Goodrich Can Square Dance!

This week was all about Square Dance!  Everyone from Kindergarten to 6^th grade learned some new moves and dances this week.  

The square dance curriculum I use with all my students is a compilation I pieced together from several Square Dance books as well as information I learned in one of my UNI undergraduate dance classes.  The reason I say that is because I have been teaching at Goodrich school for 7 years now, so that is 7 years of the SAME Square Dance curriculum.  Each year the moves and dances build onto what they learned the previous year. 

With that being said, I have been able to do dances with my upper grades that I couldn’t do my first few years here.  It also seems that I can almost shift everything down a grade level because they are mastering the skills with ease and enthusiasm.  It just comes to show that sticking to one curriculum that builds on itself for a few years can show immense growth with the students.  By the time they get to 5^th and 6^th grade I am now able to teach more advanced moves and dances.  This year I also did something I have never done before – I put on instrumental square dance music and I did the square dance calling.  The students had no idea what move was coming next and they rocked it!!  (Dr. Kerr, my UNI Dance Class professor, would be so proud!)

I can’t wait to see what we can do next year!

5th Grade does the Virginia Reel

Kindergarten dances to Old Dan Tucker

1st Grade Dancing and Singing along to Shoo Fly