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From Eaglet to Eagle: A Hoop Dance Story

From Eaglet to Eagle: A Hoop Dance Story

Lesson Summary

  • Through dance, explore what an eagle sees and experiences as it goes through its life cycle.
  • Understand how the story of the eagle can be seen in Native American Hoop Dance.

Lesson Plan and Procedure

Lesson Key Facts

  • Grade(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
  • Subject(s): Dance, Health, Science, Social Studies, Native American
  • Duration of lesson: 60 minutes or two sessions, 30 minutes each
  • Author(s): Terry Goedel, Jamie Kalama Wood, and Emily Soderborg

This lesson was developed in collaboration with several Native American Hoop Dancers including Terry Goedel, Michael Goedel, Patrick Willie, Meredith Little, and Kelina Anderson. While no one is certain which tribe originated hoop dancing, it has become an intertribal dance, meaning different tribes now do it across regions. However, we have still tried to share the individual tribal aspects of the dance where possible, reinforcing that there are many different Native tribes across North America, not just one Native American group. We hope that others will respect these Hoop Dancers’ choice to share this aspect of their culture. 

Essential Question: How do we explore a sacred dance, like the Native American Hoop Dance, without dancing the Hoop Dance?

Note: If possible, move desks so that students may stand in a circle or dance in their own spaces.

Hook: Eaglet to Eagle

Invite students to join you in a standing circle.

Teacher: I invited you to stand in a circle today because the circle or hoop is a special symbol for most Native Americans—the Natives call it “the circle of life.”  Circles can be seen all throughout nature in plants and animals, with different shapes and patterns and represents eternity too. We can see the shape of the circle in the hoop and it can be seen almost everywhere—in the sun, the moon, the stars, and even a bird’s nest. In a circle there is no beginning and no end. It’s like the cycle of the seasons--fall, winter, spring, summer, and then it comes again fall, winter, spring, summer—every year. A cycle is a pattern that repeats. It goes around and around again. A circle is also inclusive—just like our circle right now, no one is in front of or behind another.


These are just a few reasons circles or hoops are considered sacred. Thank you for joining me in this circle today.

Teacher: Today, in our circle, we will be imaging life as an eaglet, which is a baby eagle, and how it grows into an adult eagle. This is known as its life cycle. What are a few things our class already knows about eagles.


Have a brief class discussion or share out. If several students have things to share, let them each turn to a neighbor and share.

Eagle worksheet

Teacher: Eagles go through different stages in their life cycle. Each stage is an important part of their progression.


Explore the life cycle of eagles. Have students show their pre-understanding of an eagle’s life cycle by arranging sequencing cards in the correct order both on the board and on their individual worksheets: egg, hatchling, fledgling, juvenile, mature adult. Quickly discuss what each of these stages includes. (See additional resources for links with this information.)

As necessary, have students rearrange the sequencing cards as they learn new information.

Note: This next activity should move quickly. Its purpose is to get the students’ ideas on the board.

Teacher: Now, that we know a little more about eagles, I want you to imagine that you are a fluffy hatchling eaglet. Create a picture in your mind.


Choose one or two questions from this list, while keeping the discussion brief:

  • Where would you be?
  • What would you see?
  • What else might you notice being a hatchling eaglet?

Start a running list on the board of all student answers to these questions. Possible answers might include: being in the nest, looking down from the nest on the side of a cliff or in one of the tallest trees, looking and seeing the trees and land below me, looking at how big my parents are, begging for food, using my really good eyesight to see everything I can while still staying in the nest, feeling a little bit jealous that my parents are leaving, and so on.

Teacher: As eagles get a little bit bigger, they become fledgling eaglets. Imagine you are now a fledgling. Think about how you might jump, flap, grab the nearest branch, and try it again as you practice flying for the first time.


Choose one or two prompts:

  • What do you see?
  • What do you notice now?
  • What might you see now that you weren’t able to see from the nest?
  • What do you experience in a new way?

