DUST BOWL ERA DANCES 5

DUST BOWL ERA DANCES

LESSON INFORMATION

DUST BOWL ERA DANCES

Learning Description

In this lesson, students will create dances that demonstrate the impacts of the Dust Bowl on Americans. Students will use movement and energy types to show what life was like for Americans during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression.

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 5

CONTENT FOCUS: SOCIAL STUDIES & DANCE

LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

I can use different energies to show how Americans were impacted during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression.
I can explain how the Dust Bowl and Great Depression affected the lives of Americans.

Essential Questions

How can I use energy and movement to show how Americans were impacted during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression?
How did the Dust Bowl and Great Depression impact Americans?

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

SS5H3 Explain how the Great Depression and New Deal affected the lives of millions of Americans.

Arts Standards

ESD5.CR.2 Demonstrate an understanding of dance as a form of communication.

ESD5.CN.3 Integrate dance into other areas of knowledge.

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

5.2.CC Examine the continuities and changes that resulted from New Deal programs and the impact these programs had on various groups throughout the U. S. and South Carolina

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can use movement exploration to discover and create artistic ideas and works.

Anchor Standard 2: I can choreograph a dance.

Anchor Standard 3: I can perform movements using the dance elements.

Anchor Standard 7: I can relate dance to other arts disciplines, content areas, and careers.

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

Drought - A long period of time with little or no rain
Erosion - When wind or water wears away soil
Dust storm - A storm with large winds that blows large amounts of dust through the air
Migration - Moving from one place to another
Poverty - When people do not have enough money for basic needs like food, clothes, or shelter
Stock Market Crash - When stock prices suddenly drop fast, resulting in people losing money
Economy - The system in how money is created, spent, and shared in a country

Arts Vocabulary

Percussive - Refers to the quality of movement characterized by sharp starts and stops; staccato jabs of energy
Suspended - Occurs in a moment of resistance to gravity, such as the instant in which a dancer hangs in space at the top of a leap
Sustained - Smooth and unaccented; there is not apparent start or stop, only a continuity of energy
Swinging - Established by a fall of gravity, a gain in momentum, a loss of momentum, and the repeated cycle of fall and recovery, like that of a pendulum
Vibratory - A quality of movement characterized

Materials

Music source and speaker
Introduction video of dance and choreography
Cards with printed descriptions of time period scenarios

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

Show Storytelling Through Dance with Books In Motion.
Have students discuss in pairs the types of movements they saw. Have students use descriptive language to describe the different types of movements that they saw.
Have students work in these pairs to discuss how the different types of movements showed different types of emotions or feelings.
Tell students about energy in dance. Discuss the different types of energy:
- Percussive: Refers to the quality of movement characterized by sharp starts and stops; staccato jabs of energy
- Suspended: Occurs in a moment of resistance to gravity, such as the instant in which a dancer hangs in space at the top of a leap
- Sustained: Smooth and unaccented; there is not apparent start or stop, only a
- continuity of energy
- Swinging: Established by a fall of gravity, a gain in momentum, a loss of momentum, and the repeated cycle of fall and recovery, like that of a pendulum
- Vibratory: A quality of movement characterized
Have students discuss when they might see the following types of energies in dance:
- Percussive: Strong beats (stomps or claps) that show anger or intense feelings
- Suspended: Pausing during spin to show weightless feeling
- Sustained: Controlled/moving through water showing calm energy
- Swinging: Natural rocking showing relaxed energy
- Vibratory: Bouncing up and down showing nervousness or excited energy

Have students practice doing some of these types of movements to music. Play different types of music and allow students to move their bodies in a percussive way, suspended way, sustained way, swinging way, and vibrating way.

Work Session

Explain to students that they will be creating a dance that uses different energies to show how Americans were impacted by the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.
Review with students the time periods of the last 1920s - 1930s. Discuss with students how Americans lived compared to now, including what made living during this time period difficult.
Distribute cards with descriptions of scenarios of life during the Dust Bowl or the Great Depression
- Ideas include:
  - Waiting in lines at soup kitchen
  - Experiencing a dust storm
  - Stock Market Crash of 1929
  - Bank failures
  - Hoovervilles
- Review that in their dance students should have a beginning, middle, and end with different types of energies that tell a story. Their stories will be related to the stories that were told by Americans during the Dust Bowl era and the Great Depression.
- Have students work in groups to create their dance. Encourage students to jot down their ideas and explanations of different types of energies being used in their dance.
  - Dance requirements:
    - A beginning, middle, and end (at least three movements)
    - At least two types of energies

Closing Reflection

Students should complete their work by writing a summary about how their dance, including movements and energies, relate to the impact that the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression had on Americans.
Students will share their dance with the class. The audience will discuss and share out specific movements and energies from the performance that explained the impact of the time on Americans.

Assessments

Formative

Teachers will check students' understanding by observing whether students are able to establish choreography that shows how Americans were impacted during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.

