The Snowy Day

I don’t know about where you live, but here in Tennessee, we’ve had a LOT of snow lately.  Too much, in my opinion.  In fact, when I see snow on the ground, I prefer to do something like this:

Unfortunately, my kids like to do something like this:

So, for the children’s sake, I think it’s time to pull out an old friend: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.

This book is the BEST for teaching pathways!  I love to follow the footprints in the story and then follow footprints on the ground in our classroom.  Here’s how I do class with this book:

Welcome to Class and Warm Up:

1. Who can show me how snow falls? Does it fall heavy and hard?  Or soft and light?  When I turn on the music, I want to see lots of dancers like falling snow.  Can you fall quickly and slowly?  How can you move very lightly and quietly like snow?  Snow is not loud.
2. What else happens when there is snow? Is it warm?  Or is it cold?  And what happens when water gets really, really cold?  It turns into ice!  It freezes!  When I turn on the music, walk around the room lightly on your toes, like a very, very light snowflake, but when the music stops, freeze in an interesting shape!  If shapes are not very interesting, remind the children that every snowflake is different.  Therefore, all the shapes should be unique and interesting.

STORYTIME!  

Read beginning of story through “…pointing in, like that:”

1. Look at the foot prints in the snow. Every time he walked, he made a foot print. Look how his feet point in and out.  Everyone stand up.  Try turning your toes in and out.  Can you walk like Peter with your feet pointed in and out?  Are you leaving in and out footprints behind you?  Can you turn around and walk backwards in and out?  What about sideways?

Continue reading the next page through “…that made a new track”

2. What does the word “drag” mean? Usually it means heavy and slow. Can you drag your feet?  When I beat my drum (clap my hands, shake maracas, turn on music, etc.), show me how you can drag your feet very heavy.  What else can you drag?  Can you drag an arm, a leg, an elbow?  Remember that dragging is heavy and slow.

Continue reading through “…So he made a smiling snowman”

3. How do you make a snowman? Do you roll up big balls of snow?  What else can we roll besides snow?  Can we roll our bodies?  When I beat my drum, show me how you can roll your whole body.  Can you roll in a new direction?  Some of you are rolling with your body curled up, some with your body stretched out.  I love all the different directions.
4. Gather the students into a sitting circle. What else can we roll in our bodies? Roll body parts by student suggestion.  Let’s roll our feet.  Now our head.  Can we roll our wrists. Now roll your whole upper body in a big circle.  Can you stay sitting on your bottom and roll your whole top half in a circle?  Let’s try laying on our backs and rolling our bottom halves in a circle.

Continue reading through “…and slid all the way down”

5. We can slide in all different directions, forward backward and sideways, but today, let’s try sliding and staying in our circle.  (In dance, a “slide” is a “chasse”.  However, you could also slide your feet, moonwalk, or slide on your back or belly).  Can we slide the other way in our circle?

Finish reading the story.

Locomotor:

1. In the story, what did Peter leave behind him every time he walked? Footprints!  We can call his footprints a pathway!  Have you ever hiked on a path or followed a path somewhere?  Today we are going to make our own pathways!   We can make straight pathways across the room (demonstrate each pathway), curvy pathways, or zig-zag pathways.   Everyone line up behind me and put your hands on the waist of the person in front of you.  Make sure you do exactly what I do.  Walk in a curvy pathway across the room.
2. Now, make a zig-zag pattern by yourself. When the music begins, the first person in line run across the room in a zig-zag pathway.  When they get to the other side, the next dancer may go.  Try this with curvy, straight and zig-zag, and with skips, runs, hops, leaps, etc.
3. Put masking tape down on the floor in 3 pathways: one straight, one curvy, and one zig-zag.  Challenge students to hop, crawl, walk backwards, leap, and turn along each tape pathway!

Creative Process:

Grab some glitter!  (Or you can try this snowflake confetti).

1. Look at this glitter I have. When I drop it, it falls lightly and quietly like snow.  It does not make one sound.  Who can tell me something else about it?  It twirls.  It’s shiny.  It’s pretty.  It floats.  When I turn the music on, show me how you can dance like snow or glitter.  Make sure you have a twirl and a float in your dance.
2. This time, start your dance up high and quietly twirl and float to a low place. Make sure you are in a low place when the music ends.

Cool Down:

1. Everyone stay in your low place, but sit up. Who can tell me what happens to snow in the springtime?  It melts!  Just like the snow in Peter’s pocket in our story.  Let’s try melting like snow.  Everyone raise up tall, tall like a tall snowman.  And now the sun is coming out!  Melt slowly down like snow in the springtime.  Keep melting!  Let’s do it again.  Can you do it even lighter and quieter?
2. Which was your favorite way to dance today? Light and quiet or heavy and dragging  or rolling?  Why?

I hope you and your class enjoy this one!  Even if I don’t like snow…I guess it’s great for inspiration in dance class. 🙂