Learn how classroom teachers, artists and arts organizations are using the arts to teach social and emotional learning (SEL). Social and emotional learning gives students strategies on how to manage their emotions and how to collaborate and empathize with others. These are important skills that help students succeed at school, work, and life. SEL can be incorporated into any subject matter and any grade level, but incorporating the arts can be an especially effective way to learn and practice SEL.

SHAPE America – Society of Health and Physical Educators serves as the voice for 200,000+ health and physical education professionals across the United States. The organization’s extensive community includes a diverse membership of health and physical educators, as well as advocates, supporters, and 50+ state affiliate organizations. Their Mission is to advance professional practice and promote research related to health and physical education, physical activity, dance, and sport.

This video features Mr. Steve from PBS Kids performing his original song “Silly Shoes,” which encourages children to move and dance with inspiration from their own “silly shoes.”

Students are introduced to traditional folk music with an animated rendition of a familiar song, “Skip to My Lou.” The animation features an band made up of forest creatures, plus a few other surprises.

Learn prepositions (on, under, next to, over and around) by singing a mariachi song with Sofia and Mr. Parrot!

Viewers sing and dance along with Sofia as she learns prepositions demonstrated by Mr. Parrot being on the sombrero, under the sombrero, next to the sombrero, over the sombrero, and around the sombrero.

Learning Objective:
Understand and use the following parts of speech in the context of reading, writing, and speaking (with adult assistance): prepositions and simple prepositional phrases appropriately when speaking or writing (e.g., in, on, under, over).

¡Aprende las preposiciones (sobre, debajo, al lado, arriba y alrededor) mientras cantas rancheras con Sofía y Sr. Perico!

Los espectadores cantan y bailan junto con Sofía mientras aprenden las preposiciones demostradas po Sr. Perico: sobre el sombrero, debajo del sombrero, al lado del sombrero, arriba del sombrero y alrededor del sombrero.

Objetivo de Aprendizaje:
Entender y usar las siguientes partes del habla en el contexto de leer, escribir y hablar (con ayuda de un adulto): preposiciones y frases preposicionales simples de manera apropiada al hablar o escribir (por ejemplo: en, sobre, debajo, arriba).

Susie Thiel, University of Kentucky Director of Dance, talks about the elements of dance: time, force, and space, and how they affect dance creation.

In this lesson plan, students will learn locomotor and non-locomotor skills through the Virginia Reel dance. Teachers will use a provided rubric to test the students different levels of locomotor skills throughout the lesson.

A group of teachers learning a West African dance demonstrate how to choreograph a dance using four simple movements in this video from the Dance Arts Toolkit series.

Harlina Churn-Diallo and Mali native Yaya Diallo perform and teach the Mouwa in this video from the Dance Arts Toolkit series. The Mouwa is a dance that comes from the Bambara, Senufo, and Miniaka people of West Africa.

Dancer Harlina-Churn Diallo and musician Yaya Diallo teach a group of teachers four basic movements of West African dance in this video from the Dance Arts Toolkit series.

Kwesi Anku, Kwaku Manu, and Selasi Morgan are performing artists who teach at the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts in Richmond, CA and are members of the Bay Area's West African Music and Dance Ensemble. Originally from Ghana, they came to the US to study dance with their professor at UC Berkeley, Dr. CK Ladzekpo. They stayed in the Bay Area to spread their love of music and dance and to provide opportunities for young people in their community to express themselves, using music and dance as tools for positive change.

Houston’s zydeco dance scene brings joy and a driving rhythm to partner dancing, and in this episode, we explore the dance’s deep roots in Creole culture and music. What was called La-la in Southeastern Louisiana Creole communities became known as zydeco in Houston with the influence of R & B and the ‘King of Zydeco’, Clifton Chenier. Houston is where zydeco is thriving, evolving and reaching a broader audience, around trail-riding clubs who dance together after their rides to the accordion-driven sounds of zydeco bands with a touch of hip-hop. As infectious as zydeco is, it’s grown popular worldwide, but what hasn't changed is how zydeco brings community together in Houston.

If Cities Could Dance is a Webby Award-winning video series featuring dancers from cities across the United States. Step into the shoes of dancers from across the country who dare to imagine what it would look like if their city could dance.