Summative

Checklist:

Students can identify and explain a specific scenario related to the time period.
Students can align movements and energies to the scenario that shows how Americans were impacted during the time period.
Students can explain how movements related to the impact the event had on Americans during the time period.

Differentiation

Accelerated:

Allow students to research specific first or second hand accounts from the Dust Bowl or Great Depression to get inspiration for their dances.

Remedial:

Give students specific stories instead of only scenarios.
Establish feeling cards to correlate with scenarios or stories.

Additional Resources

Classroom Tip: Before performances, set up students chairs/desks in an arc to be facing the performers. This allows for more student engagement and encourages students to engage in other student performances.

Credits

Ideas contributed by: Megan Banks

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright: April 2026 @ ArtsNOW

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THE WHOLENESS GROUP 4-5

THE WHOLENESS GROUP

LESSON INFORMATION

THE WHOLENESS GROUP

Learning Description

In this lesson, students will be assigned a role as a fraction, and then interact with peers as their fraction through a variety of drama activities and strategies. They will use questioning to discover their identities, engage in a simple group improvisation to explore the relationships among fractions, and then write about the experience from their fraction-character’s point of view.

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 4-5

CONTENT FOCUS: THEATRE & MATH

LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

I can assume the role of a fraction and interact with other fractions to explore math concepts.

Essential Questions

How can characterization and improvisation be used to explore fractions?

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 4:

4.NR.4.3 Compare two fractions with different numerators and/or different denominators by flexibly using a variety of tools and strategies and recognize that comparisons are valid only when the two fractions refer to the same whole.

Grade 5:

5.NR.3.3 Model and solve problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions and mixed numbers with unlike denominators.

Arts Standards

Grade 4:

TA4.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

Grade 5:

TA5.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 4:

4.NR.2.3 Generate equivalent fractions, including fractions greater than 1, using multiple representations. Limit fractions to denominators of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 20, 25, 50, and 100.

Grade 5:

5.NR.2.1 Compare fractions and mixed numbers with like and unlike denominators of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 20, 25, and 100 using equivalence to create a common denominator. Use the symbols for is less than (<), is more than (>), or is equal to (=) to record the comparison.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 3: I can act in improvised scenes and written scripts.

Anchor Standard 8: I can relate theatre to other content areas, arts disciplines, and careers.

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

Fraction - A number that represents a part of a whole, or a number of equal parts of a whole; it consists of a numerator and a denominator.
Numerator - The top number in a fraction, showing the number of parts of the whole
Denominator – The bottom number of a fraction, showing the number of parts that the whole is divided into
Greater than – Having a higher numerical value than, indicated by the sign >
Less than – Having a lower numerical value than, indicated by the sign <
Equivalent – Having the same numerical value
Common Denominator – A shared multiple of denominators of different fractions
Simplest form – The equivalent fraction having the smallest possible values for the numerator and denominator
Proper fraction - A fraction that is less than one, with the numerator less than the denominator
Unit fraction – A fraction with a numerator of 1

Arts Vocabulary

Character – An actor or actress in a specified role
Improvisation – A moment in a play that is not rehearsed or “scripted”, or acting without a script. For example: if an actor forgets a line, he/ she may improvise the line in the scene. Improvisation is also a style of theatre that lends itself to comedy that is created “in the moment”

Materials

Set of clip-on name tags with proper fractions that have denominators of 12 or less (e.g., 2/6, 3/8, 7/12, 4/9, etc.). The collection need not be curated with a goal of one-to-one correspondence; some randomness is fine. It can include some equivalent fractions.
A container (can, box, bag) to hold the tags
Wholeness Group Journal Sheet – create a worksheet with a space for “Character Name,” a space for “Nicknames,” and a ‘journal’ area beginning “Today I went to a Wholeness Group, and here’s what happened . . . ” with ample blank lines.
Index cards and writing utensils

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

PROMPTED MOVEMENT

Teach poses to go with vocabulary prompts:
- Numerator – Stand, or go up on toes
- Denominator – Sit, duck or squat
- Greater than – arms angled to right
- Less than – arms angled to left
- Equivalent – parallel horizontal arms
- Unit fraction – single finger up, above a horizontal arm
Call out prompts randomly for students to respond to with the prescribed poses.
Possibly: Once the activity is established, draft volunteers to call out the prompts.

Work Session

“WHO AM I?”

