Lesson Plans: How and Why

There are several sample lesson plans at the end of this article. One is for a one-time class; the other is suitable for a class extending over several weeks. Feel free to copy them and use for your own classes.

Lesson plans look like a lot of work- and they are! However, lesson plans are also a vital tool for the instructor wishing to develop a professional approach to her teaching program. A lesson plan not only organizes the teacher’s thoughts for the week, but ensures that she is following a plan to track whether or not her students are meeting the level standards the instructor has established.

Lesson plans, coupled with Placement/Advancement Tracking Sheets, ensure that both the student and the instructor can see where progress is being made, where improvement is needed, and when the student is ready to move up to another level of training.

Depending on how often you teach a specific class, lesson plans could include a list of the warm-ups you will include at the beginning of each class, the movements you will teach for that lesson, and a list of the stretches you will lose for cooling down. If you include printed materials for your students this, too, should be listed in the class plan to remind you to hand them out during the class as planned. In the lesson plan sample, the teacher has listed her goals for the students over a 12 week period. She charges a monthly fee and has developed class training that requires 3 months per level, on average, for a student to master the basics. Because she has no qualms about holding students at a specific level, she will repeat all the levels (Beg I, Beg II, Inter I, Inter II, Adv I, Adv II, and onward) sessions every three months.

She has set out specific target concepts and can refer back to her list for reminders as the next three months pass. She has also listed what she will need to print as handouts for the session and a reminder to herself to tell students they will need to buy zils. As an extra help, she is planning to hand out a list of resources- places where the students can purchase supplies, music, etc. Of course, if a teacher offers these things herself, she will announce in class that she has supplies on hand for sale. Included in the resource list will be the titles of the music used in class, the album and artists.

The teacher will ask students not to copy tapes, since it is part of the teacher’s responsibility to educate her students regarding proper ethics in dance, and help them understand there are legal issues involved in reproducing music.

The sampler shows only what the instructor will focus on the first four weeks. In the first week, while naturally wanting the students to enjoy the class, she also wants to set a tone to let the students know this is a dance art– so she begins by teaching a series of foundation movements that, once mastered, will enable students to properly and easily execute more complex movements. She also introduces the concept of arm positions and zils.

Notice that a warm-up and cool-down period is included each week in the lesson plan. This is important. Ideally, these sessions would be longer, but this teacher rents a studio and is only slotted in 1.5 hour increments. However, to compensate for the short warm-ups and cool-downs, she has studied ballet and dance therapy and has learned “tricks of the trade” for helping the body both warm and cool within shortened time frames.

Also note that the teacher plans to review previously learned movements before introducing others. She will slowly build on each movement. In doing a review, she is also better able to ensure that students are mastering specific movements. The teacher will continue in this vein for all 12 weeks of the session, planning ahead and making any needed changes as she observes her students.

Notice her notes at the bottom of the lesson plan. At the end of each class, she will make notes on her student assessment sheets. She has made notes about some specific problem areas for students so she does not forget to address any needed work or corrections. These notes, along with others, including the areas in which specific students excel, will be kept in her portfolio so she can track each student’s progress. In this way, teachers are able to make wise decisions about whether a student is ready to move ahead.

The instructor will also utilize the Placement/Advancement Sheets, marking each movement that a student has mastered or indicating areas of needed improvement. At the end of each month, she should plan on meeting with each student for a brief assessment of how the student is doing.

Teaching a class with proper tracking of each student takes time and energy for the instructor. But it is important to remember that that is what you get paid to do- teach a student to dance, and dance properly. A good instructor can produce dancers, a great instructor produces dancers who understand not only their craft and the technical aspects of movements, but has an awareness of the cultures and history from which the dance originated, as well as having the ability, should they decide to teach, to pass this knowledge on to others.

Lesson Planner Sample Form

Lesson Planner: Beginning Level One

Goals/Objectives: During this 12 week session students will learn history and definition of fusion dance, as well as a basic understanding of the foundation dance, raks sharqi. We will also cover the development of alternative dance forms in America over the past five decades.  Students will be introduced to basic 4/4 rhythms with zils, with a focus on longa, rolls and  askaree, if time allows.

Students will be introduced to warm-up exercises, cool-down stretches and geometric concepts in movement. Students will have a good understanding of, and be able to execute, foundation movements of the head, arms, ribs and hips, as well as mastering the Basic Stance and three primary walks. Students will understand the connection between dance and healthy living.

Supplies/Handouts needed: Defining Fusion Dance, A Circle is a Circle is a Circle, How the Body Interprets Music, Studio and Class Rules, Intro to Dance. Angles, Circles and Lines, Rhythm Handout for Zils and movement outline for beg. Level 1. Students will need to purchase zils. Hand out supplier resource list.

Note to self: Be sure to have each student fill out class application and sign placement sheet!

____________________________________________________________________________

Week 1: Warm-Up Sequence (15 minutes)

Basic Stance         Walks: Glide, Plié, 4 Ct Walk

7 Foundation Arm Positions

Hips: (Root Movements)  Egyptian PB, Sway, Up PB (discuss soft, sharp)

1/2 Egyptian Basic                         Introduce Zils and Longa Pattern

Cool Down (15 mins)

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Week 2: Warm-Up Sequence

Review Week 1: Stance, Walks, Arms, Hips

Down PB: soft, sharp

Full Egyptian Basic: in place, circle, walking

Continue with Longa  zils- in place, walking

Cool Down

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Week 3: Warm-Up Sequence

Review Weeks 1 and 2

Add: Toe-Heel PB- in place, circling

Vertical PB- up, down

Articulated Arms- to side (“Persian”) and fwd ( “Classic”)

Continue with Longa zils- in place, walking

Cool Down

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Week 4: Warm-Up Sequence

Review Weeks 1-3

Add: Total Movement Review with Combinations (remind students we will add new movements beginning next week, but that we need to understand how to layer and combine those movements already studied)

Introduce Rolls and Askaree Zil Pattern

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Special Projects Or Assignments: Have students choose two and write a brief essay :

1) Rules of Three or 2) Historical Elements of Bellydance or  3) Dance and Healthy Living or 4) The Elements of Dance. These will be due at end of three month session

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Notes: Week 1: Jen having difficulty w/Egyptian PB, Mandy needs extra work w/centering and wt placement

Week 2: Improvement for Mandy! George needs work with Down PB’s. Denise has excellent armwork. Jen doing much better w/Egyptian PB.

Week 3: Most working to appropriate level. Ann struggling with zils.

Week 4: All doing movement work to appropriate level,Ann needs extra help with zils still.

SAMPLE FORMS

 (1)

 Lesson Planner:___________________

 

Goals/Objectives:

 

 

Supplies/Handouts needed:

 

Week __:

 

Week __:

 

Week __:

 

Week __:

 

Special Projects Or Assignments:

 

 

Notes:

 

(2)

 

LESSON PLAN:____  ___________________    _Level:__________________

Goals:

 

________________________________________________

Objectives:

 

 

________________________________________________

Materials:

 

________________________________________________

Handouts:

 

________________________________________________

Movements to be Taught:

 

 

___________________________________________________

Special Activities or Projects:

 

________________________________________________

Notes:

 

(3)

Lesson Plan ________________________Level:_______________________________

Goals:

 

Objectives

 

Materials/Handouts/Resources:

 

Week 1:

 

Week 2:

 

Week 3:

 

Week 4:

 

Week 5:

 

Week 6:

 

Week 7:

 

Week 8:

 

Notes:

 

©1997 Prima Beladi/Ne-Kajira Jannan