Fourth Class

 

 

I

Unit: Basic Movement Concepts

Title: Exploring hand clapping, up and downs and marching

 

Introduction

This is the fourth class with early childhood kids with special needs at Linda Ray. We will repeat the same routine and the same songs/dances. It is important to continue re-enforcing the skills that they have already been introduced to. Today, Carol and I will have  the three same groups (0-1 (infants), second 1-2 (toddlers, third 2-3 (toddlers). Sessions will be 30 min. each. As we did in the previous lesson, we will explore basic concepts such as "hand clapping, up and downs and marching" using a number of songs, props and games.

 

 II

Based on MDCPS Curriculum / Dance / Kindergarten (4)

https://www2.dadeschools.net/students/cbc/Volume%20III/Dance/Elementary/Grade%20K/Dance%20-%20K.pdf 

• Component I: Movement skills and underlying principles
  
• Learning Objective: Explores different levels of body movement
  
• Competency: The student can demonstrate levels of body movement 
  

 III

Main Lesson

 

 

 

 1

Hello

 

2

Clap Your Hands

3

Way Up High

4

The Dance Freeze Song

 

5

The Ants Go Marching

 

6

Crawling, Creeping and Walking Patterns: Scaly Little Lizard

7

Doudlebska Polka

8

Too Shy For Show And Tell - Overcoming Shyness Story

 

9

Listen and Move

 

10

 

Goodbye Song

IV 

A Note to Remember

 

Working with Infants and Toddlers is very different from working with Preschool aged children. Infants have little language to help us understand what they need

 V

Case Studies 

 

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781003134800/dance-movement-therapy-infants-young-children-medical-illness-suzi-tortora-miri-keren

 

Book

Dance/Movement Therapy for Infants and Young Children with Medical Illness

Treating Somatic and Psychic Distress

By Suzi Tortora, Miri Keren

 

 

This book presents dance/movement therapy as a window into the emotional and internal experience of a baby with a medical illness, within the context of treating the whole family system and using the DC 0-5 as the basis for formulating the clinical situation.

This book fills a gap in the literature, bringing a variety of fields together including infant mental health, infant and child psychiatry, nonverbal-movement analysis, and the creative arts therapies. Grounded in a biopsychosocial perspective, dance/movement therapy is introduced as the main treatment modality, using nonverbal expression as a means of communication, and dance and music activities as intervention tools, to support the child and family. Vignettes from both during and years after the medical experience are presented throughout the book, taking into consideration the subtle and more obvious effects of illness on the child’s later emotional, social, and behavioral development. They illustrate the expertise of the authors as infant mental health professionals, drawing upon their work in hospitals and private practices, and highlight their unique perspectives and years of collaboration.

VI

References

1) MDCPS Competency Based Curriculum.  Volume III. Dance. Elementary. Grade K. 

https://www2.dadeschools.net/students/cbc/Volume%20III/Dance/Elementary/Grade%20K/Dance%20-%20K.pdf

2) Tortora Susy & Miri Keren (2022). Dance/Movement Therapy for Infants and Young Children with Medical Illness: Treating Somatic and Psychic Distres. 

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781003134800/dance-movement-therapy-infants-young-children-medical-illness-suzi-tortora-miri-keren

3) Working with Infants and Toddlers. 

https://as.sdsu.edu/useruploads/files/forms/children-center/insightinfantstoddlestwos.pdf

 

VII

Reflections

The first group was quieter than before. The one girl who was crying the week before was in the hospital. She has  sickle cell disease (SCD), a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. In SCD, the red blood cells become hard and sticky and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a “sickle.” People with SCD can live full lives and enjoy most of the activities that other people do.

The rest of the group was playful. At first the acted as they did not know us. The bells broke the ice. They began to move them, and play with them. 

Today we were able to work in the classroom of group two. We noticed it was easier to manage behaviors. Rather than relying on the music, we relied on songs we sang.

The third group was only two kids. A new kid, Aisha, was smiling when she enter the general area. But, when she saw she was not leaving, she started crying non stop. Nothing we did calmed her down. Finally, I decided to take her to the door and show her that her mom was not there. That worked. Once in a while, I would open the door and show her mom was not there. I became her allied. Niurka told me that now she knew what to do. We were near the door until her mother arrived.