Dancing Sentences K-1

DANCING SENTENCES

Dancing Sentences

Learning Description

In this lesson, students will explore punctuation and capitalization through movement and choreography.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: K-1
CONTENT FOCUS: DANCE & ELA
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can demonstrate my understanding of ending punctuation marks by matching energy quality to punctuation.
  • I can demonstrate my understanding that every sentence should begin with an uppercase letter through movement.
  • I can choreograph a five movement phrase that uses the elements of dance as a tool of communication.

Essential Questions

  • How can I use movement and choreography to show my understanding of the conventions of the standard English language?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Kindergarten:

ELAGSEKL1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Print many upper- and lowercase letters. d. Understand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how). f. Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities.

ELAGSEKL2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a.  Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I.  b.  Recognize and name end punctuation.

Grade 1:

ELAGSE1L1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a.  Print all upper- and lowercase letters. j.  Produce and expand complete simple and compound sentences in response to questions and prompts (declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory). k.  Print with appropriate spacing between words and sentences.

ELAGSE1L2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. b.  Use end punctuation for sentences.

Arts Standards

Kindergarten:

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

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

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

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

Grade 1:

ESD1.CR.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the choreographic process.

ESD1.CR.2 Demonstrate an understanding of dance as a form of communication.

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

ESD1.RE.1 Demonstrate critical and creative thinking in dance.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 1:

1.NSBT.1.c. Read, write and represent numbers to 100 using concrete models, standard form, and equations in expanded form1.NSBT.4 Add through 99 using concrete models, drawings, and strategies based on place value to: a. add a two-digit number and a one-digit number, understanding that sometimes it is necessary to compose a ten (regroup)

Arts Standards

Grade 1:

Anchor Standard 3: I can act in improvised scenes and written scripts.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Punctuation - Used to separate sentences and their elements, clarify meaning, and end sentences

  • Declarative sentence - A type of sentence that makes a statement or expresses an opinion ending with a period

 

  • Exclamatory sentence - A type of sentence that expresses strong emotion or excitement ending with an exclamation mark

  • Interrogative sentence - A type of sentence that asks a question ending with a question mark

Arts Vocabulary

  • Movement phrase - A series of movements linked together to make a distinctive pattern

  • Choreography - The art of composing dances and planning and arranging the movements, steps, and patterns of dancers 

 

  • Level - One of the aspects of the movement element space; in dance, there are three basic levels: high, middle, and low

Energy qualities:

  • 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

  • Sustained - Smooth and unaccented; there is not apparent start or stop, only a continuity of energy
  • Percussive - The quality of movement characterized by sharp starts and stops; staccato jabs of energy
  • Vibratory - Quality of movement characterized by rapidly repeated bursts of percussive movements like “a jitter”
  • 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

 

Materials

  • Sound source and music with a steady beat
  • Cards with ending punctuation marks written on them (one per card)

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

Classroom Tips: Open space as much as possible. Guide students through choreographic decisions rather than suggest ideas. Ask questions as to why they are making their choreographic choices to check for understanding. Remind students that it isn’t about a final product, it’s about the experience in the process. Reminder–A noisy classroom isn’t necessarily an off-task classroom. 

  • Begin by engaging students in movement that introduces students to the Elements of Dance: Body, action, space, time and energy.
    • Have students arrange themselves in the classroom with enough personal space to move freely without touching a neighbor.
    • Turn on instrumental music with a steady beat.
    • Element of Body: First, have students bring awareness to their bodies by leading them through gentle stretches starting from the head and moving to the toes (e.g., head circles, shoulder shrugs, toe touches, etc.). Then, ask them to make different shapes with their bodies.
    • Element of Energy: Now, direct students to explore energy variations with different movement qualities such as sharp movements–quick, precise actions like punches or snaps, and smooth movements–slow, flowing actions like waves or circles with arms.
    • Element of Space: Levels - Bring students’ attention to levels (high, middle, low) with movements such as stretching up high and moving on tiptoes, crouching in a small ball close to the floor, and bouncing in place at a middle level.
    • Have students practice what they just learned by saying words such as “high level movement” and have students create a spontaneous high level movement.
    • Have students return to their seats or the carpet.

