Unit 2 — History of the Arts and Culture, Performance, and Aesthetic Responses
Description
This unit deepens student understanding of dance by examining it through cultural and historical lenses. Students explore how dance reflects and is influenced by different cultures, historical periods, and artistic traditions. They research and learn traditional dances from various cultures, comparing and contrasting elements such as movement quality, spatial patterns, and emotional expression. Students analyze how dancers use movement to express cultural values, human emotion, and gender identity. The unit incorporates folk dances, square dances, and line dances from different traditions. Students engage in choreographic research projects examining famous choreographers and their artistic characteristics. Throughout the unit, students apply principles of positive critique when analyzing performances and learn to recognize how artistic choices are shaped by cultural and societal contexts.
Essential Questions
- How is cultural expression represented in dance?
- How does societal value affect artistic choice?
- How are different body movements used to create or represent dance from different cultures?
- How are the values of culture represented in dance?
- What determines aesthetic quality?
- How can criticism improve artistic quality?
Learning Objectives
- Recognize that every student has a cultural background and that dance is part of it
- Identify characteristic theme-based works of dance from various historical periods and world cultures
- Analyze how dancers use movement to express artistic concerns such as human emotion, culture, and gender
- Compare and contrast dances from various cultures
- Compare how dance from diverse cultures and historical eras have common characteristics and themes
- Understand that people danced differently in different historical periods
- Create dances based on folk songs and world cultural traditions
- Learn about folk tales from authentic cultures and express them through movement
- Construct criticism based on observable criteria and recognize clues that explain artistic intent
- Identify aesthetic qualities of exemplary works and characteristics of the artists who created them
Supplemental Resources
- Printed book list featuring famous choreographers for research projects
- Glossary of dance terms and cultural movement terminology for student reference
- Chart paper and markers for documenting research findings about choreographers and cultural dances
- Sticky notes for peer feedback during performance critiques using structured protocols
- Printed graphic organizers for comparing and contrasting dance elements across cultures
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.
Formative Assessments
- KWL chart used to identify prior knowledge of cultural dance and new learning
- Reflection and discussion after improvisation activities about how movement felt and what was expressed
- Self-assessment giving students opportunity to evaluate quality of learning and performance with respect to curricular objectives
- Peer critique using rubrics and protocols for constructive feedback on cultural dance performances
- Hand signal responses indicating understanding of cultural dance characteristics and artistic concepts
Summative Assessment
Research project requiring students to select a famous choreographer, identify their characteristics, select a work, and identify aesthetic qualities that make it exemplary; performance of dances created from folk traditions or cultural movements
Benchmark Assessment
Final assessment measuring student ability to identify cultural elements in dance, compare and contrast dances from different traditions, and apply critique based on observable criteria
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding through movement demonstration with teacher observation and verbal description in place of written research or analysis. Visual supports such as pictures, videos, or movement cards may be provided to help identify cultural dances and their characteristics, and students may respond to yes/no or choice-based questions about dancers and artistic choices.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
Students with IEPs may benefit from visual supports such as picture cards or short video clips that illustrate movement qualities and cultural dance characteristics before and during instruction. For the choreographer research project, teachers should allow students to demonstrate understanding through oral responses, drawing, or dictation rather than requiring written output. Directions for multi-step activities, such as comparing cultural dances or applying critique protocols, should be broken into small, numbered steps with visual cues to support processing. Additional processing time and frequent check-ins during improvisation and peer critique activities will help students access and express their understanding of cultural and emotional concepts in movement.
Section 504
Students with 504 plans should be given preferential positioning in the performance and viewing space to ensure clear sightlines and reduced distraction during cultural dance demonstrations and peer critiques. Extended time should be provided for any reflection or self-assessment components tied to the choreographer research project. Transitions between watching, discussing, and performing dances from different cultural traditions should be signaled clearly and in advance to support focus and participation.
ELL / MLL
Multilingual learners benefit from rich visual support throughout this unit, including photographs, short video clips of cultural dances, and labeled diagrams of movement concepts to build vocabulary around terms like expression, tradition, and choreography. Teachers should simplify spoken directions and pair them with physical demonstration when introducing folk dances or critique protocols, checking for understanding by asking students to show rather than tell. When possible, connecting unit content to students' home cultures and inviting them to share dance traditions from their own backgrounds can serve both as a linguistic bridge and an affirming entry point into the unit's themes.
At Risk (RTI)
Students who need additional support should be introduced to cultural dance concepts through highly visual and movement-based experiences before being asked to compare or analyze, allowing them to build comfort and familiarity with unfamiliar traditions at their own pace. The choreographer research project can be scaffolded by narrowing the scope — for example, focusing on one or two observable qualities — and allowing students to respond through drawing, verbal description, or guided sentence frames. Connecting new cultural dances to movement experiences students already recognize, such as familiar games or music from their community, provides accessible entry points and builds confidence alongside comprehension.
Gifted & Talented
Students who demonstrate strong grasp of core concepts should be encouraged to explore deeper connections between a choreographer's cultural background and the specific movement choices visible in their work, moving beyond identification toward analysis of artistic intent. These students might investigate how a single dance tradition has changed across historical periods or how it has influenced other cultural forms, bringing a more complex comparative lens to the unit's themes. Opportunities to take on a leadership role during peer critique sessions — helping to develop or apply observable criteria — can channel their thinking into higher-order evaluation skills without simply adding more of the same tasks.