Dancing Words Blog

Category: Alphabet

Alphabet Series: The Letter S
When you and your students explore the letter S, these books can be springboards and inspiration for improvisation and dance projects.

S is for Stomping

Stomp, Dinosaur, Stomp is full of playful action words to use with preschool, kindergarten, and first grade dancers.

"Mighty Tyrannosaurus loved stomp, stomp, stomping, gigantic legs striding, enormous jaws opening…."

The book explores 11 different dinosaurs and a wonderful list of action words, including:
- Stomping
- Swishing
- Gliding
- Swooping
- Soaring
- Hunting
- Pouncing
- Zooming
Use the book in a variety of ways to inspire improvisational activities, a "dino dance," or little vignettes about each animal in small groups.

S is for "Someone Says"

I am a big fan of author Carole Lexa Schaefer and artist Pierr Morgan (listing two of their books here in this post). Someone Says is a delightful version of the simple game Simon Says. I like to read the book to the class and then make my own improv – a blend of freeze dance and Simon Says. I call it "Someone Says." We start to dance around the space to music. When the music stops, I call out a student's name and he/she decides how we will move next. "Olivia says, let's……" I give each student an opportunity to select a movement idea.

S is for Squiggle

Carole Lexa Schaefer and Pierr Morgan also created the book The Squiggle. In The Squiggle a red ribbon becomes many different things – ripples in water, a snake, and exploding fireworks. The book is easy inspiration for a dance with ribbons or scarves. How many different ways can we move? Can we move like _______? What animals and objects in our world can inspire us?

S is for Skipping

Skipping is one of the essential locomotor steps. Step hop, step hop, step hop….

In Ready, Set, Skip! (by Jane O'Connor and illustrator Ann James), a girl shares all of the actions she can do, but skipping is currently not one of them. Then, her mother teaches her, and she is excited with this new action.

Use the book as a lesson starter as you embark on skipping with your students.

S is for Star Climbing

Over the years, Star Climbing (Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson) is one of the picture books I have used most in dance classes. The words literally dance off the page and inspire a magical, whimsical project. A little boy dances amongst the stars:

Tiptoe over low-lung clouds

Leap from star to shining star

Skip across bright silver stones.

S is for "Silly Sally"

"Silly Sally went to town, walking backwards, upside down." So begins this playful picture book by well-known children's author Audrey Wood.

The main character encounters different animals, and does a certain action with each one (a jig with a pig and leapfrog with a dog).

One idea would be to create a whole dance using the entire text; another idea would be to read the book to your students and then play with some of the key concepts, especially ways of moving backwards and upside down. Use the book as a starting to point to explore many ways of moving backwards and upside down (or the concept of "direction" in general).

S is for Seasons – Spring and Summer

I love books and poetry that explore the seasons. Over the years, I have written about numerous books with a seasonal theme. Check them out here.

S is for Snow

Snow Dance, by Lezlie Evans with illustrations by Cynthia Jabar, is a great book for children in preschool through second grade. Can our dancing make it snow? What are all of the wonderful actions we do outside on cold days and snowy days?

This book is simply a fun book to read during the winter months. You might also use this book as a springboard for a wintery dance.

Purchase a copy here.

S is for Slow

The concept of fast and slow is always a source of play and joy with young ones. These two books can be read before you explore fast and slow with students. How can animals inspire us?

Fast and Slow: An Animal Opposites Book - Lisa Bullard

"Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," said the Sloth - Eric Carle

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July 10, 2015
Alphabet Series: The Letter R
When you and your students explore the letter R, these books can be springboards and inspiration for improvisations and dance projects. R is for: red, ribbons, rainbows, raindrops, running, and rectangles.

R is for Red

To explore the color red, you can pull out all of your books about colors. Four examples include: My Many Colored Days, Colour, Living Color, and The Rainbow Book. What are our associations with red? How can we translate these ideas into movement? Ideally, see if you can pull out 3-5 books on color. Look at the red pages, and then explore movement ideas related to these pages. You can even string the 3-5 ideas together.