Tell students that they will become fraction characters.
Have each student pick a name tag from the container of tags, or give each student a name tag. Instruct them to keep the tags to themselves, and not to let others see the fraction they are holding.
Have each student pin the tag they are holding on the back of another student. The tag becomes the second student’s character. The student must see the fraction on the tag.
Give each student an index card and writing utensil for recording what they learn about their character.
Model for students the process of letting another student see the tag on their back, and then asking the other student a ‘yes or no’ question. Instruct them to use first person pronouns in their questions. g., “Am I greater than ½?,” “Is my numerator even?,” “Is my denominator double digits?,” or “Am I in my simplest (or most reduced) form?” (not “Is my fraction greater than . . .” – they are their fraction character). Model noting information on the card (shorthand is fine), such as “> ½,” “Even num,” “single-digit denom,” or “simplest form”.
Have students pair up, look at each other’s fraction, ask each other a yes-or-no question about their fraction identity, note the information, and then move on to another partner to repeat the process.
When a student deduces their fraction (“Am I 4/6?”) they can move the tag from their back to their front.
Coach students as needed in the process.
If the process becomes frustrating for some students, tell students that, rather than asking a yes-or-no question, they can ask for a hint. The other student should give a hint that does not totally reveal the answer.
When most students have figured out their identity, stop the activity and have all students move their tag from the back to the front. The tag gives them their identity.

SOCIOMETRICS

Sociometrics is a term from Sociology that means dividing a larger group into smaller affinity groups. In this activity, the students will divide themselves into groups according to mathematical prompts.
Identify two areas of the room. Give a mathematical prompt, and have students move to one side of the room or the other accordingly.
- g., “Go to this side of the room if your denominator is even; go to that side of the room if your denominator is odd” or “Go to this side of the room if your value is greater than one half; go to that side if your value is half or less”.
- Prompts can deal with even/odd for numerator or denominator; greater than/less than for total fraction or for numerator or denominator; number of digits in denominator; simplest form; unit fraction; difference between numerator and denominator; etc.
As students move to one side of the room or the other, monitor for accuracy; also, students can help each other find the right place. As needed, stop and let the class observe checking everyone’s placement.

MEET’N’GREET (optional)

Give students a chance to walk around and introduce themselves to one another, tell about themselves, see what they have in common, etc. Remind them to use their vocabulary, e.g. “We have the same numerator” or “Your denominator is greater than mine” or “We are both less than one half,” etc.

IMPROVISATION: THE WHOLENESS GROUP

Hand out the “Wholeness Group” worksheet. Have students fill in their character name – their fraction identity.
Discuss how nicknames are other names for a person (as in Chuck for Charles), and have students write nicknames for their character – other names they are known by, i.e., equivalent fractions. Provide guidance as needed – they can multiply or divide both numerator and denominator by the same number to find an equivalent. Possibly, ask students: “How many nicknames does each fraction have?” (infinite number).
Have students stand in a circle. Welcome them to the “Wholeness Group”. Speak as a group facilitator, and tell them, “We all get lonely sometimes. We all wish we could find someone special, someone who makes us feel whole. This is your chance. When I tell you, you can go around and meet different fractions. See if you can find a fraction friend, or maybe a couple of fraction friends, with whom you make a whole. Realize you might not have the same denominator – you might have to determine a common denominator.”
Give students time to try to partner or group up. Monitor and coach as needed. Clarify that they are not finding an equivalent fraction, nor just a fraction with the same numerator or denominator.
Generally, some students will find partners to make a whole with, and some won’t – this is fine.

JOURNAL-WRITING

Have students return to their worksheets, and write, in character, about what happened for them in the Wholeness Group. Remind them to use their vocabulary, e.g., “I met 6/9, but she was too much for me – together we were greater than 1” or “I talked to 4/10 and we had a hard time finding a common denominator.”
Allow students to share their journal entries.

Closing Reflection

Ask: “How did you become characters in math? How did you figure out whether another fraction could make you whole? How did these drama activities help you think about fractions?”

Assessments

Formative

Students participate and interact willingly in character
Students respond thoughtfully to prompts
Students collaborate smoothly in the “Who am I?”, Meet-n-Greet and Wholeness Group activities.

Summative

Students’ journal entries reflect comprehension of the math concepts, and describe their interactions in the Wholeness Group activity.

Differentiation

Accelerated:

Curate the collection of fractions with a wider variety of denominators, and fractions that will be more challenging to match up.
Have students include nicknames expressed as decimals or percentages.

Remedial:

Help students with the “Who Am I?” activity, and stop to scaffold before students become frustrated
Curate the collection of fractions with simpler fractions, including duplicates of different fractions.
Model the sociometrics carefully, and take time to guide the students to their destinations.

Credits

Ideas contributed by: Barry Stewart Mann

Revised and copyright: January 2026 @ ArtsNOW

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EXPLORING THEMES THROUGH PRINTMAKING 4-5

EXPLORING THEMES THROUGH PRINTMAKING

LESSON INFORMATION

EXPLORING THEMES THROUGH PRINTMAKING

Learning Description

Students will explore themes in fables and fairytales by identifying key details that support a central message. They will then create a symbol that represents this theme and use printmaking techniques to produce a visual representation of their understanding.

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 4-5

CONTENT FOCUS: VISUAL ARTS & ELA

LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

I can identify the central message of a fable, folktale, or fairytale and explain how key details support it.
I can design a symbol that represents the central message of a story.
I can create a printing plate using a styrofoam sheet and use it to make a print.

Essential Questions

What is a theme and how can we determine it in a story?
How do key details in a story help us understand its theme?
How can we use symbols to represent ideas visually?
What is printmaking, and how can it be used to express meaning?