Add to the list of student answers. Possible answers might include: feeling more feathers on my body, seeing darker feathers all over myself, flapping my wings up and down to exercise them, seeing trees and leaves up closer—instead of seeing the tops of the trees I can see the individual pine needles, seeing new animals, feeling freedom and fear at the same time, soaring to a nearby tree, then gradually increasing my distance a little further each time, and so on.

Teacher: Now I want you to think about being a juvenile eagle. Eagles have to spread out from their parents’ territory to find a large enough space to support themselves.


Choose one or two prompts to elicit student response:

  • How would you feel as you are soaring confidently in the sky into new territory?
  • What might you see now?
  • What other things might you experience?
  • Think about habitats where eagles live. What landforms, bodies of water, plants, and animals might you encounter?

Possible answers might include: as the eagle I might see open spaces because I want to avoid heavily wooded areas where prey is difficult to spot. I might see wildflowers in meadows and shrubs like sagebrush. I might also see mountains, rivers, lakes, fish, butterflies, other insects, rabbits, squirrels, hummingbirds, deer, elk, moose, and so on.

Teacher: You are now exploring being a mature eagle.


Choose one or two prompts:

  • As you progress to a mature eagle, what are some of the things you might experience?
  • How has your viewpoint changed?
  • What do you notice?

Possible answers might include: seeing a larger view of the whole world as I fly higher and higher, looking up and seeing the sun, rather than always looking down on the ground, feeling connected with others around me. I might have a sense of unity since eagles mate for life. Recognizing my own strength because I have survived, where many others haven’t and am now able to help take care of others, and so on.

Rising Action: Moving Our Bodies

Teacher: Look at the list that we have created! An eagle sees and experiences so many things in all its life stages. As a class, we’ll now choose one item from our list.


Guide students to decide together, allowing one student to select one item from the list, or pick one yourself that you feel students would feel most comfortable portraying with their bodies.

Note: The teacher talk below goes through possible examples. These are only suggestions. Use the items from your list that students show interest in portraying with their bodies.

Teacher: One item on our list of something an eagle might see is a flower. Let’s all try making a flower with our own bodies. What does that look like for you? You decide. I will give you four beats and then you will create your shape. Here we go.


Tap four steady beats on your leg or play four simple metronome beats from a digital device. After the four beats, say the word “flower” and create a shape along with the students for four silent beats.

Teacher: Look at all of these frozen pictures. When we make frozen pictures with our bodies, we call them tableaux. Alright shake it out. I didn’t feel like I created my best flower, so I’m going to redo my flower. You can do the same thing you just did if you want to, or you can create a different flower shape as well. Each of us should make sure we like what we did. An idea to help you create an even better flower might be to adjust your level or use different parts of your body. Ready?


Again, sound four steady beats then say the word “flower” and create a new shape for four silent beats.

Kids dancing as a class

Teacher: We’ll do one more. Does anyone have an item on the list that really jumps out at you? Chipmunk! That will be a great tableau to show with our bodies. This time I’m not going to say the word “chipmunk.” I’ll bring you in with the four beats and then immediately create your chipmunk shape.


Tap four beats then create a chipmunk shape for four silent beats.

Teacher: Let’s try that again. You can do the same type of movement, or something completely new to represent a chipmunk. Pick a specific level to use, show movement in different parts of your body, or move with a specific kind of energy. Get ready and here we go.


Tap four beats then create a chipmunk shape for four silent beats.

Teacher: By yourself, choose three items from the list created. You may use what we did as a class for one of your items. How can you make these objects or animals with your bodies?


Use the same method of tapping four beats and showing the movement for four silent beats for each of the three items, practicing twice for each item. This will be a total of six times of listening to the beats and making the shapes. Side coach students with suggestions about how to include different aspects of body, energy, space, and time throughout this process.

Teacher: Silently choose which of the three tableaux you created was your favorite. You’ll need to remember that in just a minute. For right now, we’re going to quickly discuss what we just experienced. What did you create with your body? How did you create those animals and other objects in nature? What might you adjust next time?


