This team of skippers are from Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
What began to play as this group stood in preparation to divulge their Fusion prowess was:

"Soulja Boy off in this..."

And the syncopated steel drum melody that has synonymously soundtracked many an inner city sidewalk, heightened the mood of anticipation to the stratosphere.

They skipped Double Dutch.

Fusion is Double Dutch that integrates dance choreography, jump rope skills, and music. Fusion was invented with official regulations for competition around 1993 by David A. Walker of the National Double Dutch League in Harlem, New York.

What I like about this picture is:

you cannot hear Soulja Boy
you cannot witness the audience holding its' collective breath
you might not even be able to see the hours among hours of hard work and discipline instilled in these young people by their trainer, Ray N. Frederick, Jr.
you don't see the parents and other people that contributed to the development of these young people
you don't see the innovative mind of David A. Walker...

or maybe you do?

But as I can attest from someone who was there, you DO see a team that got ready to bring their best Fusion.

...As did all the participating teams this Winter at the 16th Annual Double Dutch Holiday Classic at the Apollo Theatre, NYC.

Now, right here in Berkeley, 3D is committed to taking Fusion full bloom.
It's all about the future and our young people who represent it.

Stay tuned for information on upcoming 3D Double Dutch Fitness and Education events:
Berkeley, California, Summer 2008.

-B D
3D Program Director

Real Whirled Literacy

Rhyme is a mnemonic device.

Simply put, it's easy to remember things that rhyme.

If your students ever come to you and say,

"Hey Mr./Ms. hmmmmhmmmhmmm, can we type up our Double Dutch rhyme?"

You might want to say, "Sure!"

...so that it could be observed line for line as a lesson on poetry and meter.

Or, take an opportunity to explore

CA State English Standards for 3rd Grade 1.3, stating:

"read aloud narrative and expository text fluently and accurately with appropriate pacing, intonation, and expression."

The children's enthusiasm just might floor you.

They might be excited enough to want to observe their rhyme closely to make sure all the line rhyme patterns match.

Students might find discrepancies in their original work and want to attempt to balance the beats per line with study partners.

You might just want to let them do that.

And, if that process went on too long, or children began to get squirrely, you could always flip the lesson into a handwriting lesson.

It might serve as an authentic and calming transition.

So as casually as you might, slowly drawing the letters on the board as the children follow along in silence or with the occasional pertinent comment or two, you could rest smugly in the knowledge that you had just been abducted into an authentic exploration of literacy.

Via Double Dutch

Keep skipping.

3D's Mission Statement

As We Are One, We Are Two:

3D Education's Mission

...is to apply culturally relevant pedagogy to strengthen student learning by marrying academically themed investigations with Double Dutch Jump Rope Arts.

3D Fitness' Mission

...is to train, educate, and promote Double Dutch Jump Rope Arts for healthy living and community development.

For information on how it works and lesson plans
email: doubledutchdelco@gmail.com

3D Halloween Special

3D is a teaching format brought to you by Double Dutch Delco.

3D is also a curriculum in progress that teaches academic subjects and sustainable living in relation to the sport of Double Dutch.

Let’s speculate about a little comprehension; shall we?

Today, on Halloween, a class could be viewing the David Hoffman documentary on the Black Magic Double Dutch squad. This documentary chronicles the Black Magic team as they prepare for (and win) an opportunity for Double Dutch ambassadorship to England. This squad, from Hartford Connecticut, was one of the finest to ever step in the ropes. In 1984 they held the singles 2-minute speed record of 354 steps in 2 minutes!

A class could...

apply a few CA Language Arts Reading* Comprehension Standards in an analysis of the video.

*(video format coupled with the written response aspect offers information access to children via visual and sound modalities.)

3^rd Grade Reading standard 2.3 states, (student)

“Demonstrates answers by identifying answers in the text.”

From the video students could...

identify and describe the instances where they hear the title of the film.

3^rd Grade Literary Response and Analysis Standard states, (students)

“Determine the underlying theme or author’s message in fiction or non-fiction text.”

In compliance with the video format, students' analysis could be to discuss how the director intended the title to apply to events in the film.

All answers could be written response.

As an added component of management, one could introduce a task that asks students to reflect on what 'setting an example for others' looks like and sounds like during a video viewing experience. Also, students could also brainstorm healthy reminders for people not doing their best. They could also rate their performance at the end of the video time. This would be a perfect lead in to future expectations on model citizenship.

