Physical Education standard 7.6.1 - Macarena

The Physical Education standard 7.6.1 requires students to demonstrate movement patterns that convey various emotions. In order to meet this requirement, students will be exposed to a variety of dance moves. Specifically, I think that demonstrating and teaching "The Macarena" would be a great way to stimulate student participation with dance. Rather than practicing traditional forms of dance that many students are not interested in, the Macarena would allow them to express their emotions in a fun, exciting way.

In order to teach the Macarena, I would supply them videos of the dance. Obtained through YouTube, the dance can be viewed at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlzwuFkn88U

The Macarena can also be interpreted textually at: http://www.pecentral.org/LessonIdeas/ViewLesson.asp?ID=1304

Specifically, I would start by showing my students the YouTube videos. Performing the Macarena is typically fairly easy to do after watching a proper demonstration. If the demonstrations are ineffective for some students, I would also direct them toward the text-based directions for further practice.

In conclusion, the Macarena is an effective method by which to fulfill state standard 7.6.1, because it allows students to express their emotions through dance. The Macarena is also a very adaptive dance; personal movements can be mixed in to further enhance the dance, without the tempo of the dance steps being altered. Teaching dances that students enjoy doing is a great way to motivate them to dance more!