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 4:

4.T.T.1.c Identify and describe common themes in texts (e.g., good vs. evil) that are revealed through details about characters.

Grade 5:

5.T.T.1.c Explain how a theme is demonstrated through a character’s growth or conflict resolution.

Arts Standards

VA.CR.1 Engage in the creative process to generate and visualize ideas by using subject matter and symbols to communicate meaning.

VA.CR.3 Understand and apply media, techniques, processes, and concepts of two-dimensional art.

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

ELA.AOR.2: Evaluate and critique the development of themes and central ideas within and across texts.

Grade 4:

ELA.4.AOR.2.1 Identify and explain an explicit or implied theme and how it is developed by key details in a literary text.

Grade 5:

ELA.5.AOR.2.1 Explain the development of an explicit or implied theme over the course of a literary text.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can use the elements and principles of art to create artwork.

Anchor Standard 2: I can use different materials, techniques, and processes to make art.

Anchor Standard 7: I can relate visual arts ideas to other arts disciplines, content areas, and careers.

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

Theme – The central idea or lesson in a story
Key detail – An important piece of information in a story that helps explain the main idea or theme

Arts Vocabulary

Symbol – A visual representation of an idea or theme
Printmaking – The art or technique of making prints, especially as practiced in engraving, etching, dry point, woodcut or serigraphy
Styrofoam printing plate – A carved surface used to make repeated prints
Brayer – A tool used to roll ink evenly onto the printing plate
Composition – How an artist arranges the Elements of Art (line, shape, form, value, color, space, texture) to create an artwork

Materials

Selected fairytale or fable
Pencils
Copy paper
Styrofoam sheets
Dull pencils or ball point pens
Water based printing ink
Brayers
Newsprint or packing paper
Paper for printing
Colored pencils or art sticks
Drying rack or space to lay prints

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

Engage (Read & Discuss)

Read a selected fable or fairytale (e.g., "The Tortoise and the Hare", "The Three Little Pigs", or "The Lion and the Mouse").
Discuss the story’s theme and identify key details that support it.
Look closely at the illustrations.
- Ask: How do they support the theme of the story?
Discuss what a symbol is, and ask students for examples of symbols in everyday life.
Brainstorm symbols that could represent the theme.
- Here are some examples:
  - Hard work pays off (e.g., “The Little Red Hen” – Symbol: Grain of wheat or a loaf of bread).
  - Kindness is rewarded (e.g., “Cinderella” – Symbol: A heart or a helping hand).
  - Patience and perseverance (e.g., “The Tortoise and the Hare” – Symbol: A slow-moving turtle or a clock).
  - Bravery and courage (e.g., “Little Red Riding Hood” – Symbol: A shield or a roaring lion).
  - Sharing and generosity (e.g., “Stone Soup” – Symbol: A steaming pot of soup”).

Work Session

Explore (Sketch & Plan):

Discuss how symbols can convey meaning visually.
Have students sketch possible symbols on paper to represent the theme, focusing on simple yet effective designs.
Next, have students sketch possible symbols on paper to represent the key details that help develop the theme, focusing on simple yet effective designs.

Create (Printmaking Process):

Introduce and demonstrate the printmaking process:
- Carving the styrofoam plate:
  - Draw lightly with a pencil before pressing into the styrofoam to avoid mistakes.
  - Use a dull pencil or ballpoint pen to carve designs—press firmly but avoid puncturing all the way through the styrofoam.
  - Keep lines simple and bold for clear prints; intricate details may not transfer well.
  - Vary line thickness for added depth—thicker lines hold more ink, while thinner lines create subtle details.
- Inking the plate:
  - Roll out a thin, even layer of ink on a tray before applying to the printing plate with a brayer.
  - Then, using the brayer, roll a thin, even layer of ink over the styrofoam plate. Too much ink can make details disappear!
  - Students should take turns rolling ink on the plate while their partner watches for even coverage.
- Printing process:
  - Carefully place the inked plate face down on paper—one student can hold it while the other presses.
  - Use hands or a clean brayer to press firmly and evenly over the entire plate.
  - Lift the plate slowly to reveal the print!

Students may need to repeat this process, experimenting with different amounts of ink and application of pressure when transferring the print.

Composition:
- Have students arrange their prints to show how the key details support the theme. For example, students might put the print representing the theme above the prints representing the key details, which might be arranged in a row below the theme.
Cleanup and reflection:
- Lay prints flat to dry before handling.
- Have students compare their prints and discuss what worked well.
- If needed, allow students to re-ink and try again.
- Once prints are dry, add color and details with art stix, crayons, or colored pencils.

Classroom Tips:

Students can work in pairs to create prints.
Encourage students to work carefully.
Make sure there is a piece of newsprint under each printmaking station.
This process works great as a center. Set up a station and allow student pairs to rotate through to create their prints.

