Learning Goals - Age 4 years

grace · **Posted:** Wed Sep 27, 2000 2:17 pm

Rabbit has generously offered the following guidelines. Discussion welcome.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Learning goals for dance students - 4 years old:1. Listening skills *Able to follow verbal instructions from the teacher *Able to listen to what others in class have to say2. Looking skills *Able to follow movements as demonstrated by the teacher and by other students. *Able to move in the space without bumping into others *Able to observe pictures and objects then translate the visual images into body shapes and movements 3. Concentration skills *The ability to focus on more challenging finger games, especially ones that require staying on time with music or that require faster actions *More difficult balancing games, e.g. narrower beam & moving backwards and sideways on it , *More difficult shapes to hold a balance in, longer holds in the balance *Useful folk dance "Seven Jumps"4. Control Skills *All skills from 3 year olds applied asking a greater level of control *Moving about an obstacle course following directions, e.g. staying outside the hoop, going over the puddle, between the books….. *Training the ability to focus on what the teacher is doing without being distracted by other students etc. *Training the ability reproduce a movement accurately.5. Co ordination skills *More difficult hand eye co ordination games using props. E.g. Instead of passing the beanbag, toss it and catch it. Instead of rolling a ball to a partner with two hands do it with one hand. Instead of simple rhythms with the sticks try more difficult ones…. *Combine 2 different movements at the same time, e.g. While walking, tap your nose with one finger, while hopping on one foot pull on your ears…the more bizarre the better to encourage practice and the ability to inspire originality6. Body Awareness Skills *continue on from 3 year old program, developing a greater range of movements vocabulary and movement potential *explore how movement of one body part affects the movement of other body parts *explore the concepts of how movement changes when a different body part leads or initiates the movement *explore the joints and the purpose of joints *learn about muscles and their purpose, *talk about how it feels when we try to make *muscles stronger or more flexible7. Space awareness *all the concepts from 3 year olds demanding a greater understanding *maintaining personal space in a circle formation *standing in lines and maintaining spacing, *being able to move about the space and return to the same spot in the lines *being able to move across the space in lines of 2 or 3 and maintain spacing8. Spatial Orientation *All the concepts from 3 year olds *Plus toward and away from *2 or more of the different combinations combined in sequences. E.g. " junior dance Olympics game" high jump over the hat, slither under the chair, hop on one foot between the bean bags, run toward the door, sit down with your hands on top of your knees.9. Shape understanding *Continue with the concepts of 3 year olds *Plus, add some shapes as they relate to dance, e.g. the arms make round shapes (bras bas, first fifth) or straight shapes (2nd), the body makes a tall and narrow shape (posture), the legs make a triangle shape when standing in parallel 2nd position…… *Awareness that by connecting the dots between people we can create shapes on the dance floor, e.g. Circle, triangle, diamonds..10. Locomotor skills *All those from 3 year old level expecting greater musicality and precision *Taken moving forward back wards and sideways. *taken at different speeds *Starting and stopping (e.g. run and stop) *Sneaky walks, introducing the concept of dancers walk with their toes first *Add the concept of running and leaping, marching, character runs, pony gallops, pony prances, pony step on flat11. Movement skills *All those from 3 year program and start putting them together in patterns *Start combining them with locomotor movements start combining them with arm or head movements e.g. swaying with circular arm movement, bounces with opposition arm swings, bend and stretch with jumping jack arm…12. Flexibility *Increase the awareness of and acceptance of discomfort that comes with stretching exercise. *Increase the length of time a stretch is held with control. *Incorporate movements that enhance flexibility, e.g. Bear walk. *Start work on back flexibility, "seal and cat exercises".13. Strength *Continue upper body strength, e.g. Kitten drinks his milk (kiddy push ups), some type of chin up activity. *Begin to train awareness of abdominal strength, e.g. leaning back on the elbow and make rain storm sounds with your toes.14. Feet exercises *Learn terminology, flex, point, demi