Summertime

 As I think about various themes and springboards for summer semester dance classes for students in grades 3-5, I think back to past lessons where I used the music "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess. There are lots of great versions of this song. One summer semester we choreographed to several pieces, and I also included reading this book (Summertime by Dubose Heyward, Dorothy Heyward, Ira Gershwin, and George Gershwin), with the actual lyrics of the song. It was a great opportunity to talk about dancing "along with the lyrics" versus dancing with a song, relating to the general theme, feeling, etc. 

Also with the theme of summertime, and its special feeling, I suggest the book Summertime Waltz by Nina Payne and Gabi Swiatkowska.