Jake and the Migration
of the Monarch

* Butterfly Dance *

• Use a piece of music selected from the list presented in the music section of this guide, or select a piece of music that is gentle, soft, and fluttery. Let the students hear the music that will be used.
  
• Take key elements of the story and let the students move to the ideas. An excellent prop for this activity is a mesh, colored scarf. The students can use it to move through the air, to wrap around themselves, and in other creative ways. It allows students who may be timid about moving to put the emphasis on the “thing” rather than themselves.
  
• Remind students that personal space is important. These are gentle, delicate butterflies.
  

Here are some ideas for movement to get you started:

• While playing the music, ask students to do the following. Give them time between each thought to explore the idea.



• Show me how you wrap your arms around the coast. Show me how you fly. Remember that you can fly high, and you can fly low. Show me how you blow a dandelion to release its seeds. Show me that you are a dandelion seed and float through the air.



• Once you have explored some possibilities, have students divide into small groups to create a dance. In the dance, they must use levels (floor, high, low), they must make different shapes, and they must use various parts of the room. Their dance will tell a story. First write the story, based on the story we just read. Your dance may be about your trip to Mexico, for example. Now develop your dance. At the end of the class period, you will show your dance to others.



• As an alternative, students can create a dance map. Draw a simple floor plan of the room. Select and label destinations (A,B,C). Determine a route in the room and how you will get there. Do a different action to get to each point. Here are some examples: Slither like a caterpillar to the corner designated as “A”. Fly like a butterfly to Mexico (“B”). Dodge the bird on your way to point “C”.



• As the class watches the dance, remember to be respectful as an audience. Always watch attentively and show your appreciation when they finish!