Hilda Must Be Dancing

Book lesson plans are some of my very favorites.  There’s no hanging up visual aids, you get to have a little downtime during class, and the students get really inspired by stories.  When I teach using this book, I’ll start with a warm-up and across the floor section.  We may do a movement rhyme or some stretching.  Then we settle in for the content of class: Hilda Must Be Dancing.

Hippos live in the jungle.  What are some things that grow in the jungle?

                vines: twist

                flowers: grow from compact to expansive

                trees: slow growth from low to high

                venus fly traps: quickly compress your shape to catch a fly

Read Hilda Must Be Dancing, and as you read, do the movements as listed:

1. Read the first 2 pages: Can you twist and turn like Hilda? Twist one body part.  Twist another.  Turn your head.  Turn your whole body.  Show me all the twisting and turning ways you can move!

2.  Read the next 4 pages: Make loud, thumpity bump noises with your feet. Can you make thumpity bump noises with other body parts?

When movements are loud, they are usually big.  Show me big movements that look loud, but are actually silent (big, dynamic, etc.).

Next, the ground shook. Explore shaking different body parts.

Stomp and shake game: One person stomps and if it’s a big stomp then the rest of the class shakes big.  If it’s a little stomp, do tiny shakes.  Switch out who gets to stomp and who shakes.

3.  Read the next page: The bananas fell from their peels.  Explore collapsing like the bananas.  First, practice with your hand, then stand, spread out, and collapse your whole body.

Next, move ooey, gooey (sustained, smooth, etc.) on the floor, back to the book.

4.  Read the next four pages: Monkeys were hanging and swinging.  Try swing your arm back and forth.  Can you swing your whole body?  What other body parts can you hang and swing like the monkeys?  Collapse, ooey gooey back to clump.

5.  Read the next six pages: How would a hippo skip? Skip to a place in the room.

6. Finish the book: How can you dance like Hilda does in the water?  Can you move smoothly and quietly?  Show me how graceful and smooth you can make your movement.

Finally, create a dance as a class with your favorite movements from the book.  For example, start in the middle and move all ooey gooey, then hippo skip to a new spot.  Shake your favorite body part and move big but silent back to the clump.

Get creative, and have fun!