 

Work Session

  • Divide students into partners or small groups. Tell students that they are going to pick three movements to put together to make a brief dance/movement phrase.
    • Allow time for groups to choreograph and practice.
    • Allow time for those who would like to perform to share.
  • Next, ask students what type of letter every sentence must start with. Students should respond with an uppercase letter.
    • Using dance levels, ask students to create a new movement to represent an uppercase letter in their movement phrase and where it should go (the beginning). Students now have a four movement phrase. 
  • Next, assign each group an ending punctuation for their movement phrase. Ask what type of movement they could create to show the assigned punctuation (i.e., an exclamation mark might be a high-energy jump).
    • Remind students of the element of energy from the activator. Ask students how energy can be used to communicate different types of punctuation. 
    • Provide time to guide students through experimentation of different energy qualities and movements. 
    • Ask students where their punctuation mark should go in their movement phrase. Students should respond that it should be the final movement in their phrase. 
    • Students will then go back to their groups or partners and add a movement to reflect their punctuation. Students should have a total of five movements in their choreography.

 

Closing Reflection

  • Students will perform their dances for their classmates. Discuss appropriate audience participation and etiquette prior to performances.
  • After each performance, the audience will identify the movement that showed the uppercase letter and the type of ending punctuation mark. Students should explain how they came to their conclusions.
  • Have students finish by creating a sentence that uses their ending punctuation mark.

 

Assessments

Formative

  • Teachers will assess students’ understanding of the content throughout the lesson by observing students’ participation in the activator, discussion of uppercase letters and ending punctuation, ability to translate punctuation into energy levels in movement, and collaboration with groups to choreograph a movement phrase that demonstrates uppercase letters and ending punctuation.

 

Summative

CHECKLIST

  • Students can demonstrate their understanding of ending punctuation by matching energy quality to punctuation.
  • Students can demonstrate their understanding that every sentence should begin with an uppercase letter through movement.
  • Students can choreograph a five movement phrase that uses the elements of dance as a tool of communication. 
  • Students can produce a sentence that correctly uses their ending punctuation mark.

 

DIFFERENTIATION 

Acceleration: Challenge students to create choreography demonstrating the sentence that they created at the end of the lesson. Students can add in other types of punctuation, such as commas. Students can think about how they can express their nouns and verbs through movement.

Remediation: 

  • Complete the whole five-movement choreographic process as a class before assigning individual partners/groups their own choreography.
  • Chunk the lesson by creating the three-movement phrase in one session, adding a movement for uppercase letters in a second session, and adding a movement for ending punctuation in a third lesson.

 

 

*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: Melissa Dittmar-Joy. Updated by Katy Betts.

Revised and copyright:  August 2024 @ ArtsNOW

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Character Choreography

CHARACTER CHOREOGRAPHY

CHARACTER CHOREOGRAPHY

Learning Description

Working through the choreographic process, students will create a short choreographic work demonstrating the traits of a character and dance elements.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: K-1
CONTENT FOCUS: DANCE & ELA
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can demonstrate traits of characters in a story through choreography.
  • I can use the elements of dance to express ideas about character traits.
  • I can create a complete dance with a beginning, middle and end.

Essential Questions

  • How can the elements of dance be used to demonstrate the understanding of a character in a story?
  • How is the choreographic process similar to the writing process?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Kindergarten:

ELAGSEKRL3 With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story

ELAGSEKRL9 With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.

ELAGSEKW2 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic. 

ELAGSEKW3 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened. 

ELAGSEKW5 With guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed. 

ELAGSEKW6 With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of tools to produce and publish writing, including digital tools in collaboration with peers.

Grade 1:

ELAGSE1RL3 Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

ELAGSE1RL7 Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events. 

ELAGSE1RL9 Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories. 

ELAGSE1W2 Write informative/ explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. 

ELAGSE1W3 Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure

ELAGSE1W5 With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed. a. May include oral or written prewriting (graphic organizers). 

ELAGSE1W6 With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of tools to produce and publish writing, including digital tools and collaboration with peers.

Arts Standards

Kindergarten:

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

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

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

ESDK.PR.3 Recognize the relationship between human anatomy and movement.