point, metatarsal *Learn that there are two parts of the foot that have to work when pointing, the ankle and the toes *Picking up scarves with the feet *Continue "foot inspections" but add the awareness that the legs must be stretched and lengthened and kept in a straight alignment at the same time15. Right and left skills *More difficult games that develop and awareness of right and left and start the process of recognizing one side of the body as right and the other as left *Incorporate the awareness that travelling to the side can be to the right or to the left16. Posture and stance skills *All skills as outlined in 3 year olds. *Reinforcing standing tall in all appropriate activities.17. Dance Vocabulary *All the concepts from 3 year olds. *Plus in parallel learn: knee bends and stretch, rises, transfer of weight forward and back, heel tendu, parallel retirez (the flamingo stand. *Turns - twirling on two feet versus spinning on one foot (as a free movement. *Beginning of allegro - bouncing, jumping, hopping and leaping. *In a natural 1st position in tall posture18. Hand movement skills *Continue to build awareness of the hand and wrist, awareness of what the fingers are doing, e.g. Pulling petals off a flower, pretend sewing, stroking an imaginary kitten, playing with water, lacing fingers together to make a basket, holding an imaginary bird in a finger cage…..19. Arm movement skills *Continue with all the skills developed in 3-year-old program. *Teach the concept of opposition (one arm forward and the other back). *Pointing toward a direction (preparing the hand for arabesque lines). *Hands on waists with fingers together. *Begin to build awareness that the arms make shapes, rounded or long, and create lines, horizontal, and vertical, diagonal. *Develop an awareness of the joints, wrist, elbow and shoulder and explore their range of movement and how they affect the lines the arms make. *Begin to combine arm movements with locomotor & movement & action skills.20. Head movements *All skills from 3 year level. *New vocabulary, head turn R & L, raised and lowered *plus head circles incline R & L, turn & incline - listening to a sea shell (head under) - looking at a cloud to R or L (head over)21. Musicality Skills *Continue all concepts from 3 year old level *Teach concept of pulse or beat. *Teach concept of 2/4 time signature. *Teach concept of 1st beat of the bar and last beat of the bar.22. Musical Qualities *Continue on with all 3-year-old concepts. *Use more challenging music and exercises, e.g. do one thing when the music is loud and something else when the music is soft. They must listen for the changes in the music and respond with the appropriate movement23. Energy and Dynamics *Continue with the concepts learnt at the 3-year-old level. *Incorporate it into music skills or other movement skills *relate it the emotions and feeling *Others to explore - Tired versus energetic - Enthusiastic versus bored - Shove versus drag - glide versus brittle - jagged versus curvy24. Action Skills *Take the concepts from the 3-year-old program and start combining them in combinations. *Explore more actions: lifting, waving, holding, pinching, tickling, pointing, snapping, rubbing, patting, tapping, squeezing, scratching, kicking…25. Patterning Skills *Continue to work on build pattern phrases as with the 3 year olds. *Develop memory skills to build and remember longer phrases.26. Interactive Skills *Work all the interactive skills of the 3-year-olds but incorporate them into other movements and with other activities.27. Improvisation Skills *Explore a greater range of movements, *Explore movement concepts and develop them with the music. *Build a relationship between improvisation and musicality. *Build a relationship between feelings & emotions and improvisation. *Build a relationship between improvisation and dance vocabulary, locomotor skills, actions, arm movements… *Let improvisation build a bridge between all the skills of movement and dance.28. Mime Skills *Explore more, for example: wedding, no, you go over there, you come over here. *Encourage making up some of their own.29. Pantomime Skills *Develop more difficult pantomimes to act out *Develop pantomimes that require 2 people working in co-operation. *Have one group act out while the other group tries to guess what they are doing.30. Memory Skills *Continue to build memory skills. *Longer patterns, longer poems, longer sequences…31. Building respectful relationships *Formal end ing to class- Bow/curtsy + Applause. *leaving the dance floor neatly<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


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Learning Goals - Age 4 years

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