Literacy in Theater & Dance
Objectives
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:
1) Relate prior knowledge of animals following the introduction of a poem
2) Make real world connections and answer comprehension questions based on a story read to them
3) Mirror a story's plot through the creation and usage of puppets
4) Create a design on giraffe masks
5) Research different types of dances
6) Perform the type of dance researched
1) Relate prior knowledge of animals following the introduction of a poem
2) Make real world connections and answer comprehension questions based on a story read to them
3) Mirror a story's plot through the creation and usage of puppets
4) Create a design on giraffe masks
5) Research different types of dances
6) Perform the type of dance researched
National Standards
Standards for Theater
Content Standard 2: Acting by assuming roles and interacting with improvisations.
Content Standard 4: Directing by planning classroom dramatizations.
Content Standard 5: Researching by finding information to support classroom dramatizations.
Standards for Dance
Content Standard 1: Identifying and demonstrating movement elements and skills in performing dance.
Content Standard 2: Understanding the choreographic principles, processes, and structures
Content Standard 4: Applying and understanding critical and creative thinking skills in dance.
Content Standard 2: Acting by assuming roles and interacting with improvisations.
Content Standard 4: Directing by planning classroom dramatizations.
Content Standard 5: Researching by finding information to support classroom dramatizations.
Standards for Dance
Content Standard 1: Identifying and demonstrating movement elements and skills in performing dance.
Content Standard 2: Understanding the choreographic principles, processes, and structures
Content Standard 4: Applying and understanding critical and creative thinking skills in dance.
Introduction to Giraffes in Literature
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Teacher "The Giraffe" poem by Dot Brown "The Giraffe"
I went walking one sunny day And guess what I saw coming my way? I saw an animal walking toward me Eating the leaves off the top of a tree. He had the longest neck I’ve ever seen As he ate the leaves that were so very green. This animal I saw was really quite tall With legs so thin I thought he might fall. This strange looking animal was a sight to behold. This very tall animal was a giraffe, I’m told. -Dot Brown I will read this poem to children and I will ask them questions to see what they know about giraffes.
1) "Have you ever seen a giraffe?" 2) "Where would you see a giraffe?" 3) "What do giraffes look like?" 4) "Could you ever picture a giraffe dancing?" I would introduce that I will be reading a book about a jungle of animals that all dance. Reading Activity: "Giraffes Can't Dance"
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Teacher "Giraffes Can't Dance" by Giles Andreae
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Audio YouTube Version:
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Activity One: Puppets (Review of the Story)
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Teacher
-Stick Puppet Printable Sheet
-Youtube Audio Version of "Giraffe's Can't Dance." (May also show alternate scholastic version)
-Popsicle sticks
Students
-Markers and other coloring tools
-Scissors
-Glue
Teacher
-Stick Puppet Printable Sheet
-Youtube Audio Version of "Giraffe's Can't Dance." (May also show alternate scholastic version)
-Popsicle sticks
Students
-Markers and other coloring tools
-Scissors
-Glue
1) I will break the students up into groups of five and the group will be given a "Stick-Puppet" printable sheet.
2) Students are to pick which character they want to be and they will cut out their character and color them in. The students will glue their characters to a Popsicle stick. 3) Once the students have colored and put together their puppet, I will have students sit together in their groups on the gathering mat 4) I will play the audio YouTube version of "Giraffe's Can't Dance" by Giles Andreae, and the students will have to silently act out their parts according to where their part is in the story. |
"Stick Puppet" Printable Sheet
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Activity Two: Giraffe Mask Creations
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Teacher
-Large sheets of yellow cards
-Orange and Brown Paper
-Stapler
-Elastic Cord
Students
-Pencil
-Glue
-Scissors
Teacher
-Large sheets of yellow cards
-Orange and Brown Paper
-Stapler
-Elastic Cord
Students
-Pencil
-Glue
-Scissors
1) The students will create their own African giraffe masks after listening as the teacher models how to create it
2) The teacher will have tracers of the shape below that the children will trace onto a yellow paper 3) Next, the students will cut out orange and brown paper and will glue them onto the mask |
4)
The students will cut two horn shapes from the yellow card and will add
brown paper that is cut into a fringe on the top. These horns will get
stapled by the teacher
5) The student will cut two ears from the yellow card. They will bend the tops of the ear and then the teacher will staple these to the side of the mask 6) The teacher will measure the elastic cord around the child's head and it will be stapled along the sides of the mask |
Activity Three: The Jungle Dance Performance
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Teacher
-YouTube videos for each specific dance
-Computer Lab access
Students
-Giraffe masks
Teacher
-YouTube videos for each specific dance
-Computer Lab access
Students
-Giraffe masks
1) The teacher will review with the students that Gerald eventually had the courage to dance his own dance. At the end of the story, the jungle praised Gerard as the best dancer they have ever seen.
2) The teacher will pose this problem to the class: there are new animals that have arrived in the jungle, and since Gerard is praised as the best dancer, he is put in charge of teaching the animals their new dances. 3) The students will be put into groups based on the different dances found within the book. 2) The students will put together what they think each dance looks like based on the pictures in the book. Each group will present in the front of the room what they think each dance looks like. 3) When all students are completed with their versions of the dance, the students will be given computer lab time to look up the YouTube video I assign to each of them based on their dance. Different YouTube Dances: (these dances will be simplified) Warthogs' Waltz Rhinos' Rock & Roll Lions' Tango Chimpanzees' Cha Cha Baboons' Scottish Reel 4) The students will practice which each dance really looks like based on learning each step or through simple imitation. The teacher will assist each group. These dances do not have to be perfect, but they should resemble the actual dance in some way. 5) The students will be given time to practice throughout the week. I will provide the students with the tune they will be dancing to halfway through the week so they can practice with the music. 6) On the final day of the week, I will have the songs on a playlist. The students will wear their Giraffe masks and will act like Gerard teaching the class their learned dance! They will perform the dance to the songs they learned in front of the classroom. I will narrate what each dance is before the group performs. |
An example of what some of the dances look like performed:
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