Media Five(ish) Minute Dance Lessons: Swing Dance
Learn the basics of swing dance, called East Coast Swing; take it up a notch with the Charleston; and if you're really swingin' after that, you can learn the most advanced swing dance, the Lindy Hop.
Swing Your Partner: The Basics of Square Dancing
What are the elements of square dancing and what role did it play in American History?
In this 3-5 lesson, students will be introduced to the history of square dancing and create a “Kids’ Guide to Square Dancing” media resource. They will learn some basic steps and formations to perform and teach to other children.
Lesson Content
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Research the history of square dancing in the United States.
- Discuss the history and style of square dancing.
- Analyze and learn basic square dancing steps.
- Collaborate with peers to choreograph a square dance.
- Perform a basic square dance.
- Create a “Kids’ Guide to Square Dancing.”
- Write an informative text about square dancing.
Standards Alignment
Recommended Student Materials
Editable Documents: Before sharing these resources with students, you must first save them to your Google account by opening them, and selecting “Make a copy” from the File menu. Check out Sharing Tips or Instructional Benefits when implementing Google Docs and Google Slides with students.
- Inquiry Project: Square Dancing
- Capture Sheet: Square Dancing Instructional Steps
- Criteria for Success: Kids’ Guide to Square Dancing
Videos
Project Creation Tools
Video-Sharing Platforms:
Music Streaming
Teacher Background
Teachers should have knowledge of basic square dancing steps and an understanding of the role that square dancing plays in American culture and history. Review the inquiry project web resources and gather books on square dancing.
Student Prerequisites
Students should be familiar with styles of dancing and the concept of folk dances.
Accessibility Notes
Ensure there is sufficient space for dancers using mobility aids. Students with limited mobility may also serve as the caller for the square dance and the narrator for the video if you decide to make one. Modify handouts as needed and allow extra time for task completion.
Engage
- Ask students what they know about Square Dancing. Record student responses. Ask students: How did you learn about square dancing? What influenced your ideas about square dancing?
- Tell students they are going to learn more about the origins of square dancing by gathering information with the Inquiry Project: Square Dancing resource. Divide students into pairs to brainstorm questions about square dancing then research and gather information about their questions.
- Facilitate through the groups to provide feedback on the questions they generated and the accuracy of the information collected.
- After completing the inquiry project, reconvene the class and go over students’ findings. Discuss what the research clarified and what new information was learned. Remind students that they should keep this information and history in mind as they begin to learn square dances.
Build
- Stream the video Square Dancing Demonstration.
- Teach students some of the basic steps of square dancing using the Mainstream Lessons.
- Begin by assigning partners. Have each pair face the wall or screen where the Mainstream Lessons video is playing. Have the class follow the first three lessons (Lesson 1a, Lesson 1b, and Lesson 1c) to learn the basics of square dancing. There are 15 lessons available on this web site. You may choose to do as many of the lessons as you have time for. There are also nine lessons for more advanced square dancing students.
- Have students use the Capture Sheet: Square Dancing Instructional Steps to write an introduction to square dancing and outline the steps and details of the dance. Ensure they use their own words as they describe the step.
Apply
- Create an instructional video or presentation called, “Kids’ Guide to Square Dancing.” Provide students with video or photo camera devices. Encourage students to select a software like Google Slides, PowerPoint, Glogster, Powtoon, or Prezi. If they choose to make a video, have them use a video-sharing platform or app like Youtube, YouTube Kids, or Vimeo to inform children globally.
- Assign students different roles for the project and review the learning targets in the Criteria for Success: Kids’ Guide to Square Dancing.
- If possible, upload your instructional videos and presentations to your school website or media platform. Consider sharing instructional square dancing guides with local senior communities, a small fundraiser, a school fair, or a school event.
Reflect
- Divide students into groups of eight (four pairs). Tell them they will collaborate to choreograph an original square dance incorporating five of the different steps that they have learned. You may choose to have groups include some or all of the basic steps that they have learned: allemande, promenade, do-si-do, form a ring, home position, partner, honor partner swing, arm turns, star family, and star promenade.
- Have each group perform its original square dance to music. Find music from Square Dancing by Paul Phillips, iHeartRadio Family Kids Hits, music streaming sites, or check with a music teacher or library for more options.
- Assess students’ knowledge with a written response. Tell students that some people believe that square dancing has become less and less popular over the years and that it may soon die out as an art form. Ask students to respond to the following writing prompt: Why do you think square dancing has become less popular? Do you think it is worth preserving as a piece of American heritage? If so, how would you go about promoting it and if not, why do you think it doesn’t need to be preserved?
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Original Writer
Lillian Hasko
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Original Writer
Phyllis Gron
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Original Writer
Daniella Garran
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Editor
JoDee Scissors
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Updated
July 28, 2021
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