Lesson Overview:
This lesson uses the story The Brothers of the Knight to launch an exploration of creative movement. The Brothers of the Knight love to dance so much that their shoes wear out. In this lesson, students explore ways to walk in different kinds of shoes, using pantomime. Groups then research the history of shoes and create a dance about shoes of the examined time period.
Length of Lesson:
Two 45-minute class periods
Notes:
This lesson is particularly suitable for grades 3-4.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will:
- pantomime walking in different types of shoes.
- work cooperatively in a group setting.
- research, in groups, the history of shoes.
- identify, in groups, three historical shoe styles about which to create a dance.
- create, in groups, and perform a 16-count dance.
Supplies:
- Tape or CD with shoe songs on them, such as: "These Boots Are Made For Walkin’" by Nancy Sinatra, "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins, "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins or Elvis Presley, "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" by Paul Simon, and "Clementine" (an American folk song).
- A variety of real shoe types or photos of shoe types (ask students to bring samples of different kinds)
- Pencils, paper or journals
- A variety of costume books, obtained from the library or Dover publications (preview for appropriate pictures)
- Masking tape or colored cloth tape
Instructional Plan:
Warm Up
Sing the traditional American folk song, "Clementine." In the second verse, Clementine is described as having big feet and wearing sandals made out of herring boxes. This type of footwear causes her to slip and fall in the river, where she drowns. Discuss why wearing boxes as shoes would be a bad idea. Have several volunteers pantomime how Clementine would walk in herring box shoes. Choose several other songs about shoes (see materials list for suggestions). Listen to these songs and get volunteers to pantomime walking in the shoes referred to in the songs.
Have students take out a piece of paper or journal. Ask why people wear shoes in the first place. Give students a minute to write a response. Have volunteers respond; list responses on the board. Ask students why people have so many different kinds of shoes. (sports, school, work, dress-up, play, dance, and weather protection are possible uses.) Give students a minute to list these and pair with another to share answers. Create categories on the board as the pairs share their observations with the class. Have students copy the categories onto their papers. Ask students to try to think of specific shoe types for each category. Pair the students and give them two minutes to brainstorm and list shoe types. Have them share examples with the class. List responses on the board.
Introductory Activity
Tell students that in the story Brothers of the Knight, and the play of the same name, the boys have such a great time dancing that they wear out their sneakers. The illustrator of the book depicts the boys in hi-top basketball sneakers. (It may help to have the book, a photo, or a real hi-top sneaker in the room.) How well does a person move in a hi-top? Have a volunteer walk across the room as if wearing a hi-top shoe. Have another volunteer walk as if the hi-top was too tight, and another, as if the sole is flapping off in front.
Display real shoes or the photos of different shoe types. Try to show as many different types as you can. Some fun ones to share might be flippers, high heels, tap shoes, ballet toe shoes, cowboy boots, cleats, rain boots, flip-flops, or slippers. Ask students how the type of shoe changes the way they move. Students should all get to move as if wearing each different kind of shoe.
Clear a long space for students to move from one side of the room to the other. Place tape on the floor to mark beginning and ending lines. Group the class in fours to cross the floor. Before starting the activity, remind students that they are pantomiming the way they would walk in the type of shoe suggested.
pantomime: acting without words
It is an exploration how something as simple as a shoe can change the way your body moves. NOTE: Tell the students thtat they are all required to make a good effort. If a student makes no effort, teases another about his or her interpretation, or just gets out of control, he/she will be removed from the activity and graded poorly.
Hold up a picture or real shoe and have a group walk across the space as if wearing the featured shoe. Allow each group to try this activity, then begin a new shoe walk from the other end. Repeat this eight times with different kinds of shoes.
Restore the classroom to its original arrangement. Have students return to their seats, and reflect and observe in writing about three of the eight types of shoes that they pantomimed. What changed as new shoes were put on? Why?
Guided Activity
Divide the class into eight new groups. Tell them that they are going to research the History of Shoes at the ShoeInfoNet Web site. Explain that each group is going to get a time period to study, and that they will identify three specific shoe types of that era. They will also be asked to prepare three drawings or share three photos of the shoes that they discovered.
The students should be grouped as follows:
- Early shoes—Pre-history, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman
- Shoes of Medieval Times—about 400–1450
- Shoes of the European Renaissance—1450–1600
- Shoes of the 17th Century
- Shoes of the 18th Century
- Shoes of the 19th Century
- Shoes of the 20th Century
- Shoes from other parts of the world (Africa or Asia)
Assign a role to each member of the group:
- Manager – keeps the group on task
- Communicator – speaks for the group at the presentation
- Artist – illustrates or finds visual material for the presentation
- Recorder – takes group notes and records information
Give students access to library books, encyclopedias, and computers with Internet access. They should research for 30–45 minutes. NOTE: You should preview the costume books before making them available to the students. They may contain some images that are inappropriate for children. Have student groups prepare and present their findings about the shoes from their time period to the class.
Independent Activity
While they are still in the historical groups, have students prepare a 16-count dance using the three shoes that they found. The pattern should be repeated at least one time. Clear the space again and give each group an area in which to work. Groups should consider what the shoes were made of, as well as their height, width, or length as they prepare their dance. Remind students that all members of the group need to participate in order for them to get a good grade. Give students 30 minutes to plan and practice the dance.
Closure
Have groups perform their dances for the class.
Assessment:
Assess students based on how well they:
- participated in the pantomime walk-across;
- cooperated in each group to which they were assigned;
- participated in the group activities;
- identified and explained three shoes from the assigned historical time period; and
- created a 16-count dance using three shoes from their assigned time period.
Extensions:
Extension 1:
Have the class create a rubric for cooperative groups, a rubric for presenting shoe information, and a rubric for the dance. Have students rate each group’s work. Average the grades to determine the groups’ marks.
Extension 2:
You may wish to eliminate the dance at the end of the lesson, stopping after the presentation about the historical shoes.
Extension 3:
You may choose to add music to the dances.
Sources:
Print
Authors:
-
Mary Beth Bauernschub, Teacher
Kingsford Elementary School
Mitchellville, MD
