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Puerto Rico's Bomba, A Dance of The African Diaspora | If Cities Could Dance

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Witness the unstoppable joy of dancing bomba, Puerto Rico’s Afro-Puerto Rican dance of resistance. Meet sisters Mar and María Cruz who are dedicated to the dance and its legacy of survival, and trace some of the communities where bomba is at its most vibrant, from the Santurce area of San Juan, to Loíza, the bastion of Afro-Puerto Rican culture across the Rio Grande.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: PBS Learning Media

Remix

Primary Physical Education Creative Dance Unit

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This unit is presented as a progression of tasks that allow students to explore movement through a variety of creative tasks. Students will move in personal and general space, while exploring elements of shape, size, speed, force, flow, and time. To promote student confidence and willingness in dance, teachers should isolate the dance elements before asking students to apply these elements using imagery or partner/group tasks.The National Standards and Grade-Level Outcomes in this unit are referenced from the "National Standards & Grade Level Outcomes for K-12 Physical Education."SHAPE America Outcomes:KindergartenPerforms locomotor skills in response to teacher-led creative dance. (S1.E5.K)Maintains momentary stillness on different bases of support. (S1.E7.Ka)Forms wide, narrow, curled and twisted body shapes. (S1.E7.Kb)Contrasts the actions of curling and stretching. (S1.E10.K)Travels in general space with different speeds. (S2.E3.K)Recognizes that when you move fast, your heart beats faster and you breathe faster.3 (S3.E3.K)Follows directions in group settings (e.g., safe behaviors, following rules, taking turns). (S4.E1.K)Identifies physical activities that are enjoyable. (S5.E3.Ka)Grade OneCombines locomotor and nonlocomotor skills in a teacher- designed dance. (S1.E5.1)Maintains stillness on different bases of support with different body shapes. (S1.E7.1)Demonstrates twisting, curling, bending and stretching actions. (S1.E10.1)Differentiates between fast and slow speeds. (S2.E3.1a)Differentiates between strong and light force. (S2.E3.1b)Identifies the heart as a muscle that grows stronger with exercise, play and physical activity. (S3.E3.1)Accepts personal responsibility by using equipment and space appropriately. (S4.E1.1)Describes positive feelings that result from participating in physical activities. (S5.E3.1a)Grade TwoPerforms a teacher- and/or student- designed rhythmic activity with correct response to simple rhythms. (S1.E5.2)Balances on different bases of support, combining levels and shapes. (S1.E7.2a)Differentiates among twisting, curling, bending and stretching actions. (S1.E10.2)Combines balances and transfers into athree-part sequence (i.e., dance, gymnastics). (S1.E11.2)Varies time and force with gradual increases and decreases. (S2.E3.2)Identifies physical activities that contribute to fitness. (S3.E3.2b)Practices skills with minimal teacher prompting. (S4.E1.2)Identifies physical activities that provide self-expression (e.g. dance, gymnastics routines, practice tasks in games environments). (S5.E3.2)Photo Attribution: KCBalletMedia (Photography: Brett Pruitt & East Market Studios)References:Graham, G., Holt/Hale, S. A., & Parker, M. (2013). Children moving: A reflective approach to teaching physical education. 9th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.Joyce, M. (1994). First steps in teaching creative dance to children. California: Mayfield Publishing.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Dorann Avey

Poetry Lesson

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This resource was created by Kate Steffen, in collaboration with Lynn Bowder, as part of ESU2's Mastering the Arts project. This project is a four year initiative focused on integrating arts into the core curriculum through teacher education and experiential learning.

Material Type: Lesson

Author: Arts ESU2

Zydeco in Houston: Black Cowboys, Trail Rides & Creole Roots | If Cities Could Dance

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Houston’s zydeco dance scene brings joy and a driving rhythm to partner dancing, and in this episode, we explore the dance’s deep roots in Creole culture and music. What was called La-la in Southeastern Louisiana Creole communities became known as zydeco in Houston with the influence of R & B and the ‘King of Zydeco’, Clifton Chenier. Houston is where zydeco is thriving, evolving and reaching a broader audience, around trail-riding clubs who dance together after their rides to the accordion-driven sounds of zydeco bands with a touch of hip-hop. As infectious as zydeco is, it’s grown popular worldwide, but what hasn't changed is how zydeco brings community together in Houston. If Cities Could Dance is a Webby Award-winning video series featuring dancers from cities across the United States. Step into the shoes of dancers from across the country who dare to imagine what it would look like if their city could dance.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: PBS Learning Media

Philadelphia’s House Dancers Preserving the Soul of the Scene | If Cities Could Dance

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Philadelphia has a rich history of producing world-class dance talent, from virtuoso tap dancers LaVaughn Robinson and the Nicholas Brothers to the contemporary house and street dancers from Rennie Harris Puremovement, the longest running street dance theater company in the world. And, like the signature Philly sound, the city has moves with soul.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: PBS Learning Media

