MAKING WEATHER DANCE

MAKING WEATHER MOVE

Learning Description

In this lesson, students will integrate their knowledge of weather and dance to create movements that show different energies in dance. Students will use their understanding of temperature and moisture to create a movement representing one of the science terms learned focusing on a specific energy in dance.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: K-1
CONTENT FOCUS: DANCE & SCIENCE
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"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can identify different types of temperature and forms of moisture.

  • I can create a movement that represents a temperature or form of moisture through dance energy.

Essential Questions

  • What are different temperatures and forms of moisture?

  • What type of dance energy in movement can represent a temperature or form of moisture?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 1

S1E1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate weather data to identify weather patterns.

Arts Standards

Kindergarten:

ESDK.PR.1 Identify and demonstrate movement elements, skills, and terminology in

dance.

 

ESDK.PR.2 Understand and model dance etiquette as a classroom participant, performer,

and observer.

 

Grade 1

ESD1.PR.1 Identify and demonstrate movement elements, skills, and terminology in

dance.

 

ESD1.PR.2 Understand and model dance etiquette as a classroom participant, performer,

and observer.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Kindergarten

K-ESS2-1. Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can use movement exploration to discover and create artistic ideas and works.

 

Anchor Standard 3: I can perform movements using the dance elements. 

Anchor Standard 7: I can relate dance to other arts disciplines, content areas, and careers. 

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Temperature - How hot or cold something is; temperature is a way to measure the amount of heat energy in an object or environment
    • Hot
    • Cold
    • Chilly
    • Warm
  • Moisture - The presence of water vapor in the atmosphere

  • Rain - A form of precipitation that occurs when water droplets in clouds become large enough to fall to the ground due to gravity

  • Snow - A form of precipitation that falls from clouds in the form of ice crystals

  • Fog - A meteorological phenomenon characterized by a dense concentration of water droplets suspended in the air near the ground

Arts Vocabulary

  • Energy - The quality and intensity of movement expressed by a dancer

  • Sustained - A type of energy in dance characterized by a continuous and controlled flow of movement without abrupt changes in speed or intensity

  • Vibratory - A type of energy in dance characterized by rapid and rhythmic vibrations or oscillations of the body often using quick and repetitive movements and involving isolated body parts such as the hands, hips, or shoulders

  • Swinging - A type of energy in dance with a rhythmic movement characterized by a back-and-forth motion of the body, often involving the hips, arms, or legs; typically involves a relaxed and fluid execution, with movements that flow smoothly from one direction to the other

  • Levels - The different heights or elevations at which movements are performed; low, mid-level, or high

 

Materials

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Using the text Weather Words and What They Mean by Gail Gibbons, review different temperatures and forms of moisture. 
  • The terms hot, cold, warm, chilly, cool, rain, snow, and fog should be written on an anchor chart so students can refer back to them if necessary.
  • Involve a short movement break to support participation and focus. 
    • In this movement break, have students experiment with different movements by asking them to move like it’s cold, move like it’s raining, etc.

 

Work Session

  • The teacher will read the “I can” statement and discuss with students the important words and their definitions (create, represent, dance energy, movement, temperature, moisture, etc.).
  • Tell students to choose a movement. Once they have performed their movement, explain that each movement they just did had an energy.
    • The teacher will then introduce the three different movement energies that will be used in the lesson (sustained, vibratory and swinging) and will model what each energy looks like. 
    • Students will perform that movement energy along with the teacher. This can be done seated or standing.
    • The class will then stand and practice using these three energies again using their whole body. 
  • Divide students into small groups.
  • Introduce and model how each group of students will be receiving their own temperature or form of moisture and will communicate and collaborate together to create a movement that displays a specific dance energy (vibratory, swinging, sustained). 
    • Emphasize that the movement and energy should represent the temperature or form of moisture they were assigned. 
  • After being placed in groups, circulate and conference with each group to support when needed and to assess who is understanding the task. Modeling can be done to help support students.

 

Closing Reflection

  • Each group will perform their movement for the class.
    • Prepare students for performances by discussing appropriate audience participation with students.
    • Before performing, groups will share what energy their movement had and what temperature or form of moisture their movement represented.
    • Facilitate audience discussion after each performance asking students which type of energy they saw and how that type of energy is like the temperature or form of moisture assigned to the group.

 

Assessments

Formative

Teacher will assess student understanding throughout the lesson by asking questions to evaluate students’ knowledge of temperature and forms of moisture (i.e. “What is an example of a form of moisture?”), and by observing movement energies as they are working in small groups. 

 

Summative

CHECKLIST

  • Students can identify different types of temperature and forms of moisture.
  • Students can communicate and collaborate effectively with their peers.
  • Students can create a movement with a specific energy that represents a temperature or form of moisture.

 

DIFFERENTIATION 

Accelerated: 

  • Allow the audience to guess what temperature or form of moisture the movement represents after students perform their movements. 
  • Students can be assigned multiple words to create a multiple movement choreography.
  • Incorporate levels into students’ movements.

Remedial: 

  • Students can be provided a peer mentor or teacher to support and assist. This would be most helpful during the small group work time.
  • Create a movement as an entire class before breaking into small groups.  

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Ideas contributed by: Madeline Wilkes

Revised and copyright:  May 2024 @ ArtsNOW

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