R is for Ribbons

Students love exploring props. Purchase some spools of ribbon at the local fabric or craft store (enough so that each student has a piece 24 inches in length).

Carole Lexa Schaeffer's book The Squiggle is a favorite of mine. In the story, the ribbon becomes many different things and images. The book's text easily can translate into a dance.
R is for Rainbows

Surprisingly, there are only a few children's stories related to rainbows. The two that I keep coming back to for dancing inspiration are:
- Don Freeman's 1978 book A Rainbow of My Own
- What Makes a Rainbow? by Betty Schwartiz and illustrator Dona Turner
Purchase some reasonably priced tulle at the fabric store in a variety of rainbow colors.

As mentioned above, The Rainbow Book by Kate Ohrt is a unique addition to your collection of books about colors and emotions. Instead of images of people or animals, the art in the book is a series of paper cut outs, reminiscent of handmade snowflakes or Mexican cutout banners:

The text on each page will inspire an improv, or help you create a group dance. "When I feel orange, I am energetic and strong…..When I feel blue, I am calm and peaceful."

R is for Raindrops

Rain is coming. You can feel it in the air.

So begins the new picture book Raindrops Roll by April Pulley Sayre.

With clear photographs and poetic text, this is an example of a book where the words literally dance off the page and inspire students to move. Most of the text can be directly used to create actions and movement phrases. Verbs include: plop, drop, patter, spatter, wash, weigh down, and thud.

Try out the instrumental song "Halinkata Djoubé" by Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Siegel for your project.

R is for Running

"Run run run as fast as you can. You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man!"

So goes the classic chant from The Gingerbread Boy. I love Richard Egielski's version of the tale, this time taking place in the city. Even young students quickly catch on and remember the chant. (For the chant, I have the students run in place.)

R is for Rectangles

Reference picture books and poetry books that talk about various shapes. From there, students can make rectangle shapes with other students. You can also make loops of elastic (about 4 feet in length) so that students can use the elastics to explore rectangles as well.
Books to reference include:
- When a Line Bends….A Shape Begins by Rhonda Gowler Greene and illustrator James Kaczman
- Shape Me a Rhyme by Jane Yolen and photographer Jason Stemple
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April 5, 2015
Alphabet Series: The Letter Q

When you and your students explore the letter Q, these books can be springboards and inspiration for improvisations and dance projects.

Q is for Quick as a Cricket

Audrey and Don Wood's classic book Quick as a Cricket is a book of similes and a springboard for many ways of moving – quick as a cricket, slow as a snail, etc.

You can explore the entire text with your students, and then hone in on "quick movements" as you focus on the letter Q. Brainstorm together all of the animals, vehicles, and machines in our world that move quickly. Also explore our body and body parts – how can you move your hands quickly….arms…hips….feet?

Q is for Quiet

The ALA Notable book The Quiet Book (Deborah Underwood and Renata Liwska) is a quirky picture book describing the many times in our life that we are quiet. Examples include:

Hide-and-seek quiet

Others telling secrets quiet

Lollipop quiet

Looking at the entire text – I don't feel that the whole book from beginning to end can work for a dance. But, you can definitely pull out several phrases as inspiration for movement exploration.

You can also read the whole book, and then as a class come up with 6-10 different times that you are quiet, specifically honing in on ideas that can be conveyed through dancing.

Using Your Book Bin of Alphabet Books

As I suggested in the first post of this alphabet series, creating a book bin of alphabet books is a great idea. For example with the letter Q, look at all of the "Q pages" in your bin. Have students pair up, and give each pair one alphabet book. Ask them to find the Q page. What movement or shape can they create related to that page? Give each pair a chance to share in front of the class. Again, you can string all of the ideas together to create a "Q Dance."

