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Do you love to dance to the beat of your own drum? What about to the beat of the mathematical concepts rotations, translations, dilations, and reflections? When rhythmic motion and math collide, there is an explosion of knowledge just waiting to happen. Everyone loves to move their body to the beat of a good song. Throwing in a little math can spice things up to be both fun and educational. Who knew? The Transformation Dance Project is a fun way to get kids engaged and learning math in a new way. Click here to get the rubric for this project!
There is a huge misconception that certain aspects of math cannot be applied to real life. It’s time to shatter those notions and deliver a dance to remember! Did you know that rotations, translations, dilations, and reflections can be found just about everywhere in real life? A simple photo can demonstrate how a dilation functions when you order a package of wallet size pictures verse the larger size of 8”x 10”. Mirrors can be used as an amazing representation of a reflection in that an image is flipped over a given line. Rotation happens as you ride on a carousal and wheels spin on an axis. Translation is like a slide from one place to another.
Now that you can easily see how these concepts apply to real life, it’s not hard to see how dance can be incorporated to create a new learning experience in math. You can use popular dance moves like “The Shoot” and “Millie Rock” not only on the dance floor, but also in the classroom to visually showcase various math concepts. Adding a few extra movements to these popular dances can take the rhythm to the next level. Throw in a few props and costumes and you’ve got yourself a dance party to remember!
In the transformation dance project, students will create an original dance to a piece of music using rotations, translations, dilations, and reflections. Transformations are used to demonstrate movement using the entire body. Students work in groups of 4 or less to create a dance between 1 - 4 minutes. The dance must be performed live for the class. Students are also required to create an instructional video of the choreography and how it applies to mathematics.
Doing your own Transformation Dance Project can be a fun way to try something new in the classroom and build mathesteem within your students. Blending pop culture and education appropriately can turn something drab into an amazing experience that will give pupils better retention of the information. It is always fun to make math activities more than a worksheet! Going to math class can be something to look forward to every day by reaching out to students on their level and fueling their brains with knowledge and enjoyment.
