THE BLUES (OR NOT-SO-BLUE BLUES) 6-8

THE BLUES (OR NOT-SO-BLUE BLUES)

THE BLUES (OR NOT-SO-BLUE BLUES)

Learning Description

Using a twelve-bar blues form, students will create music expressing the blues (or “not the blue blues”) about selected subject content.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 6-8
CONTENT FOCUS: MUSIC & SCIENCE
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can write lyrics about assigned content using a prescribed form.
  • I can play blues harmony.
  • I can combine music and language to express feelings and ideas.

Essential Questions

  • How can music express feelings and ideas?
  • How can music and language be combined to express feelings and ideas?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Non-ELA Standards will vary depending on selected content for blues compositions; thus, standards below are offered as ideas only and are not exclusive.

Grade 6:

S6E2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the effects of the relative positions of the sun, Earth, and moon.

 

Grade 7:

S7L2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to describe how cell structures, cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems interact to maintain the basic needs of organisms.

 

Grade 8:

S8P5. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about gravity, electricity, and magnetism as major forces acting in nature.

Arts Standards

MSGM6.CR.2 Compose and arrange music within specified guidelines.

MSGM6.PR.2 Perform a varied repertoire of music on instruments, alone and with others.

MSGM6.RE.1 Listen to, analyze, and describe music.

MSGM6.RE.2 Evaluate music and music performances.

MSGM6.CN.2.d Demonstrate performance etiquette (e.g. stage presence, attire, and behavior) and audience etiquette appropriate for venue, purpose, context, and style.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Non-ELA Standards will vary depending on selected content for blues compositions; thus, standards below are offered as ideas only and are not exclusive.

Grade 6:

6-LS1-1. Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells; either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells.

 

Grade 7:

7-LS1-6. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.

 

Grade 8:

8-LS1-5. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can arrange and compose music.

Anchor Standard 4: I can play instruments alone and with others.

Anchor Standard 9: I can relate music to other arts disciplines, other subjects, and career paths.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

Non-ELA vocabulary will vary depending on selected content for blues compositions.

Arts Vocabulary

  • Beat - The pulse underlying music
  • Blues music - A genre that evolved from folk music of African Americans in the American South (work songs, field hollers, and spirituals) during the late 1800s
  • Body percussion - Using the body as an instrument; includes patting, clapping, stamping, and snapping
  • Chord - A combination of three or more pitches played at the same time
  • Chord progression - A sequence of chords
  • Form - The organization of a piece (how the music is put together)
  • Harmony - Two or more pitches sounding simultaneously
  • Key - The group of pitches (scale) around which a piece of music revolves
  • Measure - The space between two bar lines
  • Phrase - Musical sentence

 

Materials

  • Boomwhackers (or other pitched instruments)
  • Writing materials (e.g., pencil and paper)
  • Recording of blues music (see suggestions below)
  • Sound production resources (e.g., speaker and phone)

 

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Using found sound or body percussion, perform a rhythm (or steady beat) for eight beats. Have students echo. Label this rhythm A.
  • Using a different found sound or body percussion, perform a different rhythm for eight beats. Have students echo. Compare and contrast with A. Label this rhythm B.
  • Tell students they will be creating musical compositions with same and different patterns (A and B).

Work Session

  • Play a blues recording and ask students about the mood of the music. Lead them to understand that blues music is often about hardship. Suggested blues pieces are “The Thrill is Gone” (BB King), “One Shoe Blues” (BB King), and “Sweet Home Chicago” (Eric Clapton).
  • While many different blues forms exist, this lesson will focus on the twelve-bar blues.
  • The twelve-bar blues includes three phrases (lines), each with four measures and chords, thereby yielding twelve bars (measures). Twelve-bar blues uses three chords (I, IV, and V) in the following sequence:

I    I   I   I

IV IV I   I

V  IV I   I

  • Display visual of twelve-bar blues (this is one example of twelve-bar blues; other versions also exist). The numbers on the top indicate beats; the roman numerals on the bottom indicate chords.

 

           beats   1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4    1-2-3-4

           chord    I               I                I               I

           beats   1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4    1-2-3-4

           chord   IV              IV             I               I

           beats   1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4    1-2-3-4

           chord   V               IV             I               I

 

  • Have students keep the steady beat using different body percussion for each chord.
    • For example, students pat the steady beat for the I chord, clap for the IV chord, and snap for the V chord.
  • Play the recording and have students perform body percussion to show the chord progression.
  • Display visual showing pitches in the I, IV, and V chords.

