Week 3

Virginia Reel

This week, I spent some time making sure I had some new material for these quick learning fourth graders. I really want them to enjoy dancing, because it has been so much fun for me. We all had a great time.  I was able to start the class off by asking them if they knew who the Pioneers were. I was surprised when about half of the class instantly raised their hands eager to share their knowledge of the pioneers with me. This eagerness continued on through the lesson. I read them a picture book about the pioneers which captured the class’s attention really well. By the end there was very little talking and the students all wanted to know and do the same activities as the pioneers. We lined up the students and I started teaching them the dance step by step. The little background I had taught them before was very helpful as they did their right and left elbow swings. The students would even count along with me as we practiced the steps.  As the dance became more complicated and I was teaching new steps, I was surprised to see the other students helping me keep the class quiet. They held up their quiet ‘coyote sign’ to other students that were speaking out of turn.  This was another positive experience that showed me they wanted to learn more. By the end of the class I was able to add music to the dance and the students were able to keep up and have fun. This was a very positive experience that ended on a good note for the students. I can’t wait to teach them again next week.