Georgia Standards

 

South Carolina Standards

 

Key Vocabulary

 

Materials

• Sound source and music with a steady beat
• Paper and pencils
• Written word problems on cards

 

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

Classroom Tips: Allow for some open space to create and perform. Review audience etiquette expectations before students perform for their peers.

 

• Play Pass the Movement with students.
  • Begin by having students stand in a circle.
  • The objective of the game is to create a sequence of movements by passing a dance move around the circle or group, with each student adding their unique twist.
  • Each student will create a simple movement and "pass" it to the next student, who will then repeat the movement and add their own.
  • Choose one student to start the game. This student will perform a simple movement, such as a clap, a jump, a spin, or a wave. Encourage students to focus on creating shapes and angles with their bodies.
  • The starting student then "passes" this movement to the next student by making eye contact and gesturing towards them.
  • The next student repeats the initial movement and then adds their own unique movement.
  • This student then "passes" the combined movements to the next student.
  • Each subsequent student repeats the previous movements in the correct order and adds their own new movement.
  • Continue passing the movement around the circle or along the line until all students have had a turn.
  • Once the movement has gone all the way around, have the group perform the entire sequence together from start to finish.

 

 

 

Work Session

• • Tell students that they will be using the Elements of Dance to enact the solution to a word problem.

• 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 Time: Next, bring students’ awareness to the rhythm of the music by having them march in place to the beat, gently swinging their arms by their sides.
  • 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.
  • Element of Action - Locomotor/non-locomotor: Tell students that these movements they just performed were non-locomotor, meaning that they didn’t move to a new location. Direct students to perform a movement that requires moving from one place to another, such as step-together, step-together moving side to side.
  • Have students practice what they just learned by saying words such as “locomotor” and have students create a spontaneous locomotor movement.
  • Have students return to their seats.
• Next, divide the class into small groups. Assign each group a word problem (it can be the same word problem or different word problems depending on students’ levels).
  • For example, “You must choreograph a dance combination that is 4 counts of 8 in length. The dance must have an equal number of locomotor and non-locomotor movements.”
  • Students should solve the word problem mathematically. For example, “What is the total number of counts in the dance (32)? How many locomotor movements will you have (16)? How many non-locomotor movements will you have (16)?”
  • Next, students will create choreography to answer the word problems. Students can arrange their choreography as they would like as long as it meets the criteria of the word problem.
    • Example 1: First 4 counts - locomotor movement, second 4 counts - non-locomotor, third 4 counts - locomotor, fourth 4 counts - non-locomotor, fifth 4 counts - locomotor movement, sixth 4 counts - non-locomotor, seventh 4 counts - locomotor, eighth 4 counts - non-locomotor.
    • Example 2: First 4 counts - non-locomotor, second 4 counts - locomotor, third 4 counts - locomotor, fourth 4 counts - non-locomotor, fifth 4 counts - locomotor, sixth 4 counts - locomotor, seventh 4 counts - non-locomotor, eighth 4 counts - non-locomotor.
    • Both dances have 32 counts total, 16 of which are locomotor and 16 of which are non-locomotor.

 

Closing Reflection

• The students will perform their movement phrases for their classmates. Discuss appropriate audience participation and etiquette prior to performances.
• After students perform, groups will read their word problem to the class, show their solution and how it went with their performed choreography.
• If all groups used the same word problem, discuss how different groups created different choreography based on the same criteria.

 

Assessments

Formative

Teachers will assess students’ understanding of the content throughout the lesson by observing students’ participation in the activator, ability to make different types of movements using the Elements of Dance, ability to understand and correctly solve the word problem, and collaboration in group choreography.

 

Summative

CHECKLIST

• Students can identify and perform the Elements of Dance.
• Students can decipher the given word problem.
• Students can solve the given word problem.
• Students can create and perform choreography that correctly demonstrates the solution to the given word problem.

 

 

 

DIFFERENTIATION 

Acceleration: Raise the challenge of the word problem by including more steps, such as a minimum of four different types of movements that students will select and perform. Remediation:  Scaffold the lesson by solving a word problem as a class and creating choreography as a class before individual group choreography. Differentiate the level of word problems depending on student ability.