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February 28, 2015
Alphabet Series: The Letter P
When you and your students explore the letter P, these books can be springboards and inspiration for improvisations and dance projects.

P is for Prepositions

I am always on the lookout for picture books with prepositions. Prepositions are so fun to explore in movement with students in preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grades. You can explore relationships – over, under, around, and through – whether it is students dancing with a prop (hula hoop), students dancing together, or using imagery to inspire movement (ex. crawling through a tunnel).

Tana Hoban's classic picture book Over, Under, and Through is a great starting off point. Up, Down, and Around (Katherine Ayres and illustrator Nadine Bernard Westcott) is also a great exploration of prepositions as well as plants.

You might play with different parts, dividing the class into two to explore the "above ground" and "under the ground" ideas (such as in Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner).
- Over, Under, and Through - Tana Hoban
- Rosie's Walk - Pat Hutchins
- Star Climbing - Lou Fancher, with paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
- We're Going on a Bear Hunt - Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury
- Over and Under in the Snow - Kate Messner, with art by Christopher Silas Neal
- Up, Down, and Around - Katherine Ayres, with art Nadine Bernard Westcott
P is for Penguin

Fun, play, skating, gliding, and conversation. This is the beautiful "dance" of Flora with a penguin in Molly Idle's latest wordless picture book, Flora and the Penguin. If you loved Flora and the Flamingo, check out this new book!

The artwork literally dances off the page. The book is a great springboard as you explore partner work, working together, mirroring, and shaping.

You can use the book for inspiration, the images for actual movement ideas, or the storyline to create a group dance. As for music, the classical skating piece "Les Patineurs" is a great option.

P is for Pond

Denise Fleming's book In the Small, Small Pond explores the actions of creatures in a pond – diving, swimming, wiggling, etc. Students will love improvising the various movements or having their own "part" as you read the entire book and make a group dance.

P is for Pathway

Here are four books to inspire moving in straight lines, zig zags, curving pathways, and much more.

1. Little Green by Keith Baker

A hummingbird – making various pathways in space (zig zag, curlycue, etc)

2. Jonathan and His Mommy by Irene Smalls and Michael Hays

A son and mother taking a walk and exploring all different ways to walk – big steps, small steps, zig zag pathways

3. Lines that Wiggle by Candace Whitman and Steve Wilson

An artistic exploration of lines that wiggle, bend, spiral, curve, etc.

4. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

An imaginative tale of a little boy drawing his world around him – the path he takes, the moon in the air, and much more to create an adventure

P is for Purple

To explore the color purple, you can pull out all of your books about colors. Four examples include: My Many Colored Days, Colour, Living Color, and The Rainbow Book. What are our associations with purple? How can we translate these ideas into movement? Ideally, see if you can pull out 3-5 books on color. Look at the purple pages, and then explore movement ideas related to these pages. You can even string the 3-5 ideas together.

Using Your Book Bin of Alphabet Books

As I suggested in the first post of this alphabet series, creating a book bin of alphabet books is a great idea. For example with the letter P, look at all of the "P pages" in your bin. Have students pair up, and give each pair one alphabet book. Ask them to find the P page. What movement or shape can they create related to that page? Give each pair a chance to share in front of the class. Again, you can string all of the ideas together to create a "P Dance."

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February 18, 2015
Alphabet Series: The Letter O

When you and your students explore the letter O, these books can be springboards and inspiration for improvisations and dance projects.

O is for Opposites

Opposites are always a wonderful concept to explore in movement. I love the picture book A High, Low, Near, Far, Loud, Quiet Story by Nina Crews. (You can find used copies on amazon.com.) Use the words to create a simple warm up or improv activity, or create a dance with the entire text.

O is for Ocean

I love finding pictures books that can easily create an improv structure.

Robert Neubecker's book has sparse text, but dense images of a day at the ocean. The main character, Izzy, heads to the beach one day. With each turn of the page, she explores another aspect of the beach and ocean world – tide pools, shells, fish, sting rays, and coral reefs. There is even a sunken ship.

