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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