Mountain

Author: Chara Huckins

Age range: 2nd – 5th grade Curriculum Integration: Science, Social Studies, and Dance Overview: Students will learn and dance about the different types of Earth’s landforms. They will focus on kinesthetically learning about the various parts of a mountain and create a related dance.

Lesson Materials and Resources: Drum, Wilderness Wonders and Scientia by Tristan Moore, landform pictures, and stretchy fabric loops.

Instructional Activities:

1. Gather the students in a group before the warm-up. 2. Introduce the lesson by providing basic information about landforms. Landform definition: A landform is a feature on the earth's surface that is part of the terrain.

Moving/Warm-up:

Landform Game:

1. Show images of a mountain, island, glacier, and cave.

Landform Mountain

Island

Definition

A natural elevation of the earth’s surface, a high and often rocky area of a land mass with steep or sloping sides that rise to form a peak.

A piece of land surrounded by water. Glacier A large body of ice moving slowly down a slope.

Cave A large hole that was formed by natural processes in the side of a cliff, hill, or underground.

2. Now, let’s move and create shapes with our bodies that represent the various landforms. Example: 16 counts to create an island - make a low, long, connected shape with a partner. 16 counts to form a mountain - create a pointed shape by self or with others.

16 counts to make a cave - create a shape with a hole in groups. 16 counts to compose a glacier - slowly move together in groups.

Explore/Investigate:

Mountain Landforms: As we travel across the United States, there are many different landforms that are unique to their region. Let’s explore, investigate, and learn about the various parts of mountains.

1. Mountain definition: a natural elevation of the earth’s surface, a high and often rocky area of a land mass with steep or sloping sides. Ask the guiding questions: What shape would you make for a mountain? Can you make a jagged shape by yourself? Can you make a jagged shape with one other person?” Have the students explore and create jagged shapes by themselves. Then, they can create small group mountain shapes. Remind the students that it is only one mountain shape that they are creating together as a group. It needs to have steep or sloping sides.

2. Next, there are specific parts to a mountain. Let’s explore movement demonstrating the various mountain parts.

Peak: the top of a mountain (summit). Show an image of a peak. Ask the guiding questions: What shape would you make for a peak? Can you make a balancing shape by yourself? Can you make a balancing shape on different levels?” Have the students explore different balancing shapes on different levels and using different body parts. Now, let’s imagine that we can leap from peak to peak. Find a beginning balancing shape on top of a mountain peak. When the music starts, you can leap from peak to peak finding different balancing shapes to hold for a moment and then continue to leap. When the music ends, find a balancing finishing shape.

Slope: the side of a mountain that is at an angle. Show an image of a slope. Skiers ski on the slopes. Ask the guiding questions: What shape could you make for a slope? Can you make a tilted shape by yourself? Can you make a tilted shape on different levels?” Explore different tilted shapes. Try a tilted shape on a low level, on a medium level, on a high level, an upside-down tilted shape, and a tilted shape balanced on one foot. When skiers go down the hill they slide on their skis. Start in a tilted shape and when the music starts you will slide to the opposite side of the room and find a tilted shape to hold for four counts. Count in your head and then slide back to the other side of the room and finish in a tilted

shape. Have the students try this dance several times. Now, do this dance as a duet. Create a tilted slope shape with one other person. When the music starts, slide to the opposite side of the room together and make a slope shape, hold it for four counts and slide back across the room to finish in a slope shape. Canyon: area where water has cut down the side of a mountain (gulley, ravine, gorge). Show an image of a canyon. Ask the guiding questions: “What type of movement would you create for a canyon?” Let’s create a stream of water in movement. Let’s move slowly up and down, following one leader, in a weaving pathway.

Foothill: a hilly region at the base of a mountain. Show an image of a foothill. Ask the guiding questions: “What type of a shape would you create for a foothill?” Let’s find a low-level shape. “Who likes to roll down a hill in the summer?” Everyone, spread out and make a low-level shape. When you hear the music, begin your rolling movement like you are rolling down the hills. Roll, jump, and stretch through the room on a low level. End in a low-level shape when the music stops.

Mountain Range: a series of interconnected mountains forming a line. Show an image of a mountain range. Ask the guiding questions: “What type of a shape would you create for a mountain range?” Let’s create a mountain range with everyone. Have the students create a jagged shape that connects to two other students. When you hear the music, move in a stretching way through the space for 16 counts to finish in a linear, jagged group shape. Everyone in the class must end in a line that stretches from one side of the room to the other. Let the students explore and try this multiple times.

Mountain System: a connected group of mountain ranges which were created by the same geologic force at roughly the same time. Show an image of a mountain system. Ask the guiding questions: “What type of a shape and movement would you create for a mountain system?” Let’s create a mountain system with everyone. Have the students create a jagged shape that is connected to other

jagged shapes but only two, three, or four students in a group. All of the different mountain groups can be spread out over the whole room. Find a shape to begin in and when you hear the music, you can move together with your group in a bound, stretching way. Finish in a small, connected shape. Let the students explore and try this multiple times.

Creating:

1. Create a dance sequence incorporating all the elements of a mountain. Ask the students which part should come first, second, third, etc. Use the mountain images for the students to see the order of the dance. The movement sequence should include: Peak: a balancing shape Slope: tilting sideways Canyon: connected to two other people, traveling slowly in a weaving pathway Foothill: low level movement Mountain Range: a jagged shape and connect to two other shapes Mountain System: slowly move and connect with other groups until the class is one large group shape. 2. Try this movement sequence with the whole class to model and assess their understanding of the different mountain parts. Movement sequence idea: Beginning shape is the Mountain Range Roll into the Foothills Slide into a Slope Leap to the Peak Weave into the Canyon Stretch into an ending Mountain System shape 3. Practice and perform it as an entire class. 4. Now, as a small group you will create a dance. Divide into groups of four. As a group, use the mountain images and decide which part will be first, second, third, etc. Use all of the parts. Memorize your dance sequence. Make sure that your dance has a beginning shape and an ending shape. 5. Perform in groups

Contextualizing/Connecting/Reflecting:

Ask students’ performance assessment questions to evaluate the dances and check for the student’s level of understanding. 1. Did the mountain dance have a clear, beginning, middle, and end? 2. Was there an interesting spatial relationship between dancers? 3. What did you like about the dance that was performed? 4. Why did you like it? 5. Were the performers focused and engaged?

Chara Huckins is a dance educator with the Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program, Salt Lake City, UT.