Lesson Overview

Title:
Dance: Cotton-Eye Joe
Subject Grade Level(s):
Physical Education- Grade: 4
Lesson Description
This lesson is to teach the basic steps of a modified Cotton-Eye Joe and put them all together to
make a fun dance that the students feel confident enough to do in a social setting.
State Standards
● Standard 1. Movement Competence and Understanding
○ PGO 1. Demonstrate competency in motor skills and movement patterns needed
to perform a variety of physical activities.
○ GLE 1.Demonstrate mature form for all basic locomotor, non-locomotor,
manipulative, and rhythmic skills
○ EO (F).Demonstrate correct steps and patterns for dance. (e.g., square, folk,
modern, contemporary).
● Standard 1. Movement Competence and Understanding
○ PGO 2. Apply movement concepts, principles, strategies, and tactics to learning
and performing physical activities.
○ GLE 3. Understand why feedback can improve performance.
○ EO (D). Analyze and demonstrate a variety of social, folk, square, modern, jazz,
or creative dance.
● Standard 3. Social and Emotional Wellness
○ PGO 5. Exhibit responsible personal and social behavior that respects self and
others in physical activity settings.
○ GLE 1. Identify personal activity interests and abilities, and take responsibility
for individual and team performance.
○ EO (C). Develop confidence in self and others in a physical activity setting.
Goals
Lesson Goals
Students will be able to--- (ESWBAT) Every Student Will Be Able To
1. Dance in a social environment outside of class for their benefit.
2. Understand the appropriate timing and rhythm of the Cotton-Eye Joe during the
line dance practice time.
3. Demonstrate the ability to successfully perform all movements of the Cotton-Eye
Joe in order during the group practice time.
Goals of Specific Students needing adaptations
1. Emily will dance in a social environment outside of class for his/her own enjoyment.
2. Kevin will demonstrate all the movements of the Cotton-Eye Joe at the end of the lesson
by copying the teacher. (The rest of the class has to perform it on their own)
3. Sammy will support peers and try her best.
Methods
Anticipatory Set:
● Lesson 2 of 5 Dance lessons in the unit
● “Last class we were learning a hip-hop dance. I am going to turn on the hip-hop music
and when I do that, I want everyone to demonstrate their favorite move from last class.”
● “Today we are all pretending to be cowboys and cowgirls and learn a country dance!
Let’s reach on top of our heads and grab our invisible hats and yell YEEHAW!”
Adaptations if needed:
● Sally has trouble remembering what happened last class. As a small reminder, the teacher
projects a video of a hip hop dance with similar moves that they learned in the last class.
This helps Sally remember and follow along.
○ Type of adaptation: input
Introduce and Model New Knowledge:
● Teacher will demonstrate the new dance moves to the students as they explore and try to
copy the teacher’s moves. Teacher will use the actual song “Cotton-Eye Joe.” As the
teacher demonstrates the movements, she will say cues to enhance student performance
and engagement.
● Specific teaching strategies: Model a set of movements, have students copy movements,
partner up and practice, repeat until whole dance is taught.
Adaptations if needed:
● Jared is working with an aid to learn the hokey-pokey instead of the Cotton-Eye
Joe.
○ Substitute Curriculum

Provide Guided Practice:

● Teacher will show the students the first 8 count of steps. Students will watch at first and
then do it as the teacher does it. Repeat until it looks like the students are successfully
following along with the teacher.
● Heel, heel, toe, toe, side, front, side, back

Adaptations if needed:
● Susan has ADHD and has trouble remembering the 8 count of steps in its entirety. The
teacher pairs her up with a student with a strong dance background.
○ Type of Adaptation: Level of support

Provide Independent Practice:

 ● Students will partner up or get into groups of 3 to practice that first 8 count of steps.
Teacher will walk around and give feedback. A cheer song that counts 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 will
be playing to ensure students keep the rhythm of the dance.
Adaptations if needed:
● Chloe dances at a studio outside of school. Therefore, she is beyond the ability level of
the rest of the class. The teacher quickly pre-teaches the lesson to her so that there is an
extra person to walk around and help the other students during this practice time.
○ Type of Adaptation: Input/Participation
Wrap Up:
● Dance with the whole group that first 8 count of steps.
● Provide a list of cues, have students say those cues in the order they occur in the dance.

Adaptations if needed:
● Alivia is working with a peer buddy at a slower tempo to do the 8 count of steps.
○ Type of Adaptation: Time/Level of Support
Assessment:
Formative/Ongoing:
● Teacher has a clipboard with all the students names on it and as they perform that
first 8 count with the group, teacher will check off the students that understood
and performed the dance correctly.
● Example:

Eli X

Samantha X

Jeremy X

Adaptations if needed:
● Eli is a student who has a cognitive delay. Therefore, for his assessment he is required to
have mastered the first four counts of the dance instead of all eight.
○ Type of adaptation: Quantity
Summative/End of Lesson:
● The teacher will ask each student to write down in order the steps to the dance, using the
cues taught, as an exit slip.
Adaptations if needed:
● Jeremiah has trouble recalling words. Therefore, he will have a word bank and has to put
the cues in the order which they are completed in the dance.
○ Type of Adaptation: Difficulty/Output
Materials/Resources to Teach the Lesson:
 ● Poly spots (1 per student)
● Speaker
● iPhone
● iPhone adapter
● Wrist watch/timer
● Exit slips
● Clipboard with students names and boxes to check
Adaptations if needed:
● Cues word bank for assessment
● Computer with projector

Name: Courtney Stannard