 

G       C        D

E        A        B

C        F        G

 

I         IV        V

 

  • Give each student a boomwhacker and practice playing each chord. Then play the twelve-bar blues, playing four beats for each chord.
    • For example, students playing C, E, and G will play sixteen beats in the first phrase (bar) since there are four I chords in the first phrase.
  • Have students listen to the recording to determine the form of the lyrics. (This may take repeated listening.) Lead students to understand the form as A A B (A = first four bars, A is repeated, B = last four bars).
  • Listen to the recording to determine the specific content of the lyrics in A and B phrases (bars). Lead students to understand that A presents a problem, followed by A that repeats the problem (sometimes with a slight variation), and B offers a comment on or twist to what has been presented. All bars end with rhyming words.
  • Divide students into groups and have them write lyrics for their twelve-bar blues. (If students choose, they may write a “not-so-blue blues”, a celebration rather than a commiseration!)
    • Since each phrase (bar) is sixteen beats long, the lyrics should present the problem (A) and reflection (B) succinctly and include rhyming words at the end of each bar!
  • Lyrics content can be aligned with subject matter content (see sample standards). For example, groups could write blues (or not-so-blue blues) about gravity, electricity, and magnetism as major forces acting in nature.
  • Have groups share their blues (or not-so-blues) compositions (speaking or singing) while other students play the chord progression. Other students listen and assess the group’s adherence to the prescribed musical and lyrical form.
  • For example, were the lyrics in A A B form? Did A present the problem and B respond to it? Did each bar end with rhyming words? Was the chord progression a twelve-bar blues?

 

Closing Reflection

  • Question students about lesson content, including music and content area vocabulary and understanding.
  • Have students compare and contrast blues with the music to which they typically listen.

 

Assessments

Formative

  • Through observing and questioning, assess students’ understanding of the twelve-bar blues harmony and lyrics.
  • Through observing, assess students’ ability to play a steady beat using body percussion and boomwhackers.
  • Through observing, assess students’ understanding of academic content while writing lyrics.

Summative

  • Students write and share lyrics reflecting assigned content in prescribed form.
  • Students play the twelve-bar blues.

 

 

Differentiation

Accelerated: 

  • Students explore a different blues form.
  • Students write additional blues lyrics using the same form.
  • Students play two boomwhackers.
  • Create a rhythm for the chord progression (rather than playing the steady beat).

 

Remedial:

  • For a student having difficulty playing a steady beat, another student with beat proficiency could model the steady beat in front of or beside the student.
  • For a student having difficulty playing the boomwhacker at the right time, track the chords on a visual, point to the student (or have another student point to the student) to cue playing the boomwhacker, or pair the student with another student playing the same boomwhacker pitch.

 

Additional Resources

Websites for information on blues:

 

Credits

Ideas contributed by: Dr. Maribeth Yoder-White

*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.

Revised and copyright:  May 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

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SING ME A POEM 6-8

SING ME A POEM

SING ME A POEM

Learning Description

In this lesson, students will explore how different multimedia formats of a ballad impact audience perception.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 6-8
CONTENT FOCUS: MUSIC & ELA
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can analyze and evaluate texts through multimedia formats.
  • I can explain and analyze how the media's portrayal of the text impacts the audience.
  • I can use musical vocabulary to explain what I hear in a ballad.
  • I can use good posture, breath support, and accurate pitch while singing.

Essential Questions

  • How does the emotional impact and audience engagement differ between reading a ballad’s text and listening to it being sung?
  • How does a text's portrayal change across its written and musical formats, and how do these differences shape audience perception?
  • How can I use my voice to express emotions and communicate a message?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 6:

ELAGSE6SL2 Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.

 

Grade 7:

ELAGSE7SL2 Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.

 

Grade 8:

ELAGSE8SL2 Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.

Arts Standards

MSGM6.PR.2 Perform a varied repertoire of music on instruments, alone and with others.

MSGM6.RE.1 Listen to, analyze, and describe music.

MSGM6.RE.2 Evaluate music and music performances.

MSGM6.CN.2.d Demonstrate performance etiquette (e.g. stage presence, attire, and behavior) and audience etiquette appropriate for venue, purpose, context, and style.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 6:

ELA.6.AOR.10.1 Analyze a text or subject presented through multimedia formats and explain how each media’s portrayal of the text or subject impacts the audience.

 

Grade 7:

7.AOR.10.1 Evaluate a text or subject presented through multimedia formats and analyze how each media’s portrayal of the text or subject impacts the audience.

 

Grade 8:

8.AOR.10.1 Evaluate a text or subject presented through multimedia formats and analyze how each media’s portrayal of the text or subject impacts the audience.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 3: I can sing alone and with others.

Anchor Standard 6: I can analyze music.

