Montague Township School District
Dance Curriculum Guide
Grade 1
2025-2026
Melissa Neamand
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Description
This K-2 Dance curriculum combines movement with other subject areas to support kinesthetic learners through hands-on experience. Students explore music and art from different cultures and historical periods while developing technical skills in dance elements and performance. The curriculum uses dance as a teaching tool to develop creativity, critical thinking, and independent decision-making while building student confidence and positive self-image. Across the full year, students progress from understanding basic movement concepts and improvisation techniques to analyzing dance through cultural and historical perspectives.
Big Ideas
- Engaging in safe, efficient and effective movement will develop and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle.
- The elements of dance (time, space, energy) can be combined to create meaning and express ideas.
- Dance reflects and is shaped by cultural traditions, historical periods, and artistic intent.
- Improvisation and planned choreography allow dancers to make artistic choices and communicate through movement.
Essential Questions
- How can the elements of dance be used to express content, emotions, and personal expression?
- How can improvisation of movement communicate content, emotions, and personal expression?
- How is dance different from other forms of movement?
- How is cultural expression represented in dance?
- How does societal value affect artistic choice?
- What determines aesthetic quality?
Dance - Creating
Dance - Performing
Dance - Responding
Students determine central ideas and themes in texts, integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media formats, and use illustrations and details to describe characters, settings, and events in stories.
Students express individuality and cultural diversity through dramatic play, learn about and respect other cultures within the classroom and community, and describe how culture is expressed through and influenced by the behavior of people.
Students are assessed through both formative and summative approaches across the year. Formative assessments include self-assessment using rubrics and checklists, peer critique using structured protocols, written or drawn responses to dance experiences, and observation of classroom work and exit materials. Summative assessments include benchmark assessments administered at the end of each unit, performance rubrics evaluating movement sequences, and documented choreographic processes. Technology is integrated through video recording of performances for review and peer feedback.
| Unit | Formative | Summative | Benchmark | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01The Creative Process, Performance, and Aesthetic Responses | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 02History of the Arts and Culture, Performance, and Aesthetic Responses | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Coverage | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/2 |
| Unit | IEP | 504 | MLL | At-Risk | Gifted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01The Creative Process, Performance, and Aesthetic Responses | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 02History of the Arts and Culture, Performance, and Aesthetic Responses | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Coverage | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/2 |