Animals Move Fast & Slow

Objective:

Children will explore musical tempo as it relates to fast and slow animal movements, and they will participate in movement activities matching musical tempo.

What You Will Need

• Large floor space
• Drum
• Music selections (see Lesson Tips)
• Audio device for playing music
• Masking tape – 1 roll

What To Do

Note: Before beginning the lesson, place a line of tape at opposite ends of the dance space.

1. Review the important rules of dance lessons (see Lesson Tips).
2. Play some music, and perform the steps of the Warm-Up (see Lesson Tips).
3. Have the children sit in a circle. Explain the word “tempo” (see Vocabulary).
4. Play some music with a slow tempo, and have the children imagine one of the animals that they have been learning about. Ask them which animal would move slowly, like the music.
5. Repeat using music with a fast tempo.
6. Tell the children that they will be exploring musical tempo as they move to different speeds of music and then they will be moving at the speed of an animal that matches the speed of the music.
7. Using the drum, begin to play an even beat—slow at first, then medium, then fast—while naming the tempo speeds (see Vocabulary).
8. Beat the drum in a slow tempo, and have the children pat their thighs or march in place while keeping time to the beat.
9. Speed up the tempo, and have the children follow the faster beat. Discuss the different tempos (see Guiding Student Inquiry).
10. Have the children line up on the same side of the tape lines. Tell them that they will be moving at speeds that match the different tempos to the other line, and then they will freeze on the tape line.
11. Have a child name a slow-moving animal, such as a turtle. Tell the children to move at the speed of that animal to the other tape line while keeping to the beat of the drum.
12. Play the drum at a slow tempo as children move. Remind children to stay in their own self-space.
13. Repeat the activity with animals that move at a medium tempo, such as a fox or a dog; then, repeat the activity with animals that move at a fast tempo, such as a gazelle or a deer.
14. Play some music, and perform the steps of the Cool Down (see Lesson Tips).

Guiding Student Inquiry

• Describe the difference in the various tempos of the drum beat.
• Explain how your movement changed with the change in tempo.
• Tell me which animal was the fastest/slowest moving to get to the other side.

Explore, Extend & Integrate

• Use music that alternates between a fast and a slow tempo, such as music from the album, Western East by Eric Chapelle. Play the music, and have children identify where there is a fast and a slow tempo. Have the children stand, and instruct them to move through the dancing space when the music begins. Remind them to listen for the changing tempo and to change their movement to match the tempo.
• Play a game of Duck, Duck, Goose with the children. Have them move around the circle as different animals move—such as hopping like frogs, galloping like horses, or crawling like crabs.
• Have the children clap the beat of different music tempos. Time the music, and count the number of beats there are in 10 seconds. Compare the number of beats for a slow tempo with the number of beats for a fast tempo.

Check for Children’s Understanding

• Could children describe the difference in the various tempos of the drum beat?
• Could children explain their movement as “faster” with the faster tempo and “slower” with the slower tempo?
• Could children name faster and slower moving animals?

This program is made available through the PNC Grow Up Great program. Designed for teachers to use flexibly with existing curricula, we collaborated with our grant partners to develop resources and lessons to enhance hands-on learning for young children. Check out more lessons from PNC Grow Up Great.