Anchor Standard 7: I can evaluate music.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Ballad – A poem that tells a story of adventure, of romance, or of a hero, that is suitable for singing, and that usually has stanzas of four lines with a rhyme on the second and fourth lines
  • Text - Can include, but is not limited to, materials such as books, magazines, newspapers, movies, paintings, television shows, songs, political cartoons, online materials, advertisements, maps, digital media, infographics, podcasts, charts, graphs, diagrams, notes, captions, lab reports, scenarios, and works of art
  • Analyze - To study something closely and carefully
  • Evaluate - To study carefully and make a judgement
  • Multimedia - Using different types of media, like pictures, videos, sounds, and words, all together to tell a story or share information

Arts Vocabulary

  • Ballad – A poem that tells a story of adventure, of romance, or of a hero, that is suitable for singing, and that usually has stanzas of four lines with a rhyme on the second and fourth lines
  • Pitch - The highness or lowness of sound
  • Rhythm - Long and short sounds and silences
  • Dynamics - Loud and soft sounds; volume
  • Tempo - The speed of the beat
  • Timbre - The distinctive quality of sounds; the tone color or special sound that makes one instrument or voice sound different from another
  • Form - The organization of a piece (how the music is put together)
  • Articulation - How a performer moves from one note to the next; how notes are connected or not

 

Materials

  • Projection board with internet access
  • Implements for completing writing assignments
  • Graphic organizers (optional)
  • Printed song lyrics
  • Audio recordings
  • Music video (if available)
  • Harvard Project Zero Thinking Routines

 

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

See, Think, Wonder (See, Think, Wonder Harvard Project Zero Thinking Routine)

  • Prepare students for a “See, Think, Wonder” reading activity by telling students they are going to read a ballad poem excerpt and answer three prompts. (**Ballad suggestions are in the Additional Resources section of the lesson plan.) Students will need implements for documenting their responses.
    • “I see”: What do you see? What stands out to you?
    • “I think”: What do you think about while reading the ballad poem?
    • “I wonder”: What does the poem make you wonder? What questions do you have?
  • Students are each given copies of the ballad poem to read individually or as a group and answer the first prompt (I see) using words or images.
    • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their response with a neighbor.
    • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
      • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable.
    • Students will read the ballad poem a second time and answer the second prompt (I think) using words or images.
      • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their responses with a neighbor.
      • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
        • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable.
        • Ask “What did you read in the ballad poem to make you think about …?” to encourage deeper connections to the written text.
      • Students will read the ballad poem a third time and answer the third prompt (I wonder) using words or images.
        • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their responses with a neighbor.
        • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
          • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable.
          • Tell students they are going to be examining two different formats of the ballad: the ballad written as a poem and the ballad sung as a song. Students will evaluate how each format impacts them.

Work Session

Ballad Poem Analysis

  • Prepare students to analyze the entire ballad poem by considering and discussing the following questions:
    • Title: What clues do the title give about the poem's subject matter?
    • Speaker: Who is "speaking" in the poem?
    • Words and phrases: What words stand out? Are there any unfamiliar words? Is there a consistent rhyme or pattern?
    • Imagery: What pictures or sensory details does the poet create using language?
    • Tone/mood: How does the poem make you feel?
    • Theme: What is the message?
    • Include additional relevant questions to help guide students’ poetry analysis.
  • Students collaborate with a partner to read, analyze and annotate the entire ballad poem.
    • Tell partners to “Turn and Talk” about their responses with another pair of partners.
  • Read the poem aloud with the whole class and engage the students in a class discussion about their answers to the questions.

 

Music Analysis: Hear, Think, Wonder

  • Prepare students for a “Hear, Think, Wonder” listening activity. This is a modification of the Project Zero “See, Think, Wonder” Thinking Routine activating strategy.
  • Tell students they are going to listen to the ballad as a song and answer three prompts:
    • “I hear”: What sounds do they hear? Musical sounds can include pitch (high/low sounds), rhythm (long/short), dynamics (loud/soft), tempo (fast/slow), timbre (instruments), form (same [repetition], different [contrasting]), articulation (smooth/detached).
    • “I think”: What does the music make you think about?
    • “I wonder”: What “wonderings” do you have? Wonderings are generally
  • Students listen without talking the first time and answer the first prompt (I hear) using words or images.
    • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their response with a neighbor.
    • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
      • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable.
    • Students listen without talking a second time and answer the second prompt (I think) using words or images.
      • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their responses with a neighbor.
      • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
        • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable. Ask students, “What did you hear in the music to make you think about …?” to encourage deeper connections to the music.
      • Students listen without talking a third time and answer the third prompt (I wonder) using words or images. **The “I think” and I wonder” prompts can be combined into one listening event instead of two separate events.
        • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their responses with a neighbor.
        • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
          • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable.
        • The teacher will play the song again while students sing along with the recording. The teacher will remind students to demonstrate good posture, breath support, and accurate pitch while singing.
        • The teacher will lead a discussion with the class about how the musical sounds from the song help contribute to the message of the written text. (Focus on the vocabulary from the “I Hear” prompt.)
          • Ask students whether the music makes the narrative more or less engaging and why.

