Unit 1 — The Creative Process, Performance, and Aesthetic Responses
Description
Students combine dance with other curriculum areas to deepen learning through movement experiences. The unit develops foundational understanding of dance elements and their use in creating and performing sequences. Students explore joy of movement, respond to signals, dance to stories and rhythms, and engage in collaborative discussion about improvised dances. They investigate stopping and going, fast and slow tempos, and simple rhythms through basic axial and locomotor movements.
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 can criticism of aesthetic expression improve an individual's ability to communicate through the arts?
Learning Objectives
- Identify the elements of dance in planned and improvised dance sequences
- Use improvisation to discover new movement to fulfill the intent of the choreography
- Demonstrate the difference between pantomime, pedestrian movement, abstract gesture, and dance movement
- Apply and adapt isolated and coordinated body part articulations, body alignment, balance, and body patterning
- Create and perform planned and improvised movement sequences using the elements of dance with and without musical accompaniment
- Create and perform planned and improvised movement sequences alone and in small groups with variations in tempo, meter, rhythm, spatial level, and spatial pathway
- Define and maintain personal space, concentrate, and appropriately direct focus while performing movement skills
- Create and perform original movement sequences alone and with a partner using locomotor and nonlocomotor movements at various levels in space
Supplemental Resources
- Index cards for alphabet movement cards
- Printed word lists and graphic organizers for locomotor and nonlocomotor movement exploration
- Chart paper for planning and documenting choreographic processes
- Markers and colored pencils for drawing movement sequences and responses
- Video recording devices (iPad, video recorder) for recording and reviewing student performances
Dance - Creating
Dance - Performing
Dance - Responding
Students determine central ideas and themes from texts and integrate content presented in diverse media formats. Students use informational and literary texts to support dance performances and create stories through multiple arts disciplines.
Students express individuality and cultural diversity through dance, learn about and respect other cultures, and describe how culture is expressed through the behavior and artistic choices of people.
Formative Assessments
- Self-assessment where students consider the quality of their own learning and performance individually and in collaboration with others
- Written or drawn work using technology when appropriate
- Sharing feelings, dreams, and wishes about dance and dancing
- Planning and documenting choreographic process through sketching or collecting ideas for a dance
- Peer critique using rubrics, checklists, and protocols for constructive feedback with frames like "I noticed," "I like the way because," and "Have you thought of?"
- Hand signals to indicate understanding of specific concepts
Summative Assessment
Benchmark assessment at the end of the unit measuring success with demonstrating understanding of dance elements, improvisation, and performance of movement sequences
Benchmark Assessment
Final benchmark assessment used to measure success with the unit standards and learning objectives
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding of dance elements and movement sequences through verbal description of their own or others' movements, with teacher guidance and visual demonstration. Movement response options may be simplified to focus on one dance element at a time, with hand signals or visual cues provided to support transitions between activities.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
Students may benefit from visual supports such as picture cards or movement diagrams that illustrate dance elements like level, tempo, and pathway to support comprehension and participation. Teachers should offer multiple ways to demonstrate understanding, including physical demonstration, drawing, or verbal response, rather than relying solely on written reflection. Breaking multi-step movement sequences into smaller, numbered parts with teacher modeling before practice can support students who need additional processing time. Hand signals and peer partnerships can also provide scaffolding during both creative and performance tasks.
Section 504
Students should be given extended time during movement reflection and self-assessment tasks, and may benefit from preferential placement within the performance space to minimize distraction and support focus. Directions for movement sequences should be delivered in short, clear steps, with visual or gestural cues available throughout the lesson to reinforce transitions between activities.
ELL / MLL
Teachers should use visual demonstrations, gestures, and movement modeling as the primary mode of instruction to make dance vocabulary and concepts accessible regardless of English proficiency. Key movement vocabulary such as tempo, level, pathway, and personal space should be introduced with visual supports and, when possible, connected to students' home language or cultural movement traditions. Simple, direct directions paired with teacher demonstration will help students understand expectations before attempting new movement tasks.
At Risk (RTI)
Students benefit from entry points that connect movement to familiar, everyday actions, such as walking, stopping, and changing speed, before building toward more abstract dance concepts. Teachers can reduce the complexity of movement sequences by focusing on one dance element at a time and offering guided practice with a partner or small group before independent exploration. Positive, specific feedback during movement activities helps build confidence and encourages continued engagement with creative tasks.
Gifted & Talented
Students can be challenged to explore the relationships between multiple dance elements simultaneously, such as how changes in tempo interact with spatial level or pathway, and to articulate those relationships in reflection or peer critique. Opportunities to take on a choreographic leadership role within small groups, making intentional decisions about sequence, contrast, and intent, extend learning beyond performance into artistic thinking. Encouraging students to draw connections between movement concepts and other curriculum areas they are studying can deepen their understanding of dance as a form of expression and communication.