ESDK.PR.4 Understand and apply music concepts to dance.

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

ESDK.CN.3 Identify connections between dance and other areas of knowledge

Grade 1:

ESD1.CR.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the choreographic process. 

ESD1.CR.2 Demonstrate an understanding of dance as a form of communication

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

ESD1.PR.4 Understand and apply music concepts to dance.

ESD2.CN.3 Identify connections between dance and other areas of knowledge.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Kindergarten:

K.RL.MC.8.1 With guidance and support, read or listen closely to: describe characters and their actions;

K.W.MCC.3.1 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, to tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and to provide a reaction to what happened. 

K.C.MC.1.4 Participate in conversations with varied partners about focused grade level topics and texts in small and large groups.

Grade 1:

1.RL.MC.8.1 Read or listen closely to: a. describe characters’ actions and feelings; 

1.W.MCC.3.2 Plan, revise, and edit building on personal ideas and the ideas of others to strengthen writing. 

1.C.MC.3.1 Explore and compare how ideas and topics are depicted in a variety of media and formats.

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.

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

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

Beginning - The starting point of a story, including the introduction of who, where, what, why, and when.

Middle - The phase in which a story line develops, introducing conflict. 

End - The ultimate resolution or conclusion to conflict signaling that a story is stopping.

Transition - A word or phrase that connects two ideas.

Writing process - A cycle of activities, including brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and presentation, that are used to turn ideas into a literary work.

Emotion - A mental state that occurs depending on circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.

Arts Vocabulary

Level - The height of a movement in relationship to the floor (i.e., high, middle, low).

Locomotor - Movement that travels from one location to another in a pathway through space.

Non Locomotor - Movement that occurs without the body traveling from one point to another point.

Tempo - The speed of the beats of the movements that dancers perform.

Energy Qualities - A group of actors frozen to create a picture.

  • Swinging - Oscillatory (not swing dance, a genre of dance)
  • Sustained - Smooth, continuous, even, without pause or stopping and possibly with a long duration
  • Percussive - Short, sharp, sudden, forceful
  • Vibratory - Repeating and often small and short
  • Suspended - Holding, as in pausing, at a certain point of a movement

Beginning/Middle/End - The phases of a choreography in which movement is used to communicate a starting point (beginning), the development of ideas, including complexity and conflict as necessary (middle), and a tying up or completion of ideas (end).

Choreographic Process - The steps taken to create movement sequences for dancers, which include testing, revising, and editing work.

 

Materials

  • A variety of music selections
  • Music source and speakers

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

Letter Statues

    • In groups, have students select and practice one movement of their choice.
    • Guide students through exploring that movement with different elements of dance.
      • Practice the movement at different levels.
      • Practice the movement with different tempos.
      • Practice the movement in a locomotor and non-locomotor way.
      • Practice the movement using different energy qualities.
        • swinging
        • sustained
        • percussive
        • vibratory
        • suspended

 

Work Session

PART 1 - Explore Movement

  • Have students name a literary character to portray.
  • Instruct students to create a movement to represent something important about that character, which could be an action, emotion, or personality trait of the character.
  • Ask students to demonstrate their movement to the class.
  • Ask classmates to identify the artistic intent conveyed by the group; the presenting group identifies the correct peer answer or explains their artistic intent.

PART 2 - Add new movements to set an order

  • Have students create two more movements to communicate two more important things about their character. There will be three total movements, including the initial movement (part 1) and these two movements. These three movements can be referred to as the beginning, middle and end of the choreography.
  • Ask students to try their movements in different orders and then decide on the sequence that they feel best tells the audience about their character.

PART 3 - Choreograph and revise

  • Lead students through the choreographic process to revise and edit their choreography. Just as with the writing process, the intent of leading students through the process is to add “details” to make the choreography more exciting or interesting.
  • Ask students to add levels to their choreography.  Remind them to think of their character and where and why they would use different levels.  
  • Ask students to add tempos to their choreography.  Would their character move fast or slow?  When or why might that character's tempos vary?
  • Ask students to add energy qualities to their choreography. For example, if the character is excited a vibratory energy quality might be used. If the character is angry a percussive energy quality might be used.
  • Give students time to practice the revised version of their choreography.