 

6th grade: Focus more on analyzing the text and explaining the impact on the audience.

  • For example:
    • What is the overarching message of the text?
    • What emotions do they make you feel?
    • Does certain text or sections of text repeat?
    • What is your overall impression of the poem/song?

 

7th and 8th grade: Focus more on evaluating the text and analyzing the impact on the audience.

  • For example:
    • What are the ballad’s strengths and weaknesses?
    • Does the ballad leave a lasting impression or make you want to read/listen to it again?
    • How does the ballad compare to other ballads in the same genre or style?
    • What is your overall impression of the ballad?

 

Closing Reflection

Wrap It Up

  • Remind students that they have explored text presented as a ballad poem and a ballad song.
  • Present students with the following:
    • 6th grade:
      • (a) How does the emotional impact and audience engagement differ between reading a ballad’s text and listening to it being sung?
      • (b) Which format do you prefer and why?
    • 7th and 8th grade:
      • (a) How does a text's portrayal change across its written and musical formats?
      • (b) How do these differences shape audience perception?
      • (c) Which format do you prefer and why?
    • Remind students to keep the question(s) in mind as the class reviews each format.
      • Review both formats of the ballad.
      • After the review, allow students time to think about and thoughtfully answer the questions making sure they use content and music vocabulary in their responses.
        • Students should annotate the content and music vocabulary in their responses using a highlighter, underlining, or circling the vocabulary words.
      • Students will “Turn and Talk” with their neighbor discussing their response to the questions.
      • Call on students to share their responses with the class.

 

Assessments

Formative

  • Evaluate students’ responses to See, Think, Wonder and Hear, Think, Wonder.
  • Observe partner and whole class discussions.

Summative

  • The teacher will evaluate students’ learning through students’ responses (written or oral) to the essential question that includes content and music vocabulary. Using a rubric or checklist may help provide assessment guidance for students.

 

 

Differentiation

Accelerated: 

  • Research and compare additional poem and song ballads.
  • Discuss historical context such as, “How do ballads reflect the time period they were written in?”.

 

Remedial:

  • Use excerpts of the poem and song when completing the analysis.
  • Use graphic organizers.
  • Provide guided notes or sentence starters for discussion.
  • Use partner reading or small group support for comprehension.

 

Additional Resources

Suggested Ballad Titles:

  • “Ballad of John Henry” (poem)
  • “Ballad of John Henry” sung by Wee Sing
  • “Promised Land” sung by Chuck Berry
  • “Puff the Magic Dragon” sung by Peter, Paul, and Mary

 

Credits

Ideas contributed by: Dr. Rue S. Lee-Holmes

*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.

Revised and copyright:  May 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

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MOVING WORDS: INTEGRATING DANCE AND WRITING FOR CREATIVE EXPRESSION 6-8

INTEGRATING DANCE AND WRITING FOR CREATIVE EXPRESSION

MOVING WORDS: INTEGRATING DANCE AND WRITING FOR CREATIVE EXPRESSION

Learning Description

Integrating dance and choreography into writing can enhance the narrative by adding dynamic expression, rhythm, and movement to the storytelling process. The purpose of integration is for students to watch dance and use context clues to identify the main idea and supporting details. Students will also use brainstorming, identifying a main idea and supporting details, as a device to create choreography.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 6-8
CONTENT FOCUS: DANCE & ELA
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can identify the main idea and supporting details in a text, conversation, or performance to better understand and explain its overall message.
  • I can use the main idea and supporting details to create choreography.

Essential Questions

  • How can identifying the main idea and supporting details in choreography enhance our understanding and interpretation of a dance performance?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 6:

ELAGSE6RL2 Determine a theme and/or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

ELAGSE6W3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

 

Grade 7:

ELAGSE7RL2 Determine a theme and/or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

ELAGSE7W3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

 

Grade 8:

ELAGSE8RL2 Determine a theme and/or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.

ELAGSE8W3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

Arts Standards

MSD.CR.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the choreographic process.

MSD.CR.2 Demonstrate an understanding of dance as a form of communication.

MSD.RE.1 Demonstrate critical and creative thinking in dance.