You could set up an improv that could be repeated several times in your dance classes. With each page, the students could be exploring that environment (ex. dancing through a coral reef) or be that environment or animal (ex. move like sharks). Each spread begins with the word "wow" ("Wow! Tide pool!…..Wow! Fish!"). The word "wow" could be the cue for students to pause to get ready to transition to the next idea.

Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems is one of favorite children's poetry books to use in dance classes. The poetry is by Kate Coombs, with illustrations by Meilo So. Both text and paintings are full of magic, whimsy, and imagery to inspire movement with students.

From start to finish, the poems take you on a journey along the shore and in the water. Topics include: sand, tide pools, waves, jellyfish, squid, and coral. The poems lend themselves to a variety of projects for both small groups (solos and duets) and whole group vignettes. You could easily use all or most poems in the book to create a beautiful performance with your class.

O is for Orange

To explore the color orange, you can pull out all of your books about colors. Four examples include: My Many Colored Days, Colour, Living Color, and The Rainbow Book. What are our associations with orange? How can we translate these ideas into movement? Ideally, see if you can pull out 3-5 books on color. Look at the orange pages, and then explore movement ideas related to these pages. You can even string the 3-5 ideas together.

Using Your Book Bin of Alphabet Books

As I suggested in the first post of this alphabet series, creating a book bin of alphabet books is a great idea. For example with the letter O, look at all of the "O pages" in your bin. Have students pair up, and give each pair one alphabet book. Ask them to find the O page. What movement or shape can they create related to that page? Give each pair a chance to share in front of the class. Again, you can string all of the ideas together to create an "O Dance."

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February 8, 2015
Alphabet Series: The Letter N

When you and your students explore the letter N, these books can be springboards and inspiration for improvisations and dance projects.

N is for Numbers

I very much enjoy Theresa Benzwie's Alphabet Movers, and now I also love her 2011 publication Numbers on the Move. I was excited to stumble upon this book, as I have a similar number based warm up I love to do with young ones.

Mark Weber's illustrations of a diverse group of children are joyful and playful. I very much appreciate children's books that show a variety of young boys and girls dancing.

The simple premise of the book will lead to a fun warm up in an parent/child, preschool, or kindergarten dance class.

As we begin to count, there is a movement idea with each number:

One stretch

Two slides

Three jumps

The book goes up to number 10, and counts down again.

N is for Nursery Rhymes

I am a strong believer in the use of nursery rhymes within dance classes. This teaches these important cultural references and classic rhymes/rhythms that we continue to use today. You can find a wide range of nursery rhyme books to use as a teaching springboard; I love making warm ups with various rhymes.

Two favorite books of mine include:

The Neighborhood Mother Goose by Nina Crews

Mother Goose Numbers on the Loose by Leo and Diane Dillon

N is for Nutcracker

Numerous versions now exist of this classic tale. I frequently recommend The Nutcracker by Alison Jay.

N is for Night

How to Make a Night is a story of magic and whimsy that will inspire a unique group dance. Filled with action words – catch, find, pull, peel, and shake – a little girl "makes a night" by taking away the sun and blue sky, splattering gold, and building a moon.

N is for Nocturnal Animals

The extra large picture book Zoo-ology by Joelle Jolivet can be used in many ways throughout a year. For the letter N, look at pages 24 and 25 that illustrate and name 32 different nocturnal animals. Students can select a creature; lead an improv with the class related to levels, speed, and different ways of locomoting.

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January 17, 2015
Alphabet Series: The Letter M

When you and your students explore the letter M, these books can be springboards and inspiration for improvisations and dance projects.

M is for MOVING

Move! – Numbers on the Move – Alphabet Movers

Float….swing….leap! Join the animals moving in Steve Jenkins's book Move!, available in hardback and board book formats. Move! inspires you and your students to do a wide variety of locomotor actions.