After the discussion, arrange students into groups of three. Have each member of the group share their favorite tableau they just danced with each other.

Teacher: Working together, you are now going to figure out how to create your groups’ three items. But, instead of just doing the movement you did as an individual, this time you’ll need to figure out how to create it moving together as a group.

  1. Each individual will share their favorite tableau they created with their body. The group decides how to adjust the movement so it is done by everyone in the group together rather than alone.
  2. Decide an order in which to perform your three items
  3. Use four beats to move from one tableau to the next. What will you do to move from the first to the second tableau? How about the third one?


Give students four beats as an introduction, four beats for the first tableau, four beats to transition, four beats for the second tableau, four beats to transition, and four beats for the third tableau. Practice applauding at the end of the sequence.

Play beats for students to rehearse with. Anything with a beat that is easy to hear will work (clapping, a drumbeat, a metronome click, instrumental music, and so on). A beat around 100 bpm is a good speed for students to move to.

For an extension: As you are creating your group movement, answer the following questions:

  • How does this animal, plant, river, etc. move? Can we make our bodies move in the same way?
  • Does this item stay in one place or use space moving around the room?
  • How can we stay connected with our group as we perform this movement?

Display these questions for students to refer to as they create their group movements.

Give students a few minutes to start creating their ideas.

Note: If dividing the lesson into two sessions, stop here. Have students rehearse for a few minutes at the beginning of the next session to remember what they created.

Group of 3 kids sharing what they learned

Sharing of Learning

Have students perform what they have created. If time allows, each group can perform individually. If short on time, divide the class in half (maintaining their groups) and have half of the students perform while the other half watches, then switch.

After each performance, have a short discussion on what students in the audience saw in each group.

Teacher: Audience, what animals, plants or other objects did you think were being portrayed? What type of movements did you find most interesting?


After the audience comments, have the performers share.

Teacher: Performers, tell us about your performance. What did you create? How did you work together? What did your group like performing most? What might you adjust if you were to perform again?

Connection

Teacher: The story of an eaglet growing into an eagle and the things it sees and experiences during this process is one of many stories told in relation to the Native American Hoop Dance. Let’s watch Terry Goedel, a world champion Hoop Dancer, introduce his family’s Hoop Dance story and how it is part of their family members’ sacred Hoop Dances. Look for the moves and the number of hoops he uses to represent the eagle as it grows.


Watch the video.

Teacher: What did you learn from Terry Goedel? How did he describe the story his family tells in the Hoop Dance? Now, find the hoops on our eagle life cycle page. Do they match how Mr. Goedel showed different stages in an eagle’s journey? What other plants and animals does the eagle see as it grows? How did Mr. Goedel use the hoops to show them?


Listen to student responses.

Teacher: Terry Goedel is a descendant of the Yakama (YAK-uh-muh) and Tulalip (too-LAY-lip) tribes. The Hoop Dance story he shares is of a young eaglet and its life until it’s a full-grown eagle. The dance goes through the eagle’s experiences with plants and animals that help it understand its identity and purpose. This story of the eaglet is what the Goedel family shares as they dance the Hoop Dance. However, you will get different Hoop Dance stories depending on the individual dancer and their tribal affiliation, who they learned the Hoop Dance from, and their own experiences with the Hoop Dance. The Hoop Dance is a sacred healing dance that allows dancers to weave together their own stories of life, connection, and heritage.
 

Terry Goedel in his regalia

Show a picture of Terry Goedel in his regalia.

Teacher: Here is an image of Terry Goedel ready to perform the Hoop Dance. Before we watch the dance itself, we should learn more information about it. What types of questions do you have about the Hoop Dance?
 

List students’ questions on the board.

Teacher: We are going to read information about the Hoop Dance together. As I read, you will use a 3-2-1 listening strategy. Listen for three answers to questions we have listed on the board, two things you think are interesting, and one thing you would like to learn more about.


