Georgia Standards

South Carolina Standards

Key Vocabulary

Materials

• Suggested Prompts for Chemical and Physical Changes
• Index cards
• Physical and Chemical Change Sequence

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

• Have students demonstrate different sequences that you call out through movement (Incorporate levels, body shape, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements):
  • Straight shape, curved shape, angular shape
  • Shake low, shake high, shake low
  • Jump, jump, slide
  • Gallup middle level, bend, hop
  • Discuss that a sequence is a series of movements in an order.

Work Session

• Review elements of physical and chemical change.
• Divide students into groups of three to five.
• Review Prompts for Chemical and Physical Changes.
  • Each group will choose one prompt from the list that expresses:
    • A physical change
    • A chemical change
  • For each selected change, the group will create a sequence that expresses that change with the following requirements:
    • A beginning, middle, and end
    • Three movements that clearly express the change
    • At least two levels (low, medium, and high)
    • At least one locomotor movement
    • At least one non-locomotor movement
  • Groups should utilize the Physical and Chemical Change Sequence planning sheet to help plan their sequence.
  • After a designated period of work time, each group will present their complete sequence for physical and chemical change. (If time is an issue, the teacher can designate which change should be presented.)

Closing Reflection

• Students will reflect on one or more of the following questions:
  • How did your movements show the chemical or physical change? Use content and arts vocabulary.
  • How did engaging in the arts support and build upon your understanding of chemical and physical changes?
  • How did this activity help you understand chemical and physical changes in the world around you?
  • If you were to go through this artistic process again, what would you do differently? Why?

Assessments

Formative

• Chemical and physical change sequence worksheet
• Check-in/observation of students during group creation of their sequence

Summative

• Performance of sequence–look for:
  • Three movements that clearly express the change (chemical or physical)
  • A beginning, middle, and end
  • At least two levels (low, medium, and high)
  • At least one locomotor movement
  • At least one non-locomotor movement

Students can explain how their movements showed the chemical or physical change using content and arts vocabulary.

Differentiation

Credits

U.S. Department of Education- STEM + the Art of Integrated Learning

Ideas contributed by: Chris Crabb

*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:  June 2025 @ ArtsNOW

Georgia Standards

South Carolina Standards

Key Vocabulary

Materials

• Two songs for students to choose from (instrumental recommended): One with a fast tempo and one with a slow tempo
• Optional: Props such as scarves, dance ribbons, pom poms and leaf branches
• See/Think/Wonder artful thinking routine
• Dance Vocabulary

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

Teacher Note: In order to be successful in this unit students should be able to define constructive and destructive forces. Students should understand that landforms can change quickly or slowly over time. Students should be able to identify surface features caused by constructive and destructive forces.

• Show an image of a sand dune. Have students engage in the See/Think/Wonder artful thinking routine. Then ask the following:
  • What type of landform is this?
  • How do you think this landform got there?
  • How long did you think it took for it to be developed?
• This activator will lead into a discussion of constructive and destructive forces.
• The teacher will activate prior knowledge by sharing weathering and erosion anchor charts to review unit vocabulary. Students will turn and talk to share their definitions of weathering, erosion and deposition.
• As they discuss, have students create hand movements that represent weathering, erosion, and deposition.