PART 4 - Choreograph and revise

  • Once students have revised and edited their choreography, ask them to present their character choreography to the class. Option to choose music for each dance.

 

Closing Reflection

Ask students to reflect on how their dance evolved through the choreographic process.  How did adding level, tempo, and energy qualities make the choreography more interesting? 

Discuss the similarities of the choreographic process to the writing process.

 

Assessments

Formative

Visually observe the students' choreography evolving as they work through the choreographic process.

  • Teacher observes students adding the elements of dance to their choreography as queued: levels, tempo, energy qualities.
  • Teacher observes students using vocabulary of the elements of dance as they work.

 

Summative

CHARACTER CHOREOGRAPHY CHECKLIST

  • The choreography contains a clear beginning, middle, end.
  • The choreography contains levels.
  • The choreography contains varying tempos.
  • The choreography effectively uses dance to communicate ideas about the chosen character.

 

Differentiation

Acceleration: 

  • Have students work in partners to evolve work for a single person into a duet showing how two characters would relate to one another.
  • Compare and contrast two-character choreography works.

Remediation: 

Work through the process as a large group working on one character.

Additional Resources

While part of the standards discussion but not standards themselves, the statements below reflect the connection between the choreographic process and the writing process and are interesting to consider while implementing this lesson.

Fundamentals of Writing  

Employ a recursive writing process that includes planning, drafting, revising, editing, rewriting, publishing, and reflecting.  

Interact and collaborate with peers and adults to develop and strengthen writing.  

Produce writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, discipline, and audience. 

Fundamentals of Communication  

Employ a reciprocal communication process that includes planning, drafting, revising, editing, reviewing, presenting, and reflecting.  

Communicate using style, language, and nonverbal cues appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.  

Use active and attentive communication skills, building on other’s ideas to explore, learn, enjoy, argue, and exchange information.  

Monitor delivery and reception throughout the communication process and adjust approach and strategies as needed.

 

 

*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:  Melissa Dittmar-Joy

Revised and copyright: August 2022 @ ArtsNOW

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Dance Across Landforms K-1

DANCE ACROSS LANDFORMS

DANCE ACROSS LANDFORMS

Learning Description

In this lesson, students will become explorers encountering a variety of landforms. Students will create a fictional narrative about their journey and then create choreography to match the sequence generated in the story.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: K-1
CONTENT FOCUS: DANCE, SOCIAL STUDIES, ELA
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can describe and identify the different types of landforms.

  • I can use movement to represent the different types of landforms.

  • I can write narratives with a beginning, middle and end.

Essential Questions

  • How can we use movement to represent different types of landforms?

  • What are the similarities and differences between different types of landforms?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Kindergarten:

ELA

ELAGSEKW3 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.

 

Grade 1:

ELA

ELAGSE1W3 Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure. 

 

Social Studies

SS1G3 Locate major topographical features of the earth’s surface. a. Locate all of the continents: North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Antarctica, and Australia. b. Locate the major oceans: Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific, Southern, and Indian. c. Identify and describe landforms (mountains, deserts, valleys, and coasts).

Arts Standards

Kindergarten: 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Grade 1:

ESD1.CR.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the choreographic process.

 

ESD1.CR.2 Demonstrate an understanding of dance as a form of communication.

 

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

 

ESD1.RE.1 Demonstrate critical and creative thinking in dance.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Kindergarten:

ELA

WRITING - Meaning, Context, and Craft

Standard 3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

3.1 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, to tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and to provide a reaction to what happened.

 

Grade 1: 

ELA 

WRITING - Meaning, Context, and Craft

Standard 3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

3.1 Explore multiple texts to write narratives that recount two or more sequenced events, include details, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure. 

 

Social Studies

1.G.4 Describe and compare various landforms within South Carolina through the use of primary and secondary sources.

