4th Grade Steady Beat Project

I just wanted to share a project that I do with my 4th Graders called the Steady Beat "Dance".  It is just for them to reinforce their knowledge of the steady beat in a fun way.  It also offers them an opportunity to work in groups, fostering that independence that we all need to be supporting for the Common Core.

Here is the project sheet for each group:

The kids basically make up 6 "moves" that show a four beat pattern each.  I don't limit them on what they can do, so often times they have a few moves where it is one pose or motion that goes down the line (1st person does one beat, 2nd person does next, etc.).  They often come up with a final move that ends with something funny as well.  One group I have this year made it that on the first beat one kid jumps out and on each beat after that they "punch" the other group members and they fall to the ground for the end.  No actual contact is made, but the kids have fun making it look like they are flying through the air to land.

I also have a list of fun songs for the kids to choose from to do their dance ("Call me Maybe", "Good Time", "We Will Rock You", "Firework", etc.).  That makes it an even more enjoyable project for them, so we have fun with it.  I encourage anyone to try doing this and trying it out with their group.  I've found that groups of 3 or 4 work best for the project as well.

Happy musicing!!!