Work Session 20 minutes

• Tell students that they will use dance to develop their understanding on the topic of constructive and destructive forces.
• Introduce the following elements of dance: Space, time, and energy. Lead students in a dance warm-up to help them engage with the vocabulary. Teachers can do all or part of the following warm-up. Be sure students are exposed to locomotor and non-locomotor movements, different levels, and different energies.
  • Students will embody the elements of earth, water, air, and fire with movement, learning to express the concepts of space, energy, and levels.
  • Tell students that they will start with Earth focusing on levels and locomotor/non-locomotor movements.
    • Walk (locomotor): Say or paraphrase, “Let’s march in place like sturdy trees standing tall. Can you make your steps big and strong? Walk like you’re feeling the Earth beneath you”.
    • Low level and non-locomotor: Say or paraphrase, “Now, imagine we’re in the forest, and we need to crouch down low like we’re planting seeds. Move slowly and stay close to the ground like you’re growing roots.”
    • Medium level and non-locomotor: Say or paraphrase, “Come up to your normal standing height. Keep your arms strong like branches stretching out from your body, but stay grounded like a tree.”
  • Tell students that now they will become water adding in energy.
    • Smooth, flowing movement (non-locomotor): Say or paraphrase, “Begin by making gentle, flowing waves with your arms. Move like the water is gliding peacefully in the ocean, letting your arms move gracefully through the air.”
    • Sharp, sudden energy (energy): Say or paraphrase, “Now, imagine the water splashing suddenly! Let’s make quick, sharp movements like drops of water jumping off the surface.”
    • Level change (low to high): Say or paraphrase, “Let’s pretend you’re a water droplet, rising from the ocean. Start low, then rise up, and reach as high as you can with your arms like you’re jumping out of the water.”
  • Tell students that now they will become air.
    • Gliding (locomotor): Say or paraphrase, “Start by walking slowly and lightly around the space. Glide and float through the room like you’re a breeze drifting past.”
    • Leap (non-locomotor and energy): Say or paraphrase, “Now, let’s jump into the air like we’re flying! Take off from the ground and imagine you’re floating like a feather in the wind.”
    • High level (energy and movement): Say or paraphrase, “As you jump, reach as high as you can, floating and fluttering through the air. Can you be light and graceful with every jump?”
    • Slow floating (non-locomotor): Say or paraphrase, “Now, let’s pretend to float gently back down. Move your arms in slow, circular motions as if you’re floating peacefully back to the ground.”
  • Tell students that now they will become fire.
    • Quick movements (locomotor and energy): Say or paraphrase, “Let’s move quickly around the room like we’re fire spreading quickly! Move with energy, fast and fiery!”
    • Sharp, strong energy (energy): Say or paraphrase, “Now, stop and make sharp, bold movements. Strike a pose with your arms like you’re the flame of a fire—strong and fierce.”
    • High level (levels and energy): Say or paraphrase, “Let’s jump into the air as high as we can, imagining we’re flames leaping up into the sky!”
    • Non-locomotor (non-locomotor and energy): “Stop and make twisting, turning movements with your body, like a fire spinning in a circle. Let your arms move around like flames swirling and flickering.”
  • Debrief the warm-up discussing locomotor, non-locomotor, energy, and space.
• Tell students that now they will create a dance using locomotor and non-locomotor movements, energy, and levels to demonstrate weathering, erosion and deposition.
• Divide students into small groups of three to four.
  • Students will then listen to two pieces of instrumental music (one with a fast tempo and one with a slow tempo).
  • Ask students to choose and write down which song they want to use for their choreography.
  • Provide students with the following criteria for their choreography:
    • The dances must have a beginning, middle, and end.
      • The dance must begin and end with a frozen shape.
      • The dance must include at least six movements total (this does not include frozen shapes).
      • Movements must show each vocabulary word: Weathering, erosion and deposition.
      • Students must show different levels, different energies, and both locomotor and non-locomotor movements.
    • Optional: After students have choreographed their dances, introduce props, such as scarves, dance ribbons, pom poms and leaf branches, to students and allow them to choose which ones will enhance their dance.
    • Provide time for students to rehearse their dances.

Closing Reflection

• Tell students that they will perform their dances. Review appropriate audience participation and etiquette prior to performances.
• After each performance, ask the audience to identify how the group showed weathering, erosion and deposition through movement. Students should use specific dance vocabulary in their explanations: Levels, locomotor/non-locomotor, and energy.
• Have students explain in a brief reflection how they used levels, locomotor/non-locomotor, and energy to model each concept.
• Have students reflect on what they would change about their choreography if they were able to go back and do it again.

Assessments

Formative

• Students will improvise movements to demonstrate weathering, erosion, and deposition in teacher led small groups.
• The teacher will check-in with students while they are choreographing to determine understanding of content vocabulary and how they are using dance concepts to express that content vocabulary.

Summative

• Students are able to choreograph an original dance using locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, levels, and energy that demonstrates their understanding of weathering, erosion, and deposition.
• Student audience will identify the various forces (weathering, erosion, and deposition) in the dance of the presentation groups.
• Students can explain through their reflections how their choreographic choices demonstrated weathering, erosion, and deposition.

Differentiation 

Credits 

U.S. Department of Education- STEM + the Art of Integrated Learning

Ideas contributed by: SAIL Grant Teacher Leaders

*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:  June 2025 @ ArtsNOW