Extension:

Use Book Creator to record short videos discussing the theme of their assigned fairy tale or fable.
Students can also create digital storyboards with apps like Storyboard That to map out key details leading to the theme.

Closing Reflection

Reflect (Gallery walk and discussion):

Display student prints and discuss how each symbol represents the theme and key details.
Have students write a reflection explaining their design choices and how their symbols connect to the story’s theme and key details.

Assessments

Formative

Teacher observation during discussions and sketching phase

Summative

Final print and reflection explaining their artistic and thematic choices

Differentiation

Accelerated:

Encourage advanced students to incorporate multiple symbols in their design to represent complex themes.
Have students compare and contrast different versions of the same fairytale and compare the theme.

Remedial:

Provide sentence stems for theme explanation ("The theme of this story is ___. I know this because ___ and ___.").
Offer pre-drawn templates or examples of symbols for inspiration.
Pair students for peer support during sketching and carving phases.

Additional Resources

Credits

Ideas contributed by: Shannon Green

Revised and copyright: May 2025 @ ArtsNOW

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YOUR VIEW MATTERS–POINT OF VIEW 4-5

YOUR VIEW MATTERS–POINT OF VIEW

LESSON INFORMATION

YOUR VIEW MATTERS–POINT OF VIEW

Learning Description

This interactive, energetic lesson helps students explore points of view through the lens of games, dialogue, and a story. Students will activate their bodies and minds as they express emotions on their feet while using props and dialogue to immerse themselves in someone else's shoes. They will improvise dialogue from well-known fairytale scenarios from all three points of view. Finally, they will apply their point of view knowledge to the enchanting book, The Tale of Two Beasts.

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 4-5

CONTENT FOCUS: THEATRE & ELA

LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

I can use my body to tell stories from several perspectives.
I can step inside someone else's shoes to learn more about them.
I can retell stories using freeze frames in a tableau.
I can create dialogue from several characters’ points of view.

Essential Questions

How does my point of view help others know my story?
What can I learn about others when thinking from their point of view?

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 4:

4.P.ST.2.b Draw from knowledge of author, audience, and context to discern and establish a clear point of view or unique perspective when interpreting and constructing texts.

Grade 5:

5.P.ST.2.b Draw from knowledge of author, audience, and context to discern and establish a clear point of view or unique perspective when interpreting and constructing texts.

Arts Standards

TA.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.

TA.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

ELA.AOR.3: Evaluate how an author's choice of point of view or perspective shapes style and meaning within and across literary texts.

Grade 4:

ELA.4.AOR.3.1 a. Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first person and third person; and b. explain how different characters' perspectives impact a literary text.

Grade 5:

ELA.5.AOR.3.1 a. Explain how the point of view from which a story is narrated influences how events are described; and b. Explain how an author reveals one or more characters' perspectives in a literary text.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can create scenes and write scripts using story elements and structure.

Benchmark T.CR NL.1 - I can identify basic story elements in simple stories, plays and scripts (e.g. plot, character, setting, theme, etc.).

Indicator T.CR.NL.1.2 - I can identify basic character qualities from a prompt.

Anchor Standard 3: I can act in improvised scenes and written scripts.

Benchmark T.P NL.3: I can use my body and voice to communicate character traits and emotions in a guided drama experience.

Benchmark T.P IM.3: I can use acting techniques to develop characters and create meaning in a simple theatrical work.

Benchmark T.P NM.3: I can make choices to change body and voice to portray differences between myself and characters in a guided drama experience.

Indicator T.P NM.3.1: I can make choices about using my body, and/or voice to imitate a variety of characters, conditions, and emotions.

Benchmark T.P NL. 3.1: I can experiment with a number of character choices in relation to other characters and conditions.

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

Character – A person, animal, or creature in a story
Story – A tale with a beginning, middle, and end that tells what happens to the characters
Problem – Something that goes wrong in a story that the characters need to fix
Solution – How the problem in a story gets fixed or solved
Point of View – The way a story is told and who is telling it
Perspective – How a character feels about what is happening in the story; different characters may see things in different ways
1st person point of view – The story is told by someone in the story using "I" or "we."
2nd person point of view – The story is talking to you, using "you", the reader (this is less common)
3rd person point of view – The story is told by a narrator who is not in the story, using "he," "she," or "they”

Arts Vocabulary

Emotions – The feelings you have inside (happy, sad, scared, angry, calm, peaceful, joyful, embarrassed, etc.)
Facial expression – Using your face to show emotion
Body – Actors use their bodies to become a character through body posture and movement
Gestures – An expressive movement of the body or limbs
Posture – The position of one part of the body in relation to other parts
Gait – The way a person or animal walks or runs
Prop – Items that actors use in a performance to depict real-life objects
Dialogue – A conversation between two or more persons
Tableau - A frozen picture representing a scene or moment in a story that occurs during a theatrical performance
Freeze frame – A series of tableaux that tell a story