 

*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: June 2024 @ ArtsNOW

 

 

Georgia Standards

 

South Carolina Standards

 

Key Vocabulary

 

Materials

• Sound source and music with a steady beat
• Equations on cards that require students to use the order of operations

 

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

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.

• 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

• Review order of operations with students. 
• Break the class into groups. 
• Assign each group one of the following: Parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, or subtraction.
• Each group should create a movement that demonstrates their operation.
• Remind students to think about the movements from the warm-ups and how their levels and body shapes can communicate their concept.
• Each group will teach their movement to the class.
• Then, the whole class will perform the choreography together in the correct order of operations. 
• Assign each group an equation that requires students to use the order of operations in order to be solved.  
• Ask students to begin by solving their equation mathematically.
• Next, ask students to create choreography in the order that is needed to solve an equation with the order of operations.
• For example, if the equation is 19 + 40 ÷ 5 - (8 + 5 ) = X, students would create a movement to represent (8 + 5); 40 ÷ 5; 19 + 8; and finally 27 - 13.
• Encourage students to incorporate the movements from the order of operations choreography in their equation choreography.

 

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, students will share and post their equation with ordered sections in how they solved the problem and related it to the sections of choreography they created.

 

Assessments

Formative

Teachers will assess students’ understanding of the content throughout the lesson by observing students’ participation in the activator, ability to express the order of operations through movement, and ability to use the order of operations to solve an equation.

 

Summative

CHECKLIST

• Students can represent the order of operations through movement.
• Students can create choreography that represents each step of their equation using the order of operations. 
• Students can accurately use order of operations to solve their equation.

 

 

DIFFERENTIATION 

Acceleration: Challenge students to create their own equation and create choreography to represent it using the order of operations.   Remediation: Assign each group a section of the equation to choreograph. Then, have students put their equation together to solve it using the order of operations.

*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: June 2024 @ ArtsNOW

 

 

Georgia Standards

 

South Carolina Standards

 

Key Vocabulary

 

Materials

• Paper
• Pencils
• Teacher access to computer and Internet

 

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

•  

• • Choose a fractions song (see materials) for students to engage in a “Hear, Think, Wonder” listening routine. This listening routine is a modification of Project Zero’s “See, Think, Wonder” Thinking Routine.

• Prepare students for the listening activity by telling students that they are going to listen to a song and answer three prompts about the song. Wait until the end of the listening activity before revealing the title and composer of the song.

• • • The first prompt is “I hear”.
      • Students should focus on the different musical sounds such as tempo (fast/slow), dynamics (loud/soft), instruments, pitch (high/low), and lyrics (words to song). They may use words or draw a quick picture to answer. 
      • Play the song audio only one time while students are listening in order to answer the prompt, “I hear”. 
      • Students turn and talk to a neighbor and share their answers.
      • Students share out to the class. Validate the answers that students give.
      • Repeat the process for “I think” and “I wonder”.
        • For “I think”, the teacher can ask clarifying questions such as, “What did you hear in the music that made you think that?”.

• After the listening activity, encourage students to sing along with the recording. Provide a lyric sheet or turn on closed captions so that students can sing along with the video. (The font of the closed caption can be enlarged by clicking on settings, then English, finally options.)

• • Start by singing the chorus. Tell students that the chorus is the main idea of the song with repeating lyrics.
  • Lead students in finding the steady beat to the song during the verses by directing students to pat their legs or tap two fingers in a palm. 
  • Demonstrate the four basic movements of body percussion (stomp, pat, clap, snap–or tap two fingers in palm if snapping is a challenge). Lead students in each of these movements doing them to the steady beat of the song.
• Transition into the lesson about fractions.

Work Session

• • Introduce or review grade level fraction concepts, such as equivalent fractions, comparing fractions, and adding and subtracting fractions. Use modeling, visual representations, and hands-on manipulatives to help students understand the concept of fractions.
  • Transition to the concept of representing and comparing fractions through performing rhythmic movements called body percussion.
    • Remind students of the four basic movements of body percussion used in the activator (stomp, pat, clap, snap–or tap two fingers in palm if snapping is a challenge).

