Lesson Overview
Irish Washerwoman Rules
GRADES 3-5 MATH AND DANCE
Understanding that patterns often include rules and these can be seen in a variety of ways, including through art, music, and dance through Irish Washerwoman Rules.
Explore the image of an Irish Washerwoman knit pattern in this piece. Ask students what they see, what they think and what they wonder about the knitted dishcloth. Think about the color choice, the pattern, and how they might write the pattern out.
Share that the name of this knitting pattern comes from a traditional Irish jig called the Irish Washerwoman. Show the traditional jig dance using this video. After watching the dance one time, watch it again and compare it to the knitting pattern that you saw at the beginning. How does the knitting pattern reflect the dance pattern?
Lesson Process:
Step 1: Explain that in many cultural dances (like Irish jigs), there are rules that happen within each pattern. For example, one rule might be that boys face one way and girls face another. View the Irish Washerwoman jig dance video again and see if students can identify any rules within the dance patterns. Can they do the same thing with the knit pattern?
Step 2: In math, we also can create rules within number patterns. For example, if your pattern was “add 3” and you started with 1, each of the numbers in the sequence would alternate between even and odd (1, 4, 7, 10, etc).
Step 3: Watch the Jig again and this time, work together to write down the dance choreography that occurs within the music. Identify the formal rules within each pattern.
Step 4: Practice and perform the Jig as a class. Then in small groups, create a new version of the Jig using a set of patterns and rules within the pattern.
Time Required:
30-45 minutes
Materials List:
- Open space
- Internet
- Screen/Projector
- DVD player/TV
- Speakers
- Paper and pencils
- Knit pattern image
- Jig dance video
Assessment:
Students perform their dances for the class. The class should be able to identify at least one pattern and the rules that govern that pattern they identify.
The groups themselves should have a written piece of choreography that reflects their dance steps in patterns and the rules within each pattern.
