Lesson Topic:

Line Dance Group Presentation - Pre-choreographed Dance

Lesson Description:

During this lesson, students will find a pre-choreographed line dance, learn it, present it, and teach it to the class.

Learning Goals/Outcomes:

Students will be able to work with a group to learn the pre-choreographed dances.

Students will be able to perform the dance in unison while staying on the beat.

Students will be able to instruct the class on how to do their dance.

Students will be able to lead their classmates as the entire class performs the dance.

Nebraska Standards:

PE.HS.10.1 Demonstrates competency in motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform a variety of physical activities. 

PE.HS.10.1.b Creates and performs dance phrases to communicate ideas, images, feelings, and experiences based on inspiration from a variety of sources (e.g., create and perform a dance phrase based on a favorite song, poem, art piece). 

PE.HS.10.2 Applies knowledge of concepts, principles, tactics and strategies related to movement and performance to achieve and maintain a health enhancing level of physical activity and fitness. 

PE.HS.10.2.c Performs a dance individually or with others. 

PE.HS.10.3 Recognizes the benefits of physical activity and exhibits responsible personal and social behavior in a variety of physical activity settings. 

PE.HS.10.3.b Selects and participates in dance that meets the need for self-expression and enjoyment. 

PE.HS.10.3.c Identifies the opportunity for social support in dance. 

PE.HS.13.1 Demonstrates competency in motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform a variety of physical activities. 

PE.HS.13.1.c Performs a choreographed dance individually and/or with others.

Teacher Planning:

Equipment/Materials Needed:

Computer/Audio device to play specific songs

Stereo to play music

Space for students to spread out and dance

A book and/or binder of pre-choreographed line dances (I use “Christy Lane’s Complete Book of Line Dancing” and I have a binder full of line dance choreography that I’ve found on the internet.)

Time Required for Lesson:

75 minutes (Block Scheduling) - For those who teach in a traditional schedule, split it up into two lessons so that it works best for you. 

Diagram/Setup:

Have students spread out for line dancing, approximately 3-6 feet away from one another.

Technology Use:

__X___ YES               _____NO

Instructional Plan:

Anticipatory Set/Pre-Activity:

Between lessons 1 and 2 that I’ve  posted on OER, I have spent a few classes teaching a variety of line dances with students. I have either taught these directly, or used a jigsaw style method to have the students become ‘master teachers’ and teach their group a section of the dance. At this point, they have several line dances under their belt so they feel more comfortable reading and learning pre-choreographed dances on their own.  

Benefits/Explanation/Real-World Connection:

The benefits of this lesson is primarily the teamwork and communication skills they will be using as they work with their group to find a dance, learn it, present it, and teach it to the class. These teamwork skills will benefit the students in all areas of their lives. It’s crucial that students learn to work together with others and create a successful end product. 

Activities (i.e. instructions, warm-up, lesson, cool-down):

Warm-up:

Students walk around the space to music, moving to the beat. 

Instructions:

Inform the students that they will be finding a pre-choreographed dance today that is at least 24-counts long. They have the option to use dances from the book, binder, or it can be a dance they find online. Once they know what dance they plan on doing, they must sign-up on the sheet (taped to the wall), so that we know what dance and song each group will be using. Groups cannot use the same song or do the same dance as another group. 

Groups - you can do this either way. In the past I’ve either let my students find a group of 3-4 people, or I’ve chosen their groups ahead of time. Both tend to work well, but sometimes I opt for letting them work with friends on the first group dance so they can have a little fun and not feel stressed about performing with people they don’t know. Get a good read on your students in the first few days to see what might work best with your group of kids. 

Explain to the students that they will have most of the class period to find their dance, learn their dance, and figure out the best way to teach the dance to the class. I explain to the students that it is much easier to learn a dance if the instructor is facing the same direction as the students. That way, when the instructor steps right, the students will do the same. We also talk about counting while teaching. It’s important to count out loud so that each student knows when to start the dance and what step is on what particular beat. While instructing, each group member must participate in the teaching process. One student should not be doing all of the teaching. If someone does not want to talk, they can do the visual demonstration while the student instructor is talking. 

As students are learning their steps, if they struggle with one section of the pre-choreographed dance, I allow them to change a 4 or 8-count to something that still works with the song. I also tell them that they must use one of the recommended songs for that particular dance. If they’re not big on country music, and the dance calls for a country song, have them use the recommended country song for this assignment and for the next assignment they will get to choose their own music. Remind them that it is much easier to teach to a song with a slower beat, than choosing a really fast paced song. 

Explain to the students that their presentation will look like this: Each group will get up in front of the class and present at least 1 minute of their dance. After the presentation, everyone will stand up and participate as the presenting group teaches us their dance choreography. Once the entire class has learned the dance, the leaders will disperse themselves around the edges of the room so we will have a leader to watch  on each wall during the 4-wall dance. We will then do the dance together as a class (1 minute or so of dancing, usually not the entire song for the sake of time). When done, the students will applaud the leaders and the next group will come up to present. 

Lesson: 

Divide the class into groups of 3-4 students. Allow students to work together to find line dance choreography for this assignment. Once they have a dance picked out, have them sign-up on the sheet. Spend the next portion of class with the students working together to learn their dance. Walk around the room checking in with each group and helping them when you can. 

As you observe the students, determine how much time is left for them to work on their presentation. Some groups need 20-30 minutes to master their dance. Others may need all of the class period, choosing to perform the dance the next day.

Groups have the option of deciding what order they would like to present their dances. Some want to go first, others want to go last. You can choose how you pick the order of presentations, but I usually allow the students to tell me what order they would like to present their dances to the class.

Cool-down (5 minutes):

Have the students come back to a circle in the middle of the room and have a seat. I lead the students through a variety of stretches and ab work before we finish for the day.

Closure:

While stretching, have the students reflect on whether they think the 24-count dance is easier than they thought. Would it be possible to learn and present a dance twice as long? 

Assessment :

• Formative: You can use the following rubric to assess your students during their presentation:
• Knowledge: Students are able to teach the class all the steps of their dance without assistance. 
• 3 points - All counts were taught without the teachers help
• 2 points - More than 60% of the counts were taught without the teachers help
• 1 point -Less than half of the counts were taught without the teachers help

• Skills: Performance of the dance
• 3 points - Can perform all the steps in the dance
• 2 points -  Can perform more than half the steps of the dance
• 1 point - Can only perform a few steps of the dance
• Performance: Stays on the beat
• 3 points - Consistently stays on beat or moves with rhythm
• 2 points - Moves with the beat more than half the time 
• 1 point - Stays on beat or on rhythm half the time or less

Supplemental Information:

Modifications:

Safety Precautions:

Make sure everyone has enough space to move around safely as they dance. 

Students may need water breaks throughout the lesson. It’s a lot of movement, so I usually give them a couple of water breaks during class. 

Comments (adaptations for various grades/ages, teaching styles, etc.)

When you get to the presentations, I film the dances to share with the students via google classroom. I do not allow students to film one another with their phones.