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

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Landforms - A specific geomorphic feature on the surface of the earth, ranging from large-scale features such as plains, plateaus, and mountains to minor features such as hills, valleys, and alluvial fans

  • Mountain - A natural elevation of the earth's surface rising more or less abruptly to a summit, and attaining an altitude greater than that of a hill, usually greater than 2000 feet

  • Valley - An elongated depression between uplands, hills, or mountains, especially one following the course of a stream

  • Desert - A region so arid because of little rainfall that it supports only sparse and widely spaced vegetation or no vegetation at all

  • Plateau - A land area having a relatively level surface considerably raised above adjoining land on at least one side, and often cut by deep canyons

  • Coast - The land next to the sea
  • Plain - An area of land not significantly higher than adjacent areas and with relatively minor differences in elevation, commonly less than 500 ft. (150 m), within the area

Arts Vocabulary

  • Sequence - Order of succession

  • Movement phrase - A series of movements linked together to make a distinctive pattern

  • Space - An element of movement involving direction, level, size, focus, and pathway

  • Level - One of the aspects of the movement element space; in dance, there are three basic levels: high, middle, and low

  • Choreography - The art of composing dances and planning and arranging the movements, steps, and patterns of dancers

  • Choreographer - A person who creates dances
  • Shape - This refers to an interesting and interrelated arrangement of body parts of one dance; the visual makeup or molding of the body parts of a single dancer; the overall visible appearance of a group of dancers

 

Materials

  • Sound source and music with a steady beat
  • Cards with landforms written on them
  • Anchor chart/poster paper
  • Markers

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Begin by engaging students in movement that introduces students to the Elements of Dance: Body, action, space, time and energy.
    • Have students arrange themselves in the classroom with enough personal space to move freely without touching a neighbor.
    • Turn on instrumental music with a steady beat.
    • First, have students bring awareness to their bodies by leading them through gentle stretches starting from the head and moving to the toes (e.g., head circles, shoulder shrugs, toe touches, etc.). Then, ask them to make different shapes with their bodies.
    • Bring students’ attention to levels (high, middle, low) with movements such as stretching up high and moving on tiptoes, crouching in a small ball close to the floor, and bouncing in place at a middle level.
    • Have students practice what they just learned by saying words such as “high level” and have students create a spontaneous high level movement.
    • Have students return to their seats or the carpet.

 

Work Session

  • Project photos of the six main types of landforms (mountains, valleys, plains, plateaus, coasts, and deserts).  
  • As a class, describe each of these landforms. 
    • First, have students describe their height in terms of high, middle and low.
    • Next, have students describe what shapes they see in the images. 
    • Finally, discuss how the landforms are similar and how they are different.
    • Add descriptions of each landform to an anchor chart to post in the room.
  • Show students a map of a region being studied and where the landforms are located. Ask students to imagine that they are going on a journey and that they will encounter these different landforms along the way. 
  • Divide students into small groups or partners. Assign each group several landforms from the region being studied.
  • In their groups, students will write a story with words and/or pictures depending on grade and ability level about their journey across the region and the landforms they encountered. 
    • Remind students that their setting will be the landforms they encounter, so they should use descriptive details to help the reader visualize the setting.
    • Remind students that their stories should have a beginning, middle, and end.
    • Remind students to use temporal language to assist with communicating sequence.
    • Circulate and conference with students throughout the writing process.
  • Tell students that they will create a movement phrase to represent their journey.
    • Demonstrate how to create a movement to represent a landform with a different type of physical feature such as a river. 
      • Brainstorm with students a movement they could use to represent a river. Ask them to consider if the river movement should be high, middle or low and what shape it should be.
      • Allow students to practice the movement as a class.
    • Allow students to begin choreographing their dances. 
      • Their dances should tell their story, so the movements in their dances should be in the same sequence as they are in their narratives. 
      • Students should create a unique movement or movement phrase for each landform. Students should then connect the movements to create a whole dance.

 

Closing Reflection

  • Students will perform their dances for their classmates. Discuss appropriate audience participation and etiquette prior to performances.
  • After each performance, the audience will determine which landforms the group represented and what from their dance indicated that.
  • Optional: Allow groups to share their narratives either before or after their performances.

 

Assessments

Formative

Teachers will assess students’ understanding of the content throughout the lesson by observing students’ participation in the activator, ability to describe and identify landforms, ability to collaborate with their classmates to choreograph a movement phrase that represents a journey through their assigned landforms, and conferencing with students during the writing process.