Materials

Feeling Wheels/Charts/Faces
Various props (for Step In My Shoes Relay–examples listed in Instructional Design)
POV sunglasses or headbands (for Whose Story Is it?)--two pairs of sunglasses or headbands needed–each one will have a character’s name taped to it
The book A Tale of Two Beasts by Fiona Roberton (A Tale of Two Beasts read aloud)
Four pieces of board or large paper (for Step In My Shoes Relay)

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

EMOTION FACES & WALKS

Show a Feeling Wheel or a visual of emotions (see Additional Resources).
Point to an emotion and ask students to make the facial expression associated with that emotion.
- Point to an emotion.
- Say "1, 2, 3….FREEZE".
- Students show a facial expression.
- Then, call out the emotion/feeling.
Tell students that actors use their facial expressions to help tell the story of how they feel.
Ask students how you can use your body to show emotions.
- Some ways are using gestures, posture, and gait.
Have students stand up and fill in spaces around the room.
- Tell students to:
  - Walk around the room without touching anyone.
  - You will call out an emotion.
  - Students need to walk like that emotion until you call out the next emotion.

STEP IN MY SHOES RELAY

Divide students into groups.
Set up the following four stations around the classroom with props and prompt questions.
- 1) The teacher station:
  - Prop Suggestions: Oversized glasses, chalkboard pointer, hat, sweater, clipboard, stack of papers
  - Prompt questions written on a board or large paper
    - How do you feel about grading papers?
    - What is your favorite part of the school day?
    - How do you feel when students don't listen in class?
    - What do you wish students would do more of in class?
    - What do you do when a lesson doesn't go as planned?
  - 2) The student station:
    - Prop suggestions (backpack, school supplies, fidget toy or earbuds, textbooks or notebook)
    - Prompt questions written on a board or large paper
      - How do you feel about homework?
      - What's your favorite subject and why?
      - How do you feel when there's a pop quiz?
      - What's the hardest thing about school?
      - How do you feel when you finally finish a big project?
    - 3) The pet station:
      - Prop suggestions (leash or collar, toy bone or ball, stuffed animal (dog or cat), pet bed or blanket
      - Prompt questions written on a board or large paper
        
        What do you think when you hear the sound of food being prepared?
        
        How do you feel when you're left alone at home?
        
        What do you do when your owner comes home?
        
        How do you react when someone new enters the house?
        
        What's your favorite activity to do with your owner?
      - 4) The parent/caregiver station:
        
        Prop suggestions (apron or parental hat, child's drawing, family photo, grocery bag, car keys, phone)
        
        Prompt questions written on a board or large paper
        
        How do you feel when your kids don't listen to you?
        
        What do you think about the way school is run?
        
        How do you feel when your child gets a good grade?
        
        What do you wish your children would do more at home?
        
        What do you find most challenging about being a parent/caregiver?
        
        Let each student take turns putting on the "perspective shoes" (props) at each station.
        
        Have them pick up the props at each station.
        
        Then they will answer the prompt questions from that character's perspective.
        
        After each round, students can rotate to the next station and take on a new perspective.
        
        After completing all stations, come together to discuss the following questions:
        
        How did it feel to be in that character's shoes?
        
        How did the perspective change the way you viewed the situation?
        
        What did you learn about how people in different roles might feel or think?
        
        Relay extensions:
        
        Change the setting: Instead of a classroom, set the stations in different environments (e.g., home, park, school bus).
        
        Add a time limit: Challenge students to answer the prompts in under a minute, encouraging quick thinking.
        
        Make it competitive: Turn the relay into a friendly competition, awarding points for the most creative or thoughtful answers.
        
        Relay reflection questions:
        
        How did the props help you feel more connected to the perspective?
        
        What were the most surprising things you learned while "walking in someone else's shoes"?
        
        How can understanding different perspectives help us in real life?

Work Session

Imagine you and a friend see the same thing; you might describe it differently because each one of you is looking at the story from your own perspective or "point of view".
- Point of view is like whose eyes are telling the story.
- Point of view is like whose thoughts we are reading about.
Explore the details about Points of View: 1st, 2nd 3rd and associated pronouns.

WHOSE STORY IS IT?

Choose a simple, well-known fable or fairytale. See suggestions below.
- The Three Little Pigs (characters – Wolf, Pigs, Narrator)
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears (characters – Goldilocks, Baby Bear, Narrator)
- Little Red Riding Hood (characters – Little Red, Wolf, Narrator)
Ask students to act out the story in three different ways or from three different sets of eyes.
- First, give each person a pair of sunglasses or headband with their point of view (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) taped to it.
  - 1st person:
    - One student pretends to be a character and tells the story as "I”.
    - Pronouns - I, me, we, our
    - Examples -
      - Little Red Riding Hood:
        
        LITTLE RED: “I'm going to Grandmother's house.”
      - Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
        
        GOLDILOCKS: “I'm sleepy.”
      - 2nd person:
        
        A narrator tells it using "You"—like a “choose-your-own-adventure” story.
        
        Pronouns - you, your, yours
        
        Examples -
        
        Little Red Riding Hood:
        
        NARRATOR: “You are walking to Grandmother's house.”
        
