Lesson Overview:

Students verbally explain and then create with a stretch rope several geometric shapes (triangle, rectangle, square, and circle). Students also identify and create the missing shape in a set of patterns. After exploring ways to arrange the four geometric shapes, students work in small groups to create a dance including all four shapes and transitional movements.

Length of Lesson:

Three 45-minute lessons

Notes:

This lesson is particularly suitable for grades 1-2.

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

• name and demonstrate with a stretch rope the geometric shapes: triangle, rectangle, square, and circle.
• provide the missing shape in a series of patterns.
• create, in small groups, a dance that includes all of the shapes and transitional movements with a beginning, middle, and end.

Instructional Plan:

Session 1

Tell students that geometric shapes are all around us. (Introduce Vocabulary as appropriate.) Have students look at the shapes in the room, and ask them to point out any geometric shapes that they see, such as rectangular cinder blocks, circular fans, rectangular windows, etc. Tell students that they are going to think about and make some of these geometric shapes using their bodies and stretch ropes.

Show students the stretch ropes and demonstrate how to work with them to create shapes. Give the students the following guidelines for working with the stretch ropes:

1. Never wrap the rope tightly around any part of your body, as it can cut off circulation.
2. The rope should always stay with the student and touch only his/her body, not anyone else’s, unless otherwise instructed.

Have students spread out so that each has "self space" (space in which they can move without touching each other). Lead students in a full body warm-up. Display the poster of a geometric shape. (Note: It is a good idea to start with a triangle, because that shape is easiest to create with a rope.) Ask the students to describe a triangle and explain what makes it different from other geometric shapes (it has three sides or three straight lines and three points or angles; students might also say that a triangle could be large or small, the point could be going up or down to the floor, etc.).

Tell students that you are going to play music. When the music starts, they should try to make as many different triangles with their rope as they can, using different levels (high, medium, low); using different sizes (small, medium, large); and holding the rope in relation to their body in different ways (in front, behind, while lying on their sides, above them while lying on their backs, etc.). Remind students to stay in their self space. Demonstrate a few triangles, showing examples of at least one level, one size, and one way to hold the rope in relation to the body.

Play music as the students create their triangles. Walk around the room and ask some of the students to do the following tasks:

• count or point out the three points of their triangle
• show or point out the three sides of the triangle
• explain how they know what they are making is really a triangle
• make the same triangle, only a little smaller or larger
• make the same triangle behind their body instead of in front of their body, or the opposite.

Follow the same procedure for each of the other three shapes:

• rectangle: four points, four sides (two long and two short)
• square: a special kind of rectangle that has four sides of equal length
• circle: no points, a continuous line that goes around with no beginning and no end. (Tell students that this is the hardest shape to make because our bodies are made up of so many points at what we call the "joints" in our body.)

Use a different selection of music for each different shape. Ask the previously stated questions to a different student each time until each student has been asked at least one question by the time all four shapes have been completed.

If computers are available for all students, have them go to the student activity, Investigating Polygons on the Illuminations site, and make at least one of each of the four geometric shapes: triangle, rectangle, square, and circle. If not everyone has access to a computer, this could be completed after the class, or while the groups are working on their shapes dance.

Peer Assessment

While the four visuals of the geometric shapes are still in plain view, place students into groups of two or have them choose a partner. One person is the designated "questioner." One at a time, the questioner calls out a geometric shape and the partner shows an example of that shape with the stretch rope. If the example is the correct shape, the questioner says "check" or some other affirmative comment, and the partners move on to the next shape. When they have completed all four shapes, they switch roles, with the questioner now the demonstrator. If the student who is demonstrating does not create the geometric shape called for, the questioner must tell them to try again. If the demonstrator still does not create the correct shape, then and only then should the questioner show them the correct shape with his or her own rope.

Session 2
Lead a short discussion on the definition of a pattern. Have students identify patterns that exist in the room, as well as any patterns that exist on their trip home from school or at their home itself.

Using large felt parquetry shapes or geometric shapes drawn on poster paper, Give examples of a variety of geometric patterns, such as:

• circle, rectangle, square; circle, rectangle, square
• triangle, circle, triangle; triangle, circle, triangle
• circle, triangle, square; circle, triangle, square
• square, triangle, triangle, circle; square, triangle, triangle, circle

Remind students of the two guidelines for working with the ropes and then have them go out into their self spaces and follow a teacher-directed full body warm-up.

As music is played and the visuals of the four geometric shapes are clearly displayed, ask the students to review what they have learned by creating at least two examples of each of the four shapes. As the students are creating the shapes, go around and ask students to name the shape they are making.

