“FOLK DANCES AROUND THE WORLD”
A WebQuest for 5th Grade in Physical Education
By Suzy Petroze
Physical Education Teacher
Beechgrove Elementary, Independence, KY
Introduction I Task I Process I Resources I Evaluation
I Conclusion
Introduction
Who is your favorite dancer? Is it Brittney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, or
Michael Jackson perhaps? Have you ever wondered how they come
up with their dance moves?
Well, in some countries, dance steps have very interesting origins.
For example, in Italy, there is a folk dance called the Tarantella
(which means “tarantula spider” in English). It is believed that women
working in the fields, who would be bit by the Tarantula spider, would
dance off the venom. It is said that a lot of perspiration would force
the poison out through the pores of the body. Many believed that this
spider’s bite was deadly and during those times, there was no antivenom available. Therefore, the only remedy for the bite of this
venomous spider was perspiration… and dancing caused a lot of
sweating!
Other countries traditionally use dance for a variety of social
purposes, such as religious rituals, weddings, funerals and
entertainment. Some dances prepared people for the roles they
played in the community. For example, some war dances prepared
young men physically and psychologically for war by teaching them
discipline and control while getting them into the spirit of battle. Some
dances can even tell stories that are part of the oral history of a
community.
As you can see, dancing can be entertaining, like the dances of
Brittney Spears, but dancing can also serve a purpose.
This WebQuest will give you an opportunity to learn about a dance
from a different country.
The Task
Find two people that you will be able to work cooperatively with,
unless your teacher has assigned you to a group. You will work with
your group throughout the WebQuest. Once your group is formed,
your teacher will give you an index card. On one side of your card
there will be a Country provided and on the other side of the card will
be a name of a dance. As a team, you will research the dance using
the resources provided to expand your knowledge on a dance from
another country. You will have three class periods to finish your
project.
The first day of this project you will have the entire class period to
research and type your report.
On day two, you should be ready to practice your dance. You will be
given the entire Physical Education class period to learn and practice
your dance in the gymnasium. Your teacher will provide the music
and equipment needed. Please let your teacher know if you will need
any other forms of equipment for your dance.
On day three you should be ready to demonstrate your dance to the
class.
Process
-You will work cooperatively in groups of three. Each person will
have a specific task.
-One person will research the dance steps.
-One person will research the facts of the dance.
-One person will write a one-page report and prepare it for
presentation.
-All three students will learn and practice their dance.
-All three students will show their dance to the class.
Resources
Mexican Hat Dance
Miserlou
- A Folk Dance from Mexico
- A Folk Dance from Greece
The Irish Washerwoman
- A Folk Dance from Ireland
Danish Dance of Greeting
- A Folk Dance from Denmark
D'hammerschmiedsg'selln
- A Folk Dance from Germany
Information about the Mexican Hat Dance:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/expltx/eft/goliad/eft_agenda.htm
http://www.aea10.k12.ia.us/schools/cca/elp/webpages/dancelnk.htm
http://www.mariachi.org/history.html
Information about the Miserlou dance:
http://www.sacredcircles.com/THEDANCE/HTML/DANCEPAG/MISERLO
U.HTM
http://www.sdstate.edu/~hp09/http/hper/Greek.html
Information about the Irish Washerwoman dance:
http://www.cfsna.org/high2.htm
http://www.highlandnet.com/info/ath/abouthd.html
http://www.irelandseye.com/dance.html
Information about the Danish Dance of Greeting:
http://hjem.get2net.dk/vofl/DanishFolk/dance-xt.html
Information about the D'hammerschmiedsg'selln dance:
http://www.sdstate.edu/~hp09/http/hper/German.html
Evaluation
Report
Beginning
Developing
Accomplished
Exemplary
1
2
3
4
Report is
Report is
Report is
written or
Report is typed typed and
written and
typed and
and has three
has four
includes one
includes two
paragraphs.
paragraphs.
paragraph.
paragraphs. Report has 2-3 Report has
Report has 7Report has 4-6
misspelled
no
10 misspelled
misspelled
words.
misspelled
words
words.
words.
Nobody in the
All group
One student
Two students
Performance
group
members
participates in participate in
participates in
participate in
the report and the report and
Task
the report and
the report
dance
dance
dance
and dance
demonstration. presentation.
demonstration.
presentation.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have worked extremely hard on your Folk
Dance. Through this lesson, you should have developed a greater
appreciation and understanding of a dance from another country.
Closing Questions
Was this project easy to research on the Internet?
Did you enjoy performing a dance from another country?
Would your group be interested in performing your dance at the PTA
Dance Program?
Score
For questions or comments about this WebQuest, email me at
spetroze@kenton.k12.us.ky