• Students practice and perform body percussion to a steady beat using the Body Percussion Grid 1 by Crescendo as a guide. (*Any occurrence of the shoe can represent stomp.)

• • • Help students determine the fractions of the body movements in Body Percussion Grid 1 (ex: claps = 5/16 if using the entire board)
    • Students will then compare the fractions using greater than, less than, and equal to.
• Divide students into small groups of three to four students and present the following group task:
  • Tell students that as a group, they will create their own body percussion composition using the Create Your Own Beat Body Percussion Board.
    • Predetermine how many movements students should use/how many squares on the board (ex: the entire board, only 12 squares, only 8 squares, etc.). This number will represent the denominator.
      • Assign a different number of total movements for different groups. 
    • Provide time for students to:
      • Compose their body percussion using the blank board. 
      • Determine and write fractions based on the occurrence of body parts. 
      • Students should add their fractions to ensure that they have the correct total number of movements assigned (i.e., 5/16 + 2/16 + 4/16 + 5/16 = 16/16).
      • Compare the fractions using greater than, less than, and equal to.
      • Practice performing the body percussion composition to a steady beat.
• After a predetermined amount of work time, students will share their body percussion compositions with a partner group.
  • Groups will work to compare the occurrence of body parts in each of their compositions by finding the least common denominator. For example, one group used clapping 3 beats out of 16 total and their partner group used clapping 3 beats out of 8 total. Students should find the least common denominator and show that 3/16 < 6/16.
  • Students should look for any occurrences of the same numerator in their fractions and be able to determine that because they have different denominators, the fractions are not equivalent. 
  • Students should look for any occurrences of equivalent fractions when comparing  compositions and be able to determine that the fraction of the movement in each composition is the same even though the occurrence of the movement is different in each composition.

Closing Reflection

• Partner groups will share their body percussion composition with the class.
  • Remind performers to do their best. Remind audience members to give their attention to the performing group and applaud the group’s effort after the performance.
  • Groups will share with the class what they learned when comparing their compositions.
• Together, the teacher and students will review how students used body percussion to represent and compare fractions.

 

 

Assessments

Formative

Teacher will assess student learning through:

• Observation of written responses during the listening activity.
• Observation of “turn and talk” and “sharing out” during the listening activity.
• Observation of students singing with a steady beat.
• Observation of students demonstrating the steady beat during the singing activity.
• Observation and questioning during the group task.
• Observation of groups comparing their compositions.

 

 

 

Summative

CHECKLIST

• Students can perform the body percussion to a steady beat.
• Students can correctly identify fractions based on the body parts used to create the body percussion compositions.
• Students can compare fractions using body percussion compositions by finding the least common denominator.
• Students can create a body percussion composition that represents fractions.

 

 

 

DIFFERENTIATION 

Acceleration:  Require a minimum number of movements in the composition.  Have groups combine their compositions into one large composition after converting all fractions to the least common denominator. If the least common denominator was 16 for each, by combining the two compositions, the total number of movements will now be 32. Students should add all occurrences of each body percussion movement and reorder the movements from least to greatest. For example, after converting the fractions to use the least common denominator, one group has used clapping 2 times and the other group 4 times (using the new denominator of 32, 2/32 + 4/32 = 6/32); one groups has used stomping 3 times and the other group 5 times (3/32 + 5/32 = 8/32). Students would then order/compare the movements from least to greatest, 6/32 < 8/32. Have students simplify fractions where possible.  Remediation:  Scaffold the lesson by working with students to compare two example compositions by finding the least common denominators before groups complete this task independently. Reduce the number of total squares/denominator to complete on the body percussion board. Limit the number of types of body percussion movements students should use in their compositions to a small number.

 

 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Project Zero’s “See, Think, Wonder” Artful Thinking Routine Fractions Songs for Kids by NumberRock (chorus introduced at :30) The Fractions Song by Hopscotch (chorus introduced at :52) Fractions are Parts of a Whole by Jack Hartmann (chorus introduced at :15) Body Percussion Grid 1 by Crescendo Create Your Own Beat Body Percussion Board

 

*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: Rue Lee-Holmes. Updated by: Katy Betts.

Revised and copyright:  August 2024 @ ArtsNOW