        Goldilocks and the Three Bears:
        
        NARRATOR: “You are sleeping in Baby Bear's bed.”
        
        3rd person:
        
        A narrator describes the scene while others act it out.
        
        Pronouns - he, she, him, her, they, them
        
        Examples -
        
        Little Red Riding Hood:
        
        WOLF: “She has a basket of goodies!”
        
        Goldilocks and the Three Bears:
        
        BABY BEAR: “She is sleeping in Baby Bear’s bed!”
        
        After, facilitate a discussion around the following questions:
        
        How does the story change depending on who is telling it?
        
        Which POV makes the audience feel closest to the story?

POINT OF VIEW BOOK

Tell students that you can explore Point of View when reading a book.
Read the book, The Tale of Two Beasts, by Fiona Roberton.
After reading, discuss the following:
- Did the Girl and Beast see things the same way or differently? (Differently)
- When the Girl thought she was rescuing the little Beast, what was the Beast thinking? (That he was being captured)
Ask students to make a statue of the two characters: the Girl and the Beast.
- Tell students to add posture, facial expression, and emotion.
Discuss Part 1 - Who is speaking in Part 1 of the book?
- Whose point of view or eyes are we seeing the story through? (The Girl)
Tell students that they will Freeze Frame her side of the story.
- Define the parts of her story.
- Ask students to come up and freeze-frame each part.
- Tap each student playing the Girl.
  - Ask the student to say what the Girl is thinking, speaking in the first person using "I".
- Discuss Part 2 - Who is speaking in Part 2 of the book?
  - Whose point of view or eyes are we seeing the story through? (The Beast)
- Tell students that they will Freeze Frame the Beast's side of the story.
  - Define the parts of his story.
  - Ask students to come up and freeze-frame each part.
  - Tap each student playing the Beast.
    - Ask the student to say what the Beast is thinking, speaking in the first person using "I".
  - Ask students to pick their favorite book character and write three sentences:
    - 1st person - from the character's point of view using "I".
    - 2nd person - from a narrator's POV addressing the reader using "you".
    - 3rd person - from the narrator's POV using "he, she, they".

Closing Reflection

Facilitate a discussion around the following questions:
- How did we bring point of view to life today?
  - We used our bodies to become the characters and the points of view.
  - We also retold the stories using our bodies and faces in tableaux or freeze frames.
- Is this a way for us to help people understand us?
  - By sharing and showing our emotions
- Do you think the girl and the creature understood each other better at the end of their stories?
- Can you “turn and talk" showing your partner what emotion you feel right now?
- What did the Girl and the Beast feel at the end of their stories?

Assessments

Formative

The teacher will observe:
- Are students engaged and on task?
- Can students speak in the first person from the character’s point of view?
- Are students engaging their voices and bodies?

Summative

Use the following checklist to assess students (can be projected on the board):
- Did you use your face?
- Did you use your voice?
- Did you use your body?
- Did you speak from the 1st-person point of view?
- Did you speak from a 2nd-person point of view?
- Did you speak from a 3rd person point of view?

Student’s sentences from each point of view

Differentiation

Accelerated:

Advanced students write a diary entry from a character's perspective.
They can also identify points of view in written text.

Remedial:

Remedial students can write the three POV sentences as a group instead of each individual.
The student can also draw a picture and write the pronoun instead of writing out sentences.

Additional Resources

Credits

Ideas contributed by: Susie Spear Purcell.

Back to Lessons

THE BLUES (OR NOT-SO-BLUE BLUES) 4-5

THE BLUES (OR NOT-SO-BLUE BLUES)

LESSON INFORMATION

THE BLUES (OR NOT-SO-BLUE BLUES)

Learning Description

Using a twelve-bar blues form, students will create music expressing the blues (or “not the blue blues”) about selected subject content.

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 4-5

CONTENT FOCUS: MUSIC & SCIENCE

LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

I can write lyrics about assigned content using a prescribed form.
I can play blues harmony.
I can combine music and language to express feelings and ideas.

Essential Questions

How can music express feelings and ideas?
How can music and language be combined to express feelings and ideas?

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Non-ELA Standards will vary depending on selected content for blues compositions; thus, standards below are offered as ideas only and are not exclusive.

Grade 4:

S4L1 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the roles of organisms and the flow of energy within an ecosystem.

Grade 5: S5P3 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about magnetism and its relationship to electricity.

Arts Standards

ESGM.PR.1 Sing a varied repertoire of music, alone and with others.

ESGM.PR.2 Perform a varied repertoire of music on instruments, alone and with others.

ESGM.RE.1 Listen to, analyze, and describe music.

ESGM.RE.2 Evaluate music and music performances.

ESGM.CN.2.c Describe and demonstrate performance etiquette and appropriate audience behavior.

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Non-ELA Standards will vary depending on selected content for blues compositions; thus, standards below are offered as ideas only and are not exclusive.

