Source: http://www.everythingchristmas.com.au/images/aussie_bar-b-que.jpg
Content
Animals Christmas BBQ is a circle dance, involving Australian animals and cultural celebrations i.e. Christmas/BBQ. The songs and dance also include social aspects such as greetings verbal and non-verbal and sharing and caring.
The Dance Components
Some of the different dance components include:
· Participation dance
· Hand holding
· Creating a circle (circle dance)
· Directionality
· Side step, slip step or grape vine (depending on child’s capability)
· Different levels of complexity for different age groups
· Recognition of position (into the middle)
· Clapping at (different levels, in front, behind, under, at feet)
· Backwards and forwards movements
· Returning to original positions (staging and positioning can be a difficult task for pre-schoolers)
· At the beginning of the song the teacher can instruct children to act out actions of the Australian animals introduced therefore, creative interpretation becomes a component of this dance.
Skill Components
· Spatial awareness
· Jumping
· Following instructions
· For ESL learners this can be a good activity to create and use Australian animal cards.
· Social skilling (hand holding, greeting)
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 activity:
· Shake and sizzle
· Wriggling noses
· Vertical jumps
· Warming up arms (pretend to swim up stream)
· Cross body exercises to help brain development and left to right co-ordination.
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)
· 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
Some ideas that could follow on from this activity could include introducing a game on a laptop or interactive white board from the Priory Woods website –Ten Fat Sausages sizzling in a pan. This game relates to the dance because of the “sizzling sausage” move. The game on the website includes; counting, adding, subtracting and interactive use of the technology.
Every Chance to Learn:
ELA- 6EC: 1, 2 (Technology)
ELA-16EC: 1, 2 (Numeracy)
Another activity that you could do with your students before or after you teach the dance could be creating Australian animal masks (costumes) for the students to wear whilst preforming the dance.
Every Chance to Learn:
ELA- 7EC:1, 2, 9, 10 (Arts)
Resources
· Animal Face template
· Australian animal collection
· Australian small manip collections
· Books about Australian animals eg: Mem Fox’s books
Link to: Possum Magic- http://books.google.com.au/books?id=yDct3c0IUF8C&q=mem+fox&dq=mem+fox&hl=en&ei=HxWUTYu3EYOycIS1yJMH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAA
·
References:
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.
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