MSD.CN.3 Demonstrate an understanding of dance as it relates to other areas of knowledge.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 6:

ELA.6.OE.2 Acquire, refine, and share knowledge through a variety of multimedia literacies to include written, oral, visual, digital, and interactive texts.

ELA.6.OE.3 Make inferences to support comprehension.

ELA.6.C.3.1 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences, memories, or ideas, using effective techniques, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

 

Grade 7:

ELA.7.OE.2 Acquire, refine, and share knowledge through a variety of multimedia literacies to include written, oral, visual, digital, and interactive texts.

ELA.7.OE.3 Make inferences to support comprehension.

ELA.7.C.3.1 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences, memories, or ideas, using effective techniques, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

 

Grade 8:

ELA.8.OE.2 Acquire, refine, and share knowledge through a variety of multimedia literacies to include written, oral, visual, digital, and interactive texts.

ELA.8.OE.3 Make inferences to support comprehension.

ELA.8.C.3.1 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences, memories, or ideas, using effective techniques, relevant descriptive details, and logically structured event sequences.

Arts Standards

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

Anchor Standard 2: I can choreograph a dance.

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

Anchor Standard 5: I can describe, analyze, and evaluate a dance.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Author – A writer of a book, article, or report
  • Main idea – The main idea is the central point or message of a text
  • Theme – The central idea, message, or underlying meaning in a piece of writing, art, film, or other forms of creative work
  • Supporting detail – The statements that support (go along with) the main idea
  • Setting – The place or type of surroundings where something is positioned or where an event takes place
  • Character – A person in a novel, play, or movie

Arts Vocabulary

  • Choreography: The art of designing and arranging sequences of movements, steps, and gestures to create a dance piece
  • Choreographer – The person who designs or creates a dance piece
  • Body – The dancer’s body and how it is used
  • Types of energy:
    • Percussive – Refers to the quality of movement characterized by sharp starts and stops;staccato jabs of energy
    • Suspended – Occurs in a moment of resistance to gravity, such as the instant in which a dancer hangs in space at the top of a leap
    • Sustained – Smooth and unaccented; there is not apparent start or stop, only a continuity of energy
    • Swinging – Established by a fall of gravity, a gain in momentum, a loss of momentum,and the repeated cycle of fall and recovery, like that of a pendulum
    • Vibratory – A quality of movement characterized by rapidly repeated bursts of percussive movements like “a jitter”
  • Space:
    • Level – One of the aspects of movement (there are three basic levels in dance: high,middle, and low)
    • Pathway – Designs traced on the floor as a dancer travels across space; the designs traced in the air as a dancer moves various body parts
    • Shape – Refers to an interesting and interrelated arrangement of body parts of one dancer; the visual makeup or molding of the body parts of a singular dancer; the overall visible appearance of a group of dancers
  • Time:
    • Tempo – Refers to the pace or speed of movement
  • Action:
    • Locomotor – A movement that travels through space
    • Non-locomotor – A movement that does not travel through space

 

Materials

  • A selected piece of choreography to watch
  • Brainstorm planning bubbles or concept map
  • Music
  • Paper and pencils

 

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Discuss the similarities between a choreographer and an author, such as how both are creators and storytellers.
  • Watch a selected piece of choreography.
  • Have students identify the story elements in the choreography–who are the characters? What is the setting? What was the beginning, middle, and end?.
  • Have students identify the main idea and supporting details in the choreography.
  • Have students infer what the choreography was about using supporting details from the choreography.

Work Session

  • As a whole group, discuss how choreographers plan choreography just how writers brainstorm for their writing/essay.
  • Practice a brainstorm for choreography together exploring different types of movements, levels, and energy qualities (see Arts Vocabulary).
  • Break students into small groups.
  • Assign or have groups select a main idea/topic for their choreography.
  • Have students brainstorm for their choreography using a concept map, web, brainstorming bubbles, or other type of strategy.
  • Remind students to keep in mind the elements of dance: body, action, space, time, and energy, and how they can be used to help express their thoughts/ideas (see Arts Vocabulary).
    • For younger students, focus on a limited number of elements.
  • Have students create and share their choreography.
  • Have students write the story of their choreography including the main idea and supporting details displayed in the dance.
  • Their stories should have characters; setting; a beginning, middle, and end; temporal words, and transitions.

 

Closing Reflection

  • After watching each group's choreography, the audience (class) will identify the movements they saw in the choreography that were the supporting details of the main idea of the choreography.
  • Students will answer: How did these movements help you understand the main idea/story?

 

Assessments

Formative

  • While groups are working on choreography, ask the students questions about their choreography and choreographic choices.
    • What is the main idea?
    • What supporting details are in your choreography?
    • Have them demonstrate them to you.