Grade 4:

4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function together in a system to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Grade 5:

5-ESS3-1. Evaluate potential solutions to problems that individual communities face in protecting the Earth’s resources and environment.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can arrange and compose music.

Anchor Standard 4: I can play instruments alone and with others.

Anchor Standard 9: I can relate music to other arts disciplines, other subjects, and career paths.

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

Non-ELA vocabulary will vary depending on selected content for blues compositions.

Arts Vocabulary

Beat - The pulse underlying music
Blues music - A genre that evolved from folk music of African Americans in the American South (work songs, field hollers, and spirituals) during the late 1800s
Body percussion - Using the body as an instrument; includes patting, clapping, stamping, and snapping
Chord - A combination of three or more pitches played at the same time
Chord progression - A sequence of chords
Form - The organization of a piece (how the music is put together)
Harmony - Two or more pitches sounding simultaneously
Key - The group of pitches (scale) around which a piece of music revolves
Measure - The space between two bar lines
Phrase - Musical sentence

Materials

Boomwhackers (or other pitched instruments)
Writing materials (e.g., pencil and paper)
Recording of blues music (see suggestions below)
Sound production resources (e.g., speaker and phone)

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

Using found sound or body percussion, perform a rhythm (or steady beat) for eight beats. Have students echo. Label this rhythm A.
Using a different found sound or body percussion, perform a different rhythm for eight beats. Have students echo. Compare and contrast with A. Label this rhythm B.
Tell students they will be creating musical compositions using same and different patterns (A and B).

Work Session

Play a blues recording and ask students about the mood of the music. Lead them to understand that blues music is often about hardship. Suggested blues pieces are “The Thrill is Gone” (BB King), “One Shoe Blues” (BB King), and “Sweet Home Chicago” (Eric Clapton).
While many different blues forms exist, this lesson will focus on the twelve-bar blues.
The twelve-bar blues includes three phrases (lines), each with four measures and chords, thereby yielding twelve bars (measures). Twelve-bar blues uses three chords (I, IV, and V) in the following sequence:

I I I I

IV IV I I

V IV I I

Display visual of twelve-bar blues (this is one example of twelve-bar blues; other versions also exist). The numbers on the top indicate beats; the roman numerals on the bottom indicate chords.

beats 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4

chord I I I I

beats 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4

chord IV IV I I

beats 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4

chord V IV I I

Have students keep the steady beat using different body percussion for each chord.
- For example, students pat the steady beat for the I chord, clap for the IV chord, and snap for the V chord.
Play the recording and have students perform body percussion to show the chord progression.
Display visual showing pitches in the I, IV, and V chords.

G C D

E A B

C F G

I IV V

Give each student a boomwhacker and practice playing each chord. Then, play the twelve-bar blues, playing four beats for each chord.
- For example, students playing C, E, and G will play 16 beats in the first phrase (bar) since there are four I chords in the first phrase.
Have students listen to the recording to determine the form of the lyrics. (This may take repeated listening.) Lead students to understand the form as A A B (A = first four bars, A is repeated, B = last four bars).
Listen to the recording to determine the specific content of the lyrics in A and B phrases (bars). Lead students to understand that A presents a problem, followed by A that repeats the problem (sometimes with a slight variation), and B offers a comment on or twist to what has been presented. All bars end with rhyming words.
Divide students into groups and have them write lyrics for their twelve-bar blues. (If students choose, they may write a “not-so-blue blues”, a celebration rather than a commiseration!)
- Since each phrase (bar) is 16 beats long, the lyrics should present the problem (A) and reflection (B) succinctly and include rhyming words at the end of each bar!
Lyrics content can be aligned with subject matter content. For example, groups could write blues (or not-so-blue blues) about the roles of organisms and the flow of energy within an ecosystem.
Have groups share their blues (or not-so-blues) compositions (speaking or singing) while other students play the chord progression. Other students listen and assess the group’s adherence to the prescribed musical and lyrical form.
For example, were the lyrics in A A B form? Did A present the problem and B respond to it? Did each bar end with rhyming words? Was the chord progression a twelve-bar blues?

Closing Reflection

Question students about lesson content, including music and content area vocabulary and understanding.

Assessments

Formative

Through observing and questioning, assess students’ understanding of the twelve-bar blues harmony and lyrics.
Through observing, assess students’ ability to play a steady beat using body percussion and boomwhackers.
Through observing, assess students’ understanding of academic content while writing lyrics.

Summative

Students write and share lyrics reflecting assigned content in prescribed form.
Students play the twelve-bar blues.

Differentiation

Accelerated:

Students explore a different blues form.
Students write additional blues lyrics using the same form.
Students play two boomwhackers.

Remedial:

For a student having difficulty playing a steady beat, another student with beat proficiency could gently tap the steady beat on the student’s shoulder.
For a student having difficulty playing the boomwhacker at the right time, track the chords on a visual, point to the student (or have another student point to the student) to cue playing the boomwhacker, or pair the student with another student playing the same boomwhacker pitch.