Source:http://www.fess.com.au/UserFiles/Image/Usage%20Images/KneelingPosition.jpg
Content
Seven Steps is a circle dance as well as a memory dance, as the song continues that dance becomes more difficult as the moves and actions begin to add on. Sort of like creating choreography.
The Dance Components
Some of the different dance components include:
· Participation dance
· Circle dance (holding hands, in the beginning)
· Isolation of body parts
· Recognition of body parts (for younger kids and ESL learners)
· Swaying whilst kicking
· Balance
· Adding on an extra move to the dance each time the dance gets harder.
Skill Components
· Spatial awareness
· Isolation of body parts
· Knowledge of each body part
· Following the instructions in the song
· Memory of choreography (adding on a new step each time)
· Levels (kneeling, head to the ground)
· Social skills (in a circle holding hands, group work)
How We Teach
One way to teach different components of the dance is to introduce and deconstruct the moves during a warm up activity.
Deconstruct: warm up
· Kneeling
· Isolation movements
· Breaking up the seven steps
Strategies
Being organized is the key to success when teaching a dance; make sure you have your resources ready, and the time and space you need to teach. Also be flexible, outcomes do not always turn out the way you have planned them, having a flexible program helps if things take longer or quicker to teach than expected.
· Clear space to dance
· Resources needed (music, cd player, words to song (you can sing it)
· Outline to students behavioural expectations during lesson
· Clear explanation of the activity (learning a new dance)
Curriculum Perspectives
Every Chance to Learn
ELA: 7.EC.3, 4, 13- Dance
ELA: 12.EC.1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9- Physical
Cross Curriculum Ideas and Perspectives
As this dance includes number and counting concepts some ideas that could follow on from this activity could be teaching your students a counting song that does to or above the number seven i.e ‘Doctor Nickerbocker’ which is a song where the children will need to count all the way up to number nine.
Every Chance to Learn:
7.EC.5, 12, 13
Another follow on activity could include, special attention on the number seven, your children could doing a cutting and gluing activity which involves gluing small collage materials in between the lines of a number seven template.
Every Chance to Learn:
7.EC.2
Resources
· Lyrics and movement instructions:
The Seven Steps: 
Children form a circle
Have you ever heard of the seven steps?
Swing arms
Have you ever heard of the seven steps?
Swing arms
They say that I can’t dance a step.
Gentle kick,crossing over at front, changing feet.
I can dance like every other chap.
This is one
Child kneels on one knee
Stands up reform the circle
Repeat song and actions (until one knee- this is one)
This is two
Child kneels on both knees and stands again, reform circle, holding hands
Repeat song and actions (until both knees – this is two)
This is three
Child kneels on both knees and adds one elbow
Repeat song and actions (until both knees and one elbow)
This is four
Child kneels on both knees one elbow and adds another elbow
Repeat song and actions (until both knees, both elbows)
This is five
Child kneels on both knees, both elbows and adds one hand
Repeat song and actions (Until both knees, both elbows one hand)
This is six
Child kneels on both knees, both elbows, both hands
Repeat song and actions (Until both knees, both elbows, both hands, adds head.
This is seven
Reference:
ACT Department of Education and Training (2007) Every Chance To Learn: Curriculum framework for ACT schools Preschool to year 10, Canberra: Department of Education and Training.