So once again, it’s Halloween.

It could happen.

Be safe.

A Primary 3D Triad

Community, Environmental Stewardship and Critical Thinking

Community is not a feel good ideal; it’s a work in progress. Community is about what we do together as we are all together. An essential question acts to loop each and every one of us. In 3d, community is a cohort of children with roots that span the globe who work together to solve essential questions…with enthusiasm and purpose.

Environmental Stewardship is THE nature connection. It shouldn’t be front page news that the next generation is the first of its’ kind with a “nature deficient disorder.” It’s laughable that today’s children are more in tune with human constructs than with the natural world. Well, almost laughable. Actually it’s quite serious. The unhealthy balance of human constructs that drives the ‘haves’ versus the ‘have-nots.’ Meanwhile our richest resources: each another and our natural environment, are ignored as critical ingredients for a healthy community. So dig this: we ALL have each other and we ALL have the environment. There’s a connection to be made. It would be irresponsible to not be explicit with children about how essential we are to one another and adopting the natural world with respect. We have one planet and what is created on it stays on it. So, as the law of physics states simply: energy is conserved- it never disappears but is transformed. A primary essential question for the environmental stewards of tomorrow is :“Where does everything go?” And then our young charges must make conscious decisions about how to direct the energy loop.

Critical Thinking lends authenticity to a gathering of people. When people gather in thought to solve a problem or essential question, each one teaches one. Each one shares with one. Hence growth is about making new discoveries about the world and one’s self. This process is a the heart of the 3D teaching model.

What will be critical for a sustainable future is our ability to come together as global citizens. The challenges that face the next generation are formidable but so are our youth. Essential questioning in 3D never underestimates the potential of future youth to achieve the stuff of dreams.

Soon we’ll be jumping the ropes, making connections, and developing solutions: together.

Stay tuned.

"nature deficient disorder"was quoted from Richard Louv in the Peter Fimrite's SF Chronicle article 10/22/07

Sustainability is a pretty big word; a huge idea.

For 3D, sustainability is an ideal, meaning: to live in harmony with nature, ourselves, and one another.

Sustainability is an ideal. like: every child has a right to the finest education.

It's pretty idyllic stuff.

And each one of us represents a unique origin for how sustainability comes into being.

Here’s something interesting

about people who lived right here in Berkeley thousands of years ago:

“Ohlone culture …a world in which the people had a close physical and psychological bond to the environment and to the customs of a small society. For some village members, their entire existence might be spent within a radius of ten to fifteen miles of their natal village. Each rock, spring, tree, and creek was known intimately. A heritage of thousands of years lay under the Ohlones' feet as most of the major villages contained deep deposits, built from the debris of daily life, that sealed the remains of the Ohlone past.”*

Do you know the name of the tree closest to your home?

Does it matter? Ask someone. Then, ask someone else.

It’s time to be surprised at different answers. It’s time to be together.

Today, 3D Commends the Following Heroes for Sheer Inspiration:

Nature/Orion Magazine

The Northwest Earth Institute

And

Alice Waters

There’s A Whole Lot More To Come.
3D is about making connections.

* Ohlone information retrieved from http://www.santacruzpl.org/history/spanish/ohlone.shtml

accessed 10/21/07

3D Means To The Ends

3 Dimensional Ends...

* Educating Generation Next by Highlighting What's Healthy and Sustainable

* Addressing Achievement Gap

* Building Community Through Double Dutch Involvement

6 Sides of Means to Greet Them…

* Double Dutch

* Math & Science

* Nutrition & Fitness

* Language Arts

* Environmental Awareness

* Music

Skipping to A New Era of Sustainability

It would be unthinkable to disavow the sustainability of:

our food sources,

the spaces we consume,

and the materials we use in every-day living.

Everything and everyone comes from somewhere. We are at a unique moment in time where the opportunity exists for people to be together in ways we never before imagined.

It is becoming more and more apparent that humanity is more connected than ever; if solely in regards to the environment we share.

Passengers on the winds from China make their way to the coasts of California as

Organic Produce from California winds up on dinner plates in Illinois.

And the winds of ropes provide impetus:

for feet that skip

on bodies that grow

with brains that think.

3D is here to make connections.

What's Going On?

It's another revolution set to catch fire in Berkeley California.
Sustainability.
Informed decisions.
Two ropes.
Unlimited passion.

And, a future of promise.

3D

Get ready.

For More Information on 3D email: doubledutchdelco@gmail.com