Lesson Plan: The History of Breaking/Meet an Olympic B-Girl

Essential Questions

• How do cultural movements start? How do they evolve? 
• What does it mean for an art form to become mainstream? How might it change the way people think about the art form?

Literature Connection

• Biography: When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop by Laban Carrick Hill
• Historical fiction: Show and Prove by Sofia Quintero

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

Guide students to locate the article in their magazines or at Action Online. Preview the text features by asking the following questions:

• Read the articles’ titles and subtitles. Based on the title of the first article, what do you think a B-Girl might be? Make predictions. Sample answer: Since the first article is about breaking, a type of dance, you can infer that a B-Girl, mentioned in the title of the second article, is someone who practices breaking.
• Look at the photos included in the articles and read their captions. Where have you seen breakdancers before? In your opinion, what makes this dance form unique? Answers will vary.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

• Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (turntables, elaborate, reflected, humble, improvising) aloud and discuss their definitions.
• Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

• Set a purpose for reading by telling students that the first article gives information about the history of breaking and the second is an interview with an athlete who is going to the Olympics to compete in breaking.
• Tell students that after they read, they’ll synthesize information from the two articles to better understand how breaking was born in the Bronx and went on to become an Olympic sport.

Read the article. (Higher- and lower-Lexile versions are available on the Story page at Action Online. Click Presentation View to access an audio read-aloud.) Then discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (20 minutes)

• According to the first article, what were the early days of breaking like in the Bronx? (summarizing) In the early days, breaking took place in playgrounds. People gathered with music and danced, showing off their wild moves, spins, and footwork. Their dancing reflected their personalities. The gatherings were lively and fun.
• How did breaking move from local parties to big events around the world? (cause and effect) Breaking spread beyond the Bronx. It was featured in movies, and dance groups like New York Express toured the world. Over time, breaking became popular enough to be included in the Olympics.
• What makes breaking unique and easy for anyone to try? (key details) Breaking is unique because it lets dancers show off their style and express their personalities. It's easy for anyone to try because it doesn’t require fancy equipment or expensive lessons. All you need to join in the fun is  a floor and some music.
• Sunny Choi says being upside down is “such a rush.” Based on the clues in the text and the caption to her photo, what does she mean? Do you agree or disagree? (interpreting text) Sunny means it’s thrilling to be upside down. The caption to her photo states that she loves being upside down, so you can infer that “a rush” means a good feeling. Answers to the second question will vary.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

• Why do you think breaking started in the Bronx in the 1970s and 1980s? What was special about that time and place that let this art form emerge? (critical thinking) The Bronx in the 1970s and 1980s was a difficult place to live. Work was hard to find, crime was high, and there were a lot of gangs. The young people there invented hip-hop music and breaking as an easy way to come together and have fun in an otherwise stressful environment.
• How do you imagine the creators of breaking feel about seeing the dance form become an Olympic sport? (inference) Sample answer: The original creators of breaking are likely proud, like Reggie is, to see the dance form become popular in faraway places and a respected sport in the world’s biggest sports competition. 

• Have students work in pairs to complete our Synthesizing Skill Builder. (Click here to view all your Skill Builders for this article.)
• Writing prompt: Imagine you’re writing a screenplay in which an old-school breaker who started dancing in the streets of the Bronx and a young breaker hoping to make it to the Olympics have a conversation. Write their dialogue. In it, have them discuss what makes breaking special, compare their experiences, and share their perspectives on how the dance moved from street corners to the Olympic arena.