 

Summative

CHECKLIST

  • Students can describe and identify the different landforms.
  • Students can use movement to represent the different landforms.
  • Students can write narratives with a beginning, middle and end.
  • Students can use temporal language to communicate the sequence of events in their narratives (first grade).

 

Differentiation

Acceleration: 

  • Challenge students by asking them to structure their dances like the story. It should have a beginning pose/shape, movement phrases, transitions between movements, and an ending pose/shape.
  • Challenge students to create not only individual movements, but movements and shapes that they make together to create a formation (i.e., how could all dancers’ bodies be used to create one mountain?).

Remediation: Write a narrative as a class; then have groups choreograph their dances to represent the class narrative.

 

 

*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: Melissa Dittmar-Joy. Updated by Katy Betts.

Revised and copyright:  August 2024 @ ArtsNOW

Back to Modules

Dance Graphs

DANCE GRAPHS

DANCE GRAPHS

Learning Description

Students will interpret data on graphs and use the information to explore dance composition, form, and order of choreography.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: K-1
CONTENT FOCUS: Dance & Math
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can group and interpret data.
  • I can recognize different types of graphs.
  • I can interpret data in a graph to create choreography.

Essential Questions

  • How can dance and movement be used to demonstrate understanding of graphs and data interpretation?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Kindergarten:

MGSE2.MD.10 Draw a picture graph and a bar graph (with single-unit scale) to represent a data set with up to four categories. Solve simple put-together, take-apart, and compare problems using information presented in a bar graph.Grade 1:

MGSE3.MD.3 Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step “how many more” and “how many less” problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. For example, draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent 5 pets.

Arts Standards

Kindergarten:

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

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

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

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

ESDK.CN.3 Identify connections between dance and other areas of knowledge

Grade 1:

ESD1.CR.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the choreographic process.

ESD1.CR.2 Demonstrate an understanding of dance as a form of communication

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

ESD2.CN.3 Identify connections between dance and other areas of knowledge.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Kindergarten:

K.MDA.3 Sort and classify data into 2 or 3 categories with data not to exceed 20 items in each category.

K.MDA.4 Represent data using object and picture graphs and draw conclusions from the graphs.

Grade 1:

1.MDA.4 Collect, organize, and represent data with up to three categories using object graphs, picture graphs, t-charts and tallies.

1.MDA.5 Draw conclusions from given object graphs, picture graphs, t-charts, tallies, and bar graphs.

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

Graph - A diagram that shows the relationship between two or more things.

Data - A collection of individual facts or statistics.

Analyze - Examine a subject methodically and in detail, typically in order to explain and interpret it.

Arts Vocabulary

Choreography - The art of composing dances and planning and arranging the movements, steps, and patterns of dancers.

Choreographer - A person who creates dances.

Level - The vertical distance from the floor that a dancer occupies during a movement

Plane - An imaginary flat surface running through the body.

 

Materials

  • Music source and speakers
  • Graphs/Data, printed or projected

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

Teacher tallies the number of students born each month. Students group birthdays into seasons.

As a group, lead students in a warm up that includes these dance elements:

  • Levels, body shapes, plane
  • Locomotor and non-locomotor movements
  • Identify these dance elements so that students learn dance vocabulary.

 

Work Session

Movement Discovery
Look at a variety of types of graphs and discuss:

  • The basic, overall shapes of each graph, i.e., a bar graph may be described as rectangular while a pie chart may be called a circle
  • Looking inside the graphs, how different shapes and symbols express data in each example, i.e., a pie chart contains angles while a picture graph may contain hearts and stars.

Collaboration:

  • Divide the class into small groups and assign either a picture or a bar graph to each group, using various examples of graphs.
  • Students describe the graph form (overall form and form of value symbols) using the dance vocabulary and concepts from warm-up
  • Students assign dance movements to the visual expression of the form of the graph, i.e., bars on a bar graph may be jumps; stars on a picture graph may be spins.

Choreographic Process:

  • Students analyze the data that the teacher gathered at the beginning of class: How many students have birthdays in each season?
  • Students draw the data in their assigned graph.
  • Create a graph dance by sequencing the movements from the previous step so that they reflect the data, i.e., a bar graph with data of 5 and 2 may include a person standing on their toes and extending their arms overhead 5 times and another person repeating the movement 2 times.
  • Students decide how to order the data, such as least to most or progression of seasons in the calendar year.
  • Students decide how to demonstrate the type of graph, as well as data.