Teresa Benzwie has written two movement-related books, exploring the alphabet and numbers. Both are great for warm ups and getting students to move in various ways:

Numbers on the Move

Alphabet Movers

M is for MOM

There are great books with mothers and children dancing together, My Mama Had a Dancing Heart and Jonathan and His Mommy. I especially love Jonathan and His Mommy, as it is a beautiful springboard to explore walking and pathways with students.

M is for MABEL

Mabel Dancing is a playful book to share in a preschool setting or at home with parents and child. It is a “classic story” in some ways of a little girl who dreams of dancing and naturally wants to move and dance at home.

Mabel’s parents dress up to have a dance party downstairs in their large house. Mabel is tucked into bed for the night while the party takes place. She cannot resist, and ends up sneaking downstairs to have her short moment dancing too.

M is for the MOON

Eric Carle's 1986 book Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me is a gentle story between a girl and her father. The daughter so wants the moon, and the father "catches" it for her. But, as we know, the moon "appears" and "disappears" in our lives each month. The story is a playful way to explore the phases of the moon. And, like the images in the book, students can also dance with a crescent moon if you make a prop for the class. Play one of the those classic jazz tunes – like "It's Only a Paper Moon" – as you and your students dance.

M is for MERMAIDS

Last, have you had students who have requested to dance a "mermaid dance?" This book – literally titled Mermaid Dance - can be translated into a dance for your students.

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Search for these great "M books" at the school library, public library, or online. Many are reasonably priced (used) on amazon.com.

Exploring letters and the alphabet through reading, movement, and dancemaking creates powerful connections for young learners.

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December 31, 2014
Alphabet Series: The Letter L

LINES

Lines that Wiggle by Candace Whitman and Steve Wilson is a playful book with lots of examples of lines. Explore these lines by making shapes with your whole body, drawing in space, or making pathways with your feet.

EXPLORE YOUR BOOK BIN OF ALPHABET BOOKS

As I mentioned at the start of this series, I recommend having a book bin of alphabet books in your classroom or studio. That way, with letters like L, you might pull out a few books and simply look at the letter L. If the image is of a lion, can you lead an improv related to it? If the image is of a child low to the ground, can you explore multiple ways to move on a low level? Using a few of the books in the bin can lead to some easy warm up activities.

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February 3, 2014
Alphabet Series: The Letter K

When exploring the letter K in your dance class or at your school, there are two joyful picture books that highlight informal dancing at home. It is powerful to share with young people the many styles of dance and the many ways that movement can be a part of our lives.

Kitchen Dance by Maurie J. Manning shares the story of a mother and father dancing in their kitchen, with their children soon to follow. Dancin' in the Kitchen by Wendy Gelsanliter and Frank Christian uses rhyming text and Majorie Priceman's whimsical illustrations to convey the joy of a family cooking, eating, dancing, and enjoying music together.

January 25, 2014
Alphabet Series: The Letter J

J is for….jumping, Josephine, and Jonathan!

J is for Jumping

Learning how to jump is a key movement milestone in childhood. Jumping is launching off of two feet and landing on two feet (hopping is on one foot). Create a jumping dance with your class – big jumps, small jumps, turning jumps, etc.

There are three books to read alongside your exploration:

Jumping Day - Barbara Esbensen and Maryann Cocca-Leffler

Jump Frog Jump - Robert Kalan and Byron Barton

Hop Jump - Ellen Stoll Walsh

J is for Jonathan

I love the book Jonathan and His Mommy for many reasons. It is a sweet tale of a mother and son dancing and moving around town – big steps, small steps, zigzag steps. The text will easily lead to an activity about pathway.

J is for Josephine

Explore the life and story of dancer Josephine Baker in the picture book Jazz Age Josephine by author Jonah Winter and illustrator Marjorie Pricemen. Read the story to your class, and then get them up on their feet, using Priceman's kinesthetic illustrations as inspiration for body shapes.

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October 29, 2013