Lesson Plan

The Double-Dutch Dilemma

 

Author:  Michael Epstein

Grade Level:  4-8

Subjects (Skills): Physical Education (jump rope), English (essay writing), Math (graphing), Theater (production and storyboarding), and Computer Science (digital video software and spreadsheet graphing). 

 

Driving Idea:  This multi-disciplinary ride on the bus takes kids to the land of double-dutch, where visualization is key.  Kids learn how to use their bodies to measure the speed of the two turning ropes and then use digital video and graphing software to further visualize how the ropes move and the best way to get into them. 

 

Objectives:

  1. Students will jump, turn, time, and twist to try to double-dutch.
  2. Students are introduced to the concept of data points and graphing with spreadsheet software.
  3. Students form production teams and learn the process of storyboarding a video.
  4. Students film, direct, and digitally edit video.
  5. Students write summary essays about their experience with the double-dutch dilemma.

 

Materials: 

Outdoor:

2-4 Long Jump ropes (>10’)

Technical:

1-2 Digital Video Cameras                  

USB Connector to transfer to computer

Paperware:

Storyboard Handouts

Software:

iMovie or other video editing software

Microsoft Excel

 

Total Time Frame: 2 hours outside + 2 hours computer + 2 hours outside again

 

Kinetic Kickstart

The following should be performed outside, active, with video tape.  The key of this point is get the kids physically engaged with the activity, introducing technology as a means of documenting what they are doing.  The emphasis should be on body rhythm, teamwork, and generating questions about how the process works.

Time Frame:  Two hours leaping, turning, and filming

 

  1. Students break into teams of three to four, each with two 10’ ropes.
  2. Have student rotate through turning the ropes and trying to jump, if there is someone in the group who knows how to double dutch they might demo the process for the entire group.
  3. Students storyboard a short video demonstrating what they know and don’t know about double-dutching.  You might want them to work with the titles “How to…” and “How not to” Double-Dutch, depending on their success.
  4. Film these short segments with the digital video camera, making sure that directors, actors, and camerapeople work together.

 

 

Tech Bus

The following technical activity is designed to give kids technical skills and a calculated understanding of what they were doing intuitively with their bodies in the double-dutch activity.

Time Frame:  Two hours editing and graphing

 

  1. Students will open up a video of double-dutch rope jumping and learn how to move through the video frame by frame.
  2. They will hold a ruler up to the screen an approximate the rope and feet positions as they change over time.

 

Feet = 1 cm
 

Rope 1 = 0 cm
 

Rope 2 = 10 cm
 

  1. They will then fill out the following table for 10 frames…

 

Rope Jumping Data

Frame

Position Rope 1 (cm)

Position Rope 2 (cm)

Position Feet (cm)

1 (pick a frame where one rope is up and one rope is down

10

0

2

2

9

1

1

3

8

2

0

                                                                                                              

  1. Students then enter the data into an Excel spreadsheet and generate a graph similar to the following:

 

 

 

  1. Students should then get back out on the playground and try to put into practice what they learned from the graphing and digital video editing.

 

Literacy

Time Frame:  One Hour

Conduct a reading and writing component for the double-dutch dilemma. Stimulating questions may include:

 

  1. What was the hardest part about double-dutching and how did you solve this problem?
  2. What would you have put in the instructional video to improve it?
  3. Write to another double-dutcher through the tech bus riders group and compare your experiences learning to double-dutch.  Were there words or geographic differences in their double-dutch experience?

 

Evaluation/Standards

These standards tie into the following:

 

Use the attached rubric.

Links

 

A History of Jump Rope:  Explains the types (double-dutch, skipping, etc.) and the major jump rope competitions.

 

Vocabulary

 

Double-dutch, turners, spreadsheet, editing software, director, producer, storyboard, scene, “window of jumptivity.