Display the shared reading so students can follow along as you read the text out loud to them. After reading, have students turn to a partner and share the 3-2-1 information they wrote.

Teacher: We now get to watch Terry Goedel’s son, Michael, perform the Hoop Dance. Remember, Michael will use the hoops to visually tell a story about the eagle’s experiences by creating discernable shapes that change as hoops are moved, added, and displayed in different patterns. As you watch, pay attention to what parts of the eagle’s story you see in the dance. See if you can tell what animals, plants or other objects Michael creates using his body and the hoops.


Watch the video of Michael Goedel dancing.

Discuss with students what they saw. View the slide presentation showing some of the specific shapes Michael creates with his hoops. If time allows, watch the video of Michael dancing again so students can recognize the story even better.

Patrick Willie

Conclusion

Teacher: Thank you for sharing your dances today as we learned about the life cycle of an eagle and thank you especially for being respectful as we learned about the Native American Hoop Dance. We didn’t participate in the Hoop Dance because this is a sacred dance, and even Native dancers must earn the right to participate as they honor their heritage and learn more of their culture. Patrick Willie, another World Hoop Dance Champion, has said that even though [Hoop Dance] can be viewed by non-native audiences, it is important to remember that “It’s not just a cool dance. It shares our [Native] history; it shares our teachings.”

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Learning Objectives

  • Describe changes that eagles go through during their life cycles
  • Improvise tableaux and short movement sequences
  • Collaborate with others to create movement that communicates an idea
  • Explain how movements communicate meaning in Native American Hoop Dance
  • Understand how the Hoop Dance is an expression of various Native American cultures
  • Demonstrate ways to treat cultures different from one’s own with dignity and respect

Utah State Board of Education Standards

This lesson can be used to meet standards in many grades and subject areas. We will highlight one grade’s standards to give an example of application.

Grade 3 Dance

Standard 3.D.CR.2: Experiment with a variety of self-identified stimuli for movement, and explore a given movement problem by improvising, selecting, and demonstrating possible solutions.

Standard 3.D.CR.3: Improvise and create a dance phrase, alone or with others, that expresses and communicates an idea or feeling.

Standard 3.D.P.7: Recall movement sequences with a partner or in group dance activities.

Standard 3.D.CO.2: Connect a work of dance with a personal experience.

Standard 3.D.CO.3: Find a relationship between movement in a dance and the culture where it originated; explain what the movements communicate about key aspects of the culture.

Grade 3 Social Studies

Standard 3.2.2: Describe how geography (that is, physical features and natural resources) has shaped where and how their community developed, how it sustains itself, and how it will sustain itself in the future.
Standard 3.4.1: Choose a community outside of the United States. Locate that community on both print and digital maps of the Earth, their continent, country, and city or town, and contrast their sizes and the relationships in scale.
Standard 3.4.2: Research the geography (that is, physical features and natural resources) of the community they chose in 3.4.1, and make inferences regarding how the geography influenced the cultures that have developed there.
Standard 3.4.3: Define the cultures of the community they chose in 3.4.1 (for example, art, music, food, dance, system of writing, architecture, government, religion).

Grade 3 Science with Engineering Education (SEEd)

Standard 3.2.1: Develop and use models to describe changes that organisms go through during their life cycles. Emphasize that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but follow a pattern of birth, growth, reproduction, and death. Examples of changes in life cycles could include how some plants and animals look different at different stages of life or how other plants and animals only appear to change size in their life. (LS1.B)

Grade 3 Health Education

Standard 3.HF.3: Describe how to interact with those who are different from oneself and demonstrate ways to treat others with dignity and respect.

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Equipment and Materials Needed

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Additional Resources

This lesson was created thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Utah Division of Arts & Museums.

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Image References

Images 1-2: Emily Soderborg

Images 3-4: James Huston

Image 5: Courtesy of Terry Goedel

Image 6: Elisha Condie

www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons