Niguno Shel Yossi

• Audrey Purdie
• Posted 5/19/21
• 0 comments

A Cup Routine 

Suggested Grades: 3-5 

Dance and creative movement are great natural responses to music. I have a passion for movement in my classroom and love teaching folk dances. My district did complete virtual instruction for much of the first half of the school year, and in an urban setting, this creates some unique challenges. Students might not have instruments at home, but every child has a plastic or Styrofoam cup. I used cup games to expose my students to folk music while teaching virtually and honoring social distancing requirements. 

Below is the teaching process for the cup routine for the folk dance Niguno Shel Yossi that I developed while teaching virtually.  I taught the material over two lessons; you may need to alter that pacing to fit your teaching situation.  The recording can be found in Rhythmically Moving 6 or online. The folk dance can be found in Teaching Movement & Dance by Phyllis Weikart.  

National Core Arts Standards 

#1 – Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. 
#3 – Refine and complete artistic work. 
#10 – Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art. 

Objectives 

• Create cup routine based on Israeli folk song 

Materials  

• Cups 
• Recording: Niguno Shel Yossi 

Suggested Teaching Process

Introduction  

• Students listen to Niguno Shel Yossi 
• While listening, instruct students to listen for the types of instruments heard. 
• Students identify instruments.  
• Teacher labels additional instruments not mentioned by students. 

Niguno Shel Yossi 

• “These are all folk instruments, ones that common people in history would have developed.”  
• “This piece is called “Niguno Shel Yossi,” and it is an Israeli folk song.” 
• The teacher shows a map of Israel and identifies the distance to where the student’s current location is in the world. 
• “This is originally a folk dance.” 
• The teacher asks discussion questions.
  • “Why do you think people would dance when they were together?”  
  • “Have you ever danced at a wedding or family gathering?”

Explore/Develop Material  

• Demonstrate the B section for students 
  “one, two” students tap the cup on the ground or surface in front of them
  • One, two, toss your cup.  
  • One, two, toss your cup.  
  • Tap the top and tap the side and tap the top and stop  
• Students practice this section independently  
• Then with the teacher to achieve mastery 
• Practice with music at 75% speed and then full speed 
• The teacher and students count beats for the A section (4 groups of 8 beats)  

Rhythm Reading Practice 

• Students read the rhythm of the B section in Niguno Shel Yossi. 
• Ask students to identify which section of the song the rhythm belongs to. 

Create 

• The teacher provides the structure for student cup composition of A section
  • The pattern is eight beats 
  • It can be simply keeping the steady beat 
  • Can include known rhythms 
• Students independently create an eight beat pattern (about 3 minutes) 
• After about 3 minutes, the teacher plays the music, and students try their routines during the A section.  

Sharing  

• Students share their created patterns individually.  
• The class chooses one or two routines to learn. 
• The student whose routine is chosen teaches their pattern to the class. 

Closure  

• Teacher and students practice the routine at 75% speed until mastery 
• Practice at full speed. 
• Students perform the whole routine 

References 

Weikart, P. S. (2006). Teaching movement & dance: A sequential approach to rhythmic movement (6th ed.). Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Press. 

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