Tell the students that you are going to hold up some incomplete patterns of geometric shapes. In each instance, one shape is missing. They should identify the part of the pattern that is missing, and then create that shape with their ropes. Hold up one pattern on a poster paper at a time, such as: circle, rectangle, square; circle, rectangle, ______ . The students should create a square. To verbally reinforce what they have created, ask the students to say the name of the shape.

Follow the same procedure with these patterns:

• triangle, rectangle, circle, square; triangle, rectangle, _______, square (The students should make and say "circle.")


• square, circle, triangle, triangle; square, circle, _______, triangle (The students should make and say "triangle.")
  

Tell students that in the next pattern, two shapes are missing. Have them get together with another student to complete the pattern. The students will have to decide which person will be making which shape.

Use the following pattern:

• triangle, square, circle; triangle, _____, _____ (Students say what the first missing shape is, a "square"; and then what the second missing shape is, a "circle.")
  

Have the students go back to their individual spaces, and tell them that they will now be creating a group dance. Explain that when one creates a dance, one should have an idea or theme. Tell students that their idea for today's dance is "Shapes." Each student will be responsible for making up one shape for the dance. Everyone in the group will also be responsible for creating the moving parts of the dance, which in this dance will be the transitions. Transitions are the movements that will take the dancers from one shape to another.

Place students into groups of four and give each student a number (1, 2, 3, and 4). If the total number of students is not divisible by four, a few groups can have three or five students.

Have everyone that is a "1" raise their hands. Tell them that they will be responsible for creating the triangle for their group. Follow the same procedure for 2s (rectangles), 3s (squares), and 4s (circles). If a group contains five students, the fifth should do the same shape as 1.

Give the students the time to create their shape for the dance. Tell them that they will have to explain the following elements to the others in the group:

• with which hand(s) they are holding the rope
• where they are holding the rope in relation to their body
• whether they are on a low, medium, or high level
• whether they are going to be facing the group or have their side to the group
  

After a few minutes, call out the numbers and/or shapes, and have the appropriate student perform the shape for the group. Be sure to call out all four shapes.

Call out the numbers and/or shapes again, but this time, have the students explain their shape to their group, using the lead questions above. Do this for all of the shapes.

Repeat this exercise, except this time when the shape is called, the group should perform that shape without any verbalization, so that the students can begin to memorize the shapes.

Session 3

Review the shapes created in the last class. Call out the four shapes and have students perform them in their groups. Tell the students that they will be choreographing a dance in which they arrange the shapes in any order that makes sense to the group. Show students the Shapes Art lesson on the Illuminations Web site, and discuss how different arrangements of shapes could be made.

Working in their groups, the students should decide on the order of the shapes in their dance, as well as the transitions that take the group from one shape to another. Tell them that they will be presenting their dances to the class, and that after the presentation, you will ask the class the following questions. (Hold up a poster with the questions written on it.)

• Did you see all of the shapes in the dance?
• Was there one shape that you particularly liked? Why?
• Was there one transition that you particularly liked, and why?

Tell the students that they should first decide on a formation for their group; that is, they must decide how they will stand in relation to one another (i.e., in a circle facing in? in a circle facing out? in a straight line? in a diagonal line?, etc.). After deciding on the formation, students should decide on a beginning position, and show the first shape as a group.

Explain that in order to make their piece look like a real dance, the movements should flow from one shape to the next. Have the students look at shape one, then shape two, and experiment how they can get from one shape to another in a smooth and interesting way. The group should decide which transition feels the most comfortable, then everyone should memorize it.

The teacher directs the creation of the transitions following the same procedure until all are completed. Each time one is completed, the group goes back and reviews it from the beginning.

Remind students that their dance will need a definite ending, one that clearly shows that the group is finished. Have students look at their last "shape" movement. The group should decide whether that is a good ending position or if they want to do something else to end the piece.

Have the students practice their dance from beginning to end with the music.

Review the questions that you will be asking the class about the dances. Have each group perform their completed dance for the class. At the end of each dance, ask the class the questions written on the poster board:

• Did you see all of the shapes in the dance?
• Was there one shape that you particularly liked? Why?
• Was there one transition that you particularly liked, and why?

Assessment:

Refer to the peer and group assessment suggestions in the Instructional Plan.

Extensions:

At the end of the first lesson or the beginning of the second, black lights may be used to further exaggerate the identification of the shapes. Set up four lights. Have one student stand behind each light, and, as music is played, each student should make a shape while the class calls out what shape they think they are making (or one individual can state what shape is being done). Every student in the class should have a turn behind the fluorescent light.

Depending on the formation that is used by the group in the "Shapes Dance," the black light(s) might be used when presenting the dance.

Authors:

• Lillian Hasko, Dance Teacher
  Montgomery County Public Schools
  Silver Spring, MD United States