Fourth graders learned a dance called the Cherkassia. It is named after a city in the Ukraine but the dance itself comes from Israel. After learning the dance, each class formed two groups and created their own dance following the same form.
The first section needed an 8 count movement that was repeated each time. The second section had each student making up a unique rhythmic movement that was copied by the other dancers. After watching a video of their dance, each group created a reflection, assessing how well they performed in certain categories, what they did well when performing and how they could have improved. The group discussed their observations and then redid the dance, trying to improve upon their first attempt. Each class' dances can be viewed here along with a sample reflection paper.
The first section needed an 8 count movement that was repeated each time. The second section had each student making up a unique rhythmic movement that was copied by the other dancers. After watching a video of their dance, each group created a reflection, assessing how well they performed in certain categories, what they did well when performing and how they could have improved. The group discussed their observations and then redid the dance, trying to improve upon their first attempt. Each class' dances can be viewed here along with a sample reflection paper.