Summative

  • Have choreographers write or talk about their choreographic process and how they selected the movements.
  • Have students write the story of their choreography including the main idea and evidence/supporting details displayed in the dance.
  • Their stories should have characters; setting; a beginning, middle, and end; temporal words, and transitions.

 

 

Differentiation

Accelerated: 

  • Have students add transitions to their choreography (beginning, middle, end). A transition in choreography serves the same purpose as a transition in writing. It helps to connect all the parts smoothly.

 

Remedial:

  • Create a dance collaboratively as a class.
    • Teacher will assign the main idea or it can be determined from a text.
    • Have each group create choreography for one of the supporting details.
    • As a whole class, arrange the supporting details in a sequence to best support the main idea.
    • Provide a graphic organizer, sentence stems, etc. to support students as they write their stories.

 

Credits

Ideas contributed by: Melissa Dittmar-Joy

*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.

Revised and copyright:  May 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

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MOVEMENT BY CHANCE: EXPLORING DANCE AND DATA PATTERNS 6-8

EXPLORING DANCE AND DATA PATTERNS

MOVEMENT BY CHANCE: EXPLORING DANCE AND DATA

Learning Description

Students will explore the concept of chance dance, inspired by Merce Cunningham, while simultaneously developing data interpretation skills. Students will begin by learning about Cunningham’s innovative approach, where movements are determined randomly using dice, coins, or digital tools. Working in small groups, they will create short dance sequences by assigning movements to numbers and rolling dice to determine the movements in their choreography. After performing their sequences, students will record data on movement frequency, patterns, and transitions. They will then analyze this data using charts or graphs, discussing trends and drawing conclusions about how randomness influences artistic composition. This lesson merges creative expression with mathematical thinking, encouraging students to see patterns in both dance and data.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 6-8
CONTENT FOCUS: DANCE & MATH
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can create a chance dance sequence using randomization.
  • I can analyze movement patterns by collecting and interpreting data.

Essential Questions

  • How can we use data interpretation to analyze and understand patterns created through chance dance?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 6:

6.NR.2.2 Summarize categorical and quantitative (numerical) data sets in relation to the context: display the distributions of quantitative (numerical) data in plots on a number line, including dot plots, histograms, and box plots and display the distribution of categorical data using bar graphs.

6.NR.2.3 Interpret numerical data to answer a statistical investigative question created. Describe the distribution of a quantitative (numerical) variable collected, including its center, variability, and overall shape.

6.NR.2.4 Design simple experiments and collect data. Use data gathered from realistic scenarios and simulations to determine quantitative measures of center (median and/or mean) and variability (interquartile range and range). Use these quantities to draw conclusions about the data, compare different numerical data sets, and make predictions.

 

Grade 7:

7.PR.6 Using mathematical reasoning, investigate chance processes and develop, evaluate, and use probability models to find probabilities of simple events presented in authentic situations.

7.PAR.4 Recognize proportional relationships in relevant, mathematical problems; represent, solve, and explain these relationships with tables, graphs, and equations.

 

Grade 8:

8.PAR.3 Create and interpret expressions within relevant situations. Create, interpret, and solve linear equations and linear inequalities in one variable to model and explain real phenomena.

Arts Standards

MSD.CR.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the choreographic process.

MSD.CR.2 Demonstrate an understanding of dance as a form of communication.

MSD.RE.1 Demonstrate critical and creative thinking in dance.

MSD.CN.3 Demonstrate an understanding of dance as it relates to other areas of knowledge.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 6: 6.DS.4 Select and create an appropriate display for numerical data, including dot plots, histograms, and box plots.

Grade 7:

7.DSP.5 Investigate the concept of probability of chance events.

a. Determine probabilities of simple events.

b.Understand that probability measures likelihood of a chance event occurring.

c. Understand that the probability of a chance event is a number between 0 and 1.

d. Understand that a probability closer to 1 indicates a likely chance event.

e. Understand that a probability close to 1 2 indicates that a chance event is neither likely nor unlikely.

f. Understand that a probability closer to 0 indicates an unlikely chance event.

 

Grade 8:

8.DSP.2 Draw an approximate line of best fit on a scatter plot that appears to have a linear association and informally assess the fit of the line to the data points.

Arts Standards

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

Anchor Standard 2: I can choreograph a dance.

