💃 The Dance Loop v0.1.0
The class writes a dance and then finds the part that repeats. Saying it once and repeating it is what a loop is, and it is how children first see why programs are short.
You will need
- The move cards, cut apart
- Clear floor space
- Pencils and the repeat sheet
The lesson, step by step
Learn four moves
Show four moves, one at a time, and give each a name: clap, stomp, spin, jump. Do each one slowly, and let the children copy it. These are the four steps your dance may use.
Dance the long way
Call out: clap, stomp, clap, stomp, clap, stomp, spin. The children do each move as they hear it. Afterwards ask: "Did you notice anything that happened more than once?" Let them say it in their own words.
Say it a shorter way
Write the long list on the board with a line for each move. Circle the clap-stomp that keeps coming. Then show the short way: "repeat 3 times: clap, stomp" and then "spin". Do the short way together and show it makes the same dance.
Make a dance in cards
Pairs lay out the move cards to make a dance of at least six moves, and one repeat card with a number. They must use the repeat at least once. They write the dance on the sheet the short way.
Dance a partner's dance
Pairs swap sheets and dance each other's dance exactly as it is written. If a dance does not work, the pair finds the line that was unclear. Ask whether the repeat made it harder or easier to read.
Count the saving
Choose one dance and count how many moves the long way would take, and how many lines the short way took. Say: "A loop lets us say a lot with a little."
Questions to ask while they work
- Which part happens again and again?
- How many times does it happen?
- What comes after the repeat?
- What would change if the number were 5 instead of 3?
If it goes fast
- Make a repeat inside a repeat: clap-stomp twice, then spin, all done three times.
- Do a dance with the music turned off and let the repeat number be the beat count.
- Find a repeat in a song, a pattern on a rug or the days of the week.
The printable
Cut the move cards apart. Each pair needs a set of eight and the two repeat cards. The sheet is where they write the short way.
💃 Dance move cards and repeat sheet
Name: ______________________
- 👏 clap
- 🦶 stomp
- 🌀 spin
- 🦘 jump
- 🙌 wave
- 👇 touch toes
- repeat __ times
- repeat __ times
Our dance
1. Write the long way: one move on every line.
2. Write it the short way, with a repeat card.
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