The second session includes traditional methods of harvesting crops.
2. Reaping
In today’s session the children will be cutting the corn - the way it used to be done 100 years ago with sickles - to create a reaping dance.
Resources
Download the audio for this dance session as an mp3 file.
Guidance on using the dance sessions in this unit with your group (pdf)
Session 2 complete dance sequence (refer to the Teacher's Notes for the elements of the dance included).
Lesson summary
Warm up: sickle practise. Holding the sickle high, moving it out to the side and then sweeping it down low to cut the corn.
Corn cutting: repeating the sickle actions and taking a single step to the left between each swoop, then closing feet together.
Groups - cutting corn and piling it in the centre: children work in groups of about 6 or 8 to cut the corn; then carry it to the centre of the space to dry it in the sun.
Reaping dance in team circles: the groups put together movements of cutting corn, carrying it to the centre, performing a spin and returning to their space.
Combining the barrel rolling, apple picking and reaping: elements from the barrel rolling and apple picking are added to the dance, with opportunities for groups to improvise some additional elements of their own.
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