Before you start teaching a dance lesson, there are several important steps you should take to ensure that your class is as enjoyable as possible. To get started, you need to save Google Slides and Docs into your account. You should also familiarize yourself with the dance vocabulary and open/closed sort strategies. Once you’ve set up your lesson, you can begin your students’ lesson with a warm-up exercise. You may want to experiment with different kinds of music, such as jazz or classical music, since these will lend themselves to certain types of movement. Likewise, your students should already know the different forms of dance. Finally, you should always leave extra time to let students adjust to their new movements.
Once your students are warmed up, you can introduce choreography. You can also incorporate a small group activity that combines across-the-floor locomotion and choreography. For young students, a simple choreography will help them memorize different patterns and help them understand a complex piece of dance. It also helps to have visual cues or videos that demonstrate certain steps. Depending on their age, you can even incorporate a familiar story into your dance lesson.
You should have a general idea of how you want your class to react to certain types of music. Write down examples of movements that your students can do that capture the emotion and theme of a particular piece. Then, discuss with them the different aspects of dance and how they can be used to portray these images. This is an excellent way to develop the students’ artistic skills and make their classes more enjoyable. If your students are still having trouble coming up with ideas, you can consult Afterschool Training Toolkit to learn more.