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

Anchor Standard 5: I can describe, analyze, and evaluate a dance.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Data - Facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis
  • Analyze - Examine methodically and in detail the constitution or structure of something, especially information, typically for purposes of explanation and interpretation
  • Interpret - Explain the meaning of information, words, or actions
  • Charts - A sheet of information in the form of a table, graph, or diagram
  • Graphs - A diagram showing the relationship between variable quantities, typically of two variables, each measured along one of a pair of axes at right angles
  • Fraction - A numerical quantity that is not a whole number

Arts Vocabulary

  • Merce Cunningham - American modern dancer and choreographer who developed new forms of abstract dance movement
  • Chance Dance - Chance dance is a choreography technique that uses chance to determine the order of a sequence of movements. It can also refer to a movement activity where participants create a dance using a random method like rolling dice.
  • Choreography - The art of designing and arranging sequences of movements, steps, and gestures to create a dance piece
  • Choreographer - The person who designs or creates a dance piece
  • Form - How a dance/choreography is structured (put together)
  • Level - One of the aspects of movement (there are three basic levels in dance: high, middle, and low)

 

Materials

 

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Create a short dance with students using a movement list to select from.
    • Example movement list:
      • Jump
      • Hop
      • Clap
      • Turn
      • Slide
      • Change levels
      • Change directions
    • Explain to the students that a piece of choreography is a collection of data.
    • Using the data/choreography, create a chart/graph to represent all the steps in the dance.
    • Explore various types of charts/graphs that can be used to display the data/choreography.

Work Session

  • Watch the video, The Six Sides of Merce Cunningham. Discuss who Merce Cunningham is and how he used the concept of chance to create dances.
  • Discuss how this applies to dancers and choreographers.
  • Break class into groups.
  • Give each group a set of movement cards (each group's cards should be the same) and one die.
  • Choose one of the two methods:
    • 1) Tell the students to randomly select a card then roll the die to indicate the number of times that movement will be done.
      • Students should continue until they have used all the cards.
    • 2) Give students a set number of movements that they must include in their choreography. Have students assign a numerical value (one to six) to each movement. Have students roll their dice to determine what each movement in their choreography will be.
  • Have the students create a graph/chart (ex. histograms, dot plot, box plot) to represent all the data in their choreography.
  • Students will then create choreography for the data they have.
  • Each group will share their choreography with the whole class.

 

Closing Reflection

  • Facilitate a discussion around the following questions:
    • How was each group's dance different even though each group had the same data to start with?
    • How did chance impact the outcome?

 

Assessments

Formative

  • The teacher will assess student learning throughout the lesson by observing students’ ability to use various movements in dance and their ability to use chance to create a unique piece of choreography.

Summative

  • The teacher will assess student learning using the data charts students create about their choreography
  • Create a list of questions to ask about the students choreography/data–Examples:
    • How many total movements were in your dance?
    • What was the mean/median/mode of your data?
    • Compare all data charts.
      • What is the probability that all dances would contain a jump?
      • What is the mean/median/mode of all dances?

 

 

Differentiation

Accelerated: 

  • Have the students collect the data from all groups' choreography and create various types of charts/graphs representing all the data or comparing the data of different groups.

 

Remedial:

  • Limit the data set.
  • Give the students a chart/graph that is already created and have them create choreography from the data.

 

Credits

Ideas contributed by: Melissa Dittmar-Joy

*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.

Revised and copyright:  May 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

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EXPLORING THEMES THROUGH PRINTMAKING 6-8

EXPLORING THEMES THROUGH PRINTMAKING

EXPLORING THEMES THROUGH PRINTMAKING

Learning Description

Students will work in groups to analyze a short story, identify one or more themes, and examine how they develop over the course of the text. Each student will design and carve a symbol that represents their group's chosen theme. The group will then collaboratively print their symbols on a single piece of paper, visually representing their analysis through art.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 6-8
CONTENT FOCUS: VISUAL ARTS & ELA
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can determine and analyze the theme of a literary text.
  • I can provide an objective summary of a text.
  • I can design and carve a symbol that represents a theme in a story.
  • I can collaborate with my peers to create a unified visual representation of a literary theme.

Essential Questions

  • How do authors develop themes in literature?
  • How can multiple themes emerge in a single text?
  • How can symbols visually represent a theme?
  • How does collaboration enhance artistic and literary interpretation?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 6:

ELAGSE6RL2 Determine a theme and/or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

Grade 7:

ELAGSE7RL2 Determine a theme and/or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

Grade 8:

ELAGSE8RL2 Determine a theme and/or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.

Arts Standards

VA.CR.1 Visualize and generate ideas for creating works of art.

VA.CR.3 Engage in an array of processes, media, techniques, and/or technology through experimentation, practice, and persistence.

VA.PR.1 Plan, prepare, and present completed works of art.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

ELA.AOR.2: Evaluate and critique the development of themes and central ideas within and across texts.

