First Friday!

 

I

Unit: Basic Movement Concepts

Title: Exploring hand clapping, up and downs and marching

 

Introduction

This is the 7th 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 begin teaching on Fridays as opposed to Wednesdays. We have  four classes now: the new (0-1 (infants), second 1-2 (toddlers),  whom we new from this last summer, third 2-3 (toddlers) and fourth another 2-3 toddlers. Sessions will be 20 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

 

Kids who spend more time in less-structured activities have more highly-developed self-directed executive function. Those who spend more time in structured activity show a decrease in ability to set goals, make decisions and self-regulate.

 

 V

Case Study

 

Study: Too Many Structured Activities May Hinder Children’s Executive Functioning

Research in Brief

(Education Week)

A recent report in the journal Frontiers in Psychology  found “that the kids who spent more time in less-structured activities had more highly-developed self-directed executive function.” However, the children who spent more time in structured activity showed a decrease in ability to set goals, make decisions and self-regulation. 

Self-directed executive function develops during childhood and involves the ability to plan, make decisions, manipulate information, task switching, and inhibit unwanted thoughts and feelings.

The report states, “The researchers define structured activities as anything organized and supervised by adults—like music lessons or community service. For an activity to be less-structured, the child must be in charge of deciding what to do and figuring out how to do it. All forms of free play counted as less-structured activities.”

The report stated that “the more time that children spent in less-structured activities, the better their self-directed executive functioning. The opposite was true of structured activities, which predicted poorer self-directed executive functioning.”

  

VI

References

 

 1)

Study: Too Many Structured Activities May Hinder Children’s Executive Functioning

https://education.ucdavis.edu/post/study-too-many-structured-activities-may-hinder-childrens-executive-functioning

2) 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

 

3) 50 Self-regulation Activities to Empower your Child to Calm

 https://connectedfamilies.org/equipping-kids-calm-self-regulation/

 

4)

 https://theinspiredtreehouse.com/self-regulation/

 How to Help Kids With Self-Regulation: 30 Games and Activities

 

VII

 

Reflection 

1) We learned the kids had their graduation during our absence. We saw pics. I was happy to hear to invest time and effort to make this happen. I believe in this types of rituals. They are beneficial for the kids, the parents, the staff and the teachers because it brings closure to a period of hard work, high expectations and collaborative achievements.

2)We briefly said hello to Isabel in the office. The assistant (Chloe perhaps?) was very welcoming and explained to us the new arrangement. We are now to teach 4 groups. That reduced the time we spend with them from 30 minutes to 20 min.

3) I noticed the assistants, at least the older one who works with the infants, was very happy we were back. We also noticed no one goes to teach on Friday, except us. We think Taylor, the music therapy student who was there when we started, may have had finished his internship. Niurka, the lady from Sancti-Spiritus, was not there. One of the assistants told me her husband was sick.

4) All our classes went on fluidly. The last class, however, was more difficult in terms of behaviors. The kids were less focused. They would switch from what we were doing to grab toys, etc. One of them was new and she is in the spectrum. Camilo was also present and he went in and out. We finished with quiet time using the dolls to model laying down and relaxing. Two other students whose name I do not remember now, one was on task, the other kept trying to play with toys, showing resistance to dance.

5) I was surprised to hear the kids can not touch the toys. This is what makes me find info about highly structured environments and how it affects kids' executive functioning.