East St. Louis: Dunham Technique | If Cities Could Dance

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In the prime of her career (1930 - 1960s,) African American dance legend Katherine Dunham and her company toured over 60 countries, and she performed on Broadway and in Hollywood films. She created the Katherine Dunham Technique, bringing together elements of dances from the African diaspora -- including Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, and Trinidad -- with modern dance and ballet. The rigorous technique is credited for bringing Black dance to the classroom and to the stage, where it has mesmerized audiences globally and transformed the world of dance. The program Dunham created runs to this day at the Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and Humanities, and continues to revolutionize lives with dance and culture. Meet some of East St. Louis’ culture keepers, including Ruby Streate, one of Dunham’s most trusted teachers whom Dunham passed the baton to, and choreographer and educator Keith Tyrone Williams. Watch dancers Heather Beal and other Dunham program alums perform at the Mississippi River’s edge, in front of the Katherine Dunham Museum, and in downtown East St. Louis.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: PBS Learning Media

How Go-Go Music Inspires the Beat Ya Feet Dance Movement | If Cities Could Dance

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John “Crazy Legz” Pearson, founder of the Who Got Moves Battle League, is breathing life back into Beat Ya Feet -- the bouncy, fast-moving dance found in the streets, backyards and go-go clubs of Black D.C. At the heart of the dance style is the music: go-go, a blend of funk, call-and-response and Afro-Latin rhythms, ubiquitous in D.C.'s Black neighborhoods.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: PBS Learning Media

Native American Hip-Hop and Freestyle in Albuquerque | If Cities Could Dance

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Albuquerque’s thriving hip-hop and freestyle dance scene is influenced by Indigenous dancers from many tribes, Pueblos and other communities. A strong sense of solidarity holds it all together, say dancers Anne Pesata (Jicarilla Apache) and Raven Bright (Diné). The couple describes the scene as “Indigenous futurism.” Meet Randy L. Barton, or Randy Boogie, a dancer, DJ and artist (Navajo) who created The Sacred Cypher, an event that highlights how Indigenous art forms connect with hip-hop.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: PBS Learning Media

Dear Dancer: A Video Chain Letter to Move You | If Cities Could Dance

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Sixteen dancers from across the country, representing a range of dance styles, move as one being, with each dancer's moves flowing naturally into the next. Poet Chinaka Hodge narrates each dancer’s steps from all around the United States as we shelter-in-place. Inspired by Mitchell Rose's Exquisite Corps chain letter, each dancer begins in the last pose of the dancer before passing the movement. If Cities Could Dance is a Webby Award-winning video series featuring dancers from cities across the United States. Step into the shoes of dancers from across the country who dare to imagine what it would look like if their city could dance. Extension Project: Give your middle and high school students the opportunity to create and publish original dance videos with an accompanying artist statement with the KQED Youth Media Challenge: If Schools Could Dance.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: PBS Learning Media

Theme Analysis in Poetry

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In this lesson students will learn about Louise Erdrich and then read her poem “Advice to Myself #2: Resistance.” As students read they will analyze how the writer uses words, phrases, and details to communicate a theme. Students will discuss the message of the poem in both small and large groups and discuss how the author’s literary choices help communicate this message. Students will then write about a message in the poem and explain what lines most strongly communicate that message as evidence to support their thinking.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Authors: Deanna Delgado, Oregon Open Learning

Pairing Fiction With Poetry and Performance

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Make connections across genres and across cultures to engage students in the study of literary voice and themes. Comprehension skills and vocabulary also come into play, especially for English language learners, as students read a novel and related poems, then write and perform original poems related to the novel.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Unit of Study

Emotional Monologue | Social & Emotional Learning: The Arts for Every Classroom

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In this activity from Commonwealth Theatre Center in Louisville, Kentucky, students can write and perform a monologue addressed to a selected emotion describing their experiences with the emotion and why they would like to spend more or less time together. Students will better understand their relationship with their emotions and communicate complex ideas.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Remix

Deepfakes: Exploring Media Manipulation

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Students examine what deepfakes are and consider the deeper civic and ethical implications of deepfake technology. In an age of easy image manipulation, this lesson fosters critical thinking skills that empower students to question how we can mitigate the impact of doctored media content. This lesson plan includes a slide deck and brainstorm sheet for classroom use.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson, Lesson Plan

Author: Amit

Songwriting and Recording | Media Arts Toolkit

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Jonathan Stovall, now an assistant principal at Adairville School in Logan County, Kentucky, started using songwriting with his fourth-grade math students at Parker-Bennett-Curry Elementary in Bowling Green and found that student engagement and scores improved so much that he now uses it across grades and subjects. Students learn key concepts in math, science, and other subjects while learning music, creating songs and lyrics, working together, and learning about recording and engineering.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

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