we dance. Students will be able to do four yoga poses: child’s pose, mountain pose, tree pose, partner dancer pose. Students will perform two party dances that we learned the previous class. Students will be able to keep a beat that we learned the previous class. Students will learn how you can use dance as activism and to fight for social justice. They will apply this knowledge to the choreographed dance they will learn, along to the song “imagine” by John Lennon. This dance for peace incorporates the four yoga poses they learned.
Materials:
speaker
Instructional Methods:
I will begin the lesson with everyone seated in a circle then individual students will read my STARS posters. Then I will ask "who are we?" to which they will reply, "we are STARS, we are serious, trustworthy, attentive, respectful, and successful."
We will do a sun salutation and then learn the four yoga poses. Then, we will do the “peace begins with me” meditation. The students will sit up afterwards and we will discuss dancing for activism and fighting for social justice. Afterwards, I will show the students my choreographed dance for peace. Lastly, the students will learn the dance and we will practice it together. In order for the dance to work, the students will choose a partner to dance next to. The partners will work together to learn the dance.
Engaging Exercises:
In order to meet the objectives, students will answer what STARS means, I will ask different students to read each blurb for STARS.
Students will be engaged during our sun salutation.
Students will be tuned into their breath and body during meditation.
Students will be engaged while learning the choreographed dance for peace
Group Activities:
-Students will be actively engaged while doing (and saying) this sun salutation for kids:
breath in, lift your arms up and say "I'm thankful for the sun!"
breathe out, let your finger tips rain down to the ground (forward fold, uttanasana) and say "I'm thankful for the rain!"
breathe in, look in front of you (half lift, ardha uttanasana) and say "I'm thankful for the grass!"
Step back into a high lunge and say “I’m thankful for the flowers!”
come into a kneeling position and place your hands on your lower back, look up in camel pose and say "I'm thankful for the animals!”
Sit back onto your heels and walk you hands forwards on the ground in front of you and say “I’m thankful for myself!”
we will repeat this one more time, stepping the opposite foot back in high lunge.
We will dance all together for a majority of the class time.
Partner Activities:
Students will do partner dancer pose together and will perform other poses with their partner during the choreographed dance for peace.
Individual Activities:
Students will meditate individually through my guided meditation (peace begins with me).
Closure:
After practicing poses with their partners, students will participate in practicing the choreographed dance for peace, all together.
Assessment:
Students will be asked to show me three yoga poses, and partner dancer pose with their partner.
Students will be asked to tell me at least one component of being STARS.
Students will answer the question, “how can you use dance to advocate for peace?”