Grade 6:

ELA.6.AOR.2.1 Analyze how key details contribute to the development of a theme(s) over the course of a literary text.

Grade 7:

ELA.7.AOR.2.1 Compare two or more themes within a literary text(s) and how each is developed over the course of a text(s).

Grade 8:

ELA.8.AOR.2.1 Analyze how key details contribute to the development of two or more themes within and across literary texts.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can use the elements and principles of art to create artwork.

Anchor Standard 2: I can use different materials, techniques, and processes to make art.

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

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Theme – The central idea or underlying message in a text
  • Symbolism – The use of images or objects to represent deeper meanings

Arts Vocabulary

  • Symbol – A visual representation of an idea or theme
  • Printmaking – The art or technique of making prints, especially as practiced in engraving, etching, dry point, woodcut or serigraphy
  • Brayer – A tool used to roll ink evenly onto the printing plate
  • Composition – How an artist arranges the Elements of Art (line, shape, form, value, color, space, texture) to create an artwork
  • Collaboration – Working together to achieve a common goal

 

Materials

  • Selected short stories
  • Pencils
  • Copy paper
  • Styrofoam sheets
  • Ball point pen or dull pencils
  • Water based printing ink
  • Brayers
  • Large sheets of paper for group prints
  • Colored pencils or art sticks
  • Drying rack or space to lay prints

 

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

Engage (Research & Discussion)

  • Divide students into small groups.
  • Assign each group a short story to read and analyze (e.g., "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, "Thank You, Ma'am" by Langston Hughes, "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant).
  • In their groups, students will discuss and identify one or more themes present in the story.
  • Groups will create an objective summary of the text, focusing on how the theme develops over time.

Work Session

Explore (Sketch & Plan):

  • Each student will sketch a symbol that represents the identified theme.
  • Students will collaborate with their groups to refine their individual symbols to ensure coherence in their final composition.

 

Create (Printmaking Process):

  • Follow the printmaking process below.
  • After students have created their symbols on styrofoam plates, they will print their individual symbols onto a shared sheet of paper, creating a collective representation of their theme.
  • Review these printmaking tips with students:
    • Prepping the styrofoam plate:
      • Use a dull pencil or ballpoint pen to carve designs—press firmly but avoid puncturing all the way through.
      • Encourage students to sketch lightly first before carving to avoid mistakes.
    • Carving techniques:
      • Keep lines simple and bold for clear prints; intricate details may not transfer well.
      • Reverse letters or numbers if including text, as prints will be a mirror image.
      • Vary line thickness for added depth—thicker lines hold more ink, while thinner lines create subtle details.
    • Inking the plate:
      • Roll out a thin, even layer of ink on a tray before applying to the printing plate with a brayer.
      • Make sure ink covers the entire design, but avoid excessive ink, which can cause smudging.
      • Test prints on scrap paper before the final collaborative print.
    • Printing process:
      • Place the inked plate face down on the final paper and press evenly with hands or a clean brayer.
      • Avoid shifting or sliding the plate while printing to prevent smudging.
      • Lift the plate carefully to reveal the design.
      • Encourage students to appreciate the imperfections as part of the artistic process!
    • Final Touches:
      • Allow prints to dry completely before handling.
      • Once dry, encourage students to add color and hand-drawn details.

 

Classroom Tips:

  • Encourage students to work carefully.
  • Make sure there is a piece of newsprint under each printmaking station.

 

Extension:

  • Virtual Gallery: Upload finished prints to Padlet or Google Sites for peer review.
  • Video Reflection: Students can record a short video explaining their theme and artistic choices using Flipgrid or Canva Video.

 

Closing Reflection

Reflect (Gallery walk and discussion):

  • Groups will present their collaborative prints, explaining their theme choice, how it was developed in the text, and how their symbols represent it.
  • Students will write an exit ticket explaining how their symbol represents the theme in paragraph form.
  • Facilitate a class discussion on the effectiveness of visual symbolism in interpreting literature.

 

Assessments

Formative

  • Group discussions and teacher observation during analysis and sketching phases

Summative

  • Final collaborative print with a written reflection on the theme’s development and symbolic representation
  • Group presentation assessing comprehension and understanding of thematic analysis

 

 

Differentiation

Accelerated: 

  • Encourage students to incorporate multiple symbols within their group’s composition to represent nuanced themes.
  • Have advanced students compare themes across different texts and integrate symbols accordingly.

 

Remedial:

  • Provide graphic organizers to help students track how the theme develops over the story.
  • Provide examples of symbols to help students visualize their ideas.

 

Additional Resources

 

Credits

Ideas contributed by: Shannon Green

*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.

Revised and copyright:  May 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

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