The Water Cycle Dab

Kara Keeling, a third-grade science and social studies teacher at Phillips Elementary in Kaufman ISD, makes learning exciting and fun for her students and hopes to leave a lasting impact on their lives.“One of my top priorities is to build relationships with my students,” Ms. Keating said. “The better I know them, the easier it is to be innovative when creating lessons plans to meet each of their needs and interests.”

With this goal in mind, Ms. Keeling created the“Water Cycle Dab.” Intent on grabbing students’ attention and locking the information into their memory, she crafted a lesson plan with objectives such as describing the water cycle process, identifying and comparing sources of water on earth, explaining why water is essential for living things and defining the sun’s role in driving the water cycle. Knowing the popularity of the song “Lean and Dab” and how many of her students sang and danced to it daily, she put student interest at the epicenter for her activity – and the Water Cycle Dab was born. “I got the idea to extend the dance into more movements, with each move representing a part of the water cycle,” Keeling said. “I knew it was a huge success by the smiles on their faces and their retention of the content!”

“I liked the Water Cycle Dab because I love to dance,” said one of Keeling’s students. “Two of my favorite things are dancing and learning. When you put those two together it is a masterpiece. I liked how each movement represented a different part of the Water Cycle because it helped me to remember it better.”

Miss Keeling’s focus on relationships and student interest, combined with learning techniques like song and dance, make the perfect recipe for fully-engaged learners who have been empowered with strategies for success. #IAmTXEd Kaufman ISD