Performance and discussion:

  • Perform each group dance.
  • The audience identifies which type of graph the peer group is presenting.
  • The teacher asks questions about the data represented in each graph dance (How many? How many more? How many fewer? Which season had more birthdays? the most? fewer? the least?).

 

Closing Reflection

The audience explains how movement observed represents the form of the graph, as well as the data.

Groups explain why they chose certain movements to express the data and form of their graph.

 

Assessments

Formative

  • Students engage in a collaborative discussion about movement choices, graph form, and data.
  • Students correctly use dance vocabulary during the discussion.

 

Summative

  • Students correctly interpret their assigned data.
  • Students present choreography that accurately portrays their assigned data.
  • Students/audience will accurately identify and interpret the data expressed in peer choreography.

 

Differentiation

Acceleration: Show dance photos that contain multiple dancers; count the dancers and then express the data in scaled picture or bar graphs. Suggested photos in Additional Resources, below.

Remediation: Analyze data and draw it in different types of graphs as a whole class and then divide into small groups to create choreographies.

Additional Resources

Classroom Tips:

Set up chairs and tables in a circular format to maximize students’ engagement and ability to see their peers during the activity and performance. Also establish parameters for acceptable movement choices and discuss audience behavior/etiquette with students.

Suggested dance photos for first grade acceleration:

Two dancers:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MX_MM_BALLET_FOLKL%C3%93RICO_DE_M%C3%89XICO_-_40289925045.jpg

Four dancers
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ballet_Flamenco_de_Andaluc%C3%ADa19_(48628989227).jpg

Six dancers
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Opening_Performance_and_Address_(52146422509).jpg

Eight dancers
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dance_Ensemble_Sofia_6_Women.jpg

Ten dancers
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NIGERIA_Group_Dance1.jpg

Remediation: Analyze data and draw it in different types of graphs as a whole class and then divide into small groups to create choreographies.

*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 and updated by: Julie Galle Baggenstoss and Melissa Dittmar-Joy

Revised and copyright: August 2022 @ ArtsNOW

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Dance with Heating, Cooling and Insulation 3-4

DANCE WITH HEATING, COOLING & INSULATION

DANCE WITH HEATING, COOLING & INSULATION

Learning Description

In this lesson, help your students understand heating, cooling, and insulation by incorporating movement and dance composition.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 3-4
CONTENT FOCUS: DANCE & SCIENCE
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can explain thermal energy transfer through the concepts of heating, cooling, and insulation.
  • I can use movement qualities and energy to create choreography that appropriately demonstrates my assigned scenario.
  • I can accurately match choreography and science concepts.

Essential Questions

  • How can dance/movement help us understand and communicate how thermal energy can be transferred?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 3:

S3P1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the ways heat energy is transferred and measured.

  1. Ask questions to identify sources of heat energy. (Clarification statement: Examples could include sunlight, friction, and burning.)
  2. Plan and carry out an investigation to gather data using thermometers to produce tables and charts that illustrate the effect of sunlight on various objects. (Clarification statement: The use of both Fahrenheit and Celsius temperature scales is expected.)

Arts Standards

Grade 3:

ESD3.CR.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the choreographic process.

 

ESD3.CR.2 Demonstrate an understanding of dance as a form of communication.

 

ESD3.PR.1 Identify and demonstrate movement elements, skills, and terminology in dance

 

ESD3.RE.1 Demonstrate critical and creative thinking in dance.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 4: 

4-PS3-2. Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.

 

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

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Heating - The movement of thermal energy from one place to another
  • Cooling - The removal of heat from an object Insulation a material that reduces or prevents the transmission of heat or sound or electricity
  • Insulation - Reduces the transfer of heat between objects or environments

Arts Vocabulary

  • Choreographer - A person who creates a dance
  • Level - One of the aspects of the movement element space; can be described as high, middle and low
  • Energy/Force - Force propels or initiates movement, or causes changes in movement of body position
  • Pathway - The designs traced on the floor as a dancer travels across space; the designs traced in the air as a dancer moves various body parts
  • Space - An element of movement involving direction, level, size, focus, and pathway
  • Movement phrase - A series of movements linked together to make a distinctive pattern
  • Non-locomotor - This refers to a movement that does not travel through space
  • Locomotor - This refers to a movement that travels through space
  • Steady beat - An unchanging, continuous pulse
  • Choreography - The art of composing dances and planning and arranging the movements, steps, and patterns of dancers
  • Shape - This refers to an interesting and interrelated arrangement of body parts of one dance; the visual makeup or molding of the body parts of a single dancer; the overall visible appearance of a group of dancers

 

Materials

  • Sound source and music with a steady beat
  • Chart paper
  • Markers
  • Scenarios with heating, cooling and insulation

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Begin the lesson by engaging students in movement that introduces students to the Elements of Dance: Body, action, space, time and energy.
    • Have students arrange themselves in the classroom with enough personal space to move freely without touching a neighbor.
    • Turn on instrumental music with a steady beat.
    • First, have students bring awareness to their bodies by leading them through gentle stretches starting from the head and moving to the toes (e.g., head circles, shoulder shrugs, toe touches, etc.).
    • Next, bring students’ awareness to the rhythm of the music by having them march in place to the beat with high knees, swinging their arms side to side.
    • Now, direct students to explore energy variations with different movement qualities such as sharp movements–quick, precise actions like punches or snaps, and smooth movements–slow, flowing actions like waves or circles with arms.
    • Finally, bring students’ attention to levels (high, middle, low) and directions (forward, backward, sideways) with movements such as stretching up high and moving on tiptoes, moving low to the ground and crawling forwards and backwards, and bouncing in place at a medium level.
    • Have students return to their seats.

 

Work Session

  • Begin with teacher-led discussion or review of science concepts of heating, cooling, and insulation.
  • Divide students into small groups. Provide each group with a piece of chart paper/poster paper and markers.
  • In their groups, students should divide their paper into two sections (or pre-divide students’ paper for them).
    • Students should label the sections Heating and Cooling.
    • In each section, students should explain what heating and cooling are and provide examples of ways heat can be transferred or removed.
    • Allow students to share with the whole class. Students can revise/add to their charts as needed.
  • Remind students of the movement qualities and energy variations that they explored from the warm-up.
    • Ask groups to discuss and list which types of movement qualities and energy would show heating and cooling.
      • For example, slow movements to quick movements might represent heating.
    • Facilitate a class discussion around student responses. Students should explain why certain movements and energy levels would communicate different concepts. Students can revise/add to their charts as needed.
  • Provide each group with a different scenario involving heating, cooling and insulation.
  • Ask students to interpret their scenarios through movement, focusing on energy types and movement qualities. Choreography should include a starting pose, three movements, and an ending pose.

 

Closing Reflection

  • The students will perform their movement phrases for their classmates. Discuss appropriate audience participation and etiquette prior to performances.
  • Turn up the volume of the music and help students find the steady beat again by tapping their toe on the floor.
  • After each performance, ask the audience to identify what happened in the scenario and whether it showed heating, cooling, or insulation. Ask groups to identify which movements in the choreography support their reasoning.

 

Assessments

Formative

Teachers will assess students’ understanding of the content throughout the lesson by observing students’ participation in the activator; discussion of heating, cooling, and insulation; and group collaboration on brainstorming and creation of choreography.

 

Summative

CHECKLIST

  • Students can explain thermal energy transfer through the concepts of heating, cooling, and insulation.
  • Students can use movement qualities and energy to create choreography that appropriately demonstrates their assigned scenario.
  • Students can accurately match choreography and science concepts.

 

DIFFERENTIATION 

Acceleration: Challenge students to create their own scenario using an eight-count dance of either four two-count movements or eight one-count movements that shows both heating and cooling.

Remediation: 

  • Reduce the number of movements students are required to include in their choreography.
  • Scaffold the lesson by creating choreography as a group for one of the concepts together before assigning individual groups scenarios to choreograph.

*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: Melissa Dittmar-Joy. Updated by Katy Betts.

Revised and copyright: July 2024 @ ArtsNOW

 

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