Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art
Students connect their own memories, opinions, and outside knowledge to the dances they create or study, using personal experience as a starting point for artistic choices.
What does a student learn in
This is the year dance becomes a way to say something on purpose. Students take their own ideas, memories, and questions about the world and shape them into short dances with a clear point of view. They sharpen technique through rehearsal, give and take feedback, and think about how culture and history show up in the moves. By spring, students can perform a piece they built themselves and explain what it means and why.
- Choreography
- Dance technique
- Performing
- Giving feedback
- Dance and culture
Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 8.
Connecting
Connecting
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Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural
Students look at a dance and connect it to the time, place, or culture it came from. That context changes what they see and how they understand the movement.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art | Students connect their own memories, opinions, and outside knowledge to the dances they create or study, using personal experience as a starting point for artistic choices. | DA:Cn10.8 |
| Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural | Students look at a dance and connect it to the time, place, or culture it came from. That context changes what they see and how they understand the movement. | DA:Cn11.8 |
Creating
Creating
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Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work
Students brainstorm and develop their own ideas for original dances, deciding what movement, theme, or feeling they want to explore before they start choreographing.
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Organize and develop artistic ideas and work
Students take their movement ideas and shape them into a structured dance, making deliberate choices about sequence, timing, and how the piece fits together as a whole.
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Refine and complete artistic work
Students revisit a dance they've been building, make deliberate changes to sharpen the movement or structure, and bring the piece to a finished state ready to share.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work | Students brainstorm and develop their own ideas for original dances, deciding what movement, theme, or feeling they want to explore before they start choreographing. | DA:Cr1.8 |
| Organize and develop artistic ideas and work | Students take their movement ideas and shape them into a structured dance, making deliberate choices about sequence, timing, and how the piece fits together as a whole. | DA:Cr2.8 |
| Refine and complete artistic work | Students revisit a dance they've been building, make deliberate changes to sharpen the movement or structure, and bring the piece to a finished state ready to share. | DA:Cr3.8 |
Performing/Presenting/Producing
Performing/Presenting/Producing
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Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation
Students choose dances to perform and explain why each piece is worth presenting, pointing to specific choices in movement, style, or meaning that shaped the decision.
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Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation
Students practice and improve a dance piece until it's ready to perform in front of others, refining technique, timing, and movement quality along the way.
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Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work
Students refine and perform a dance so the movement itself communicates a clear idea or feeling to the audience. The performance is the message.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation | Students choose dances to perform and explain why each piece is worth presenting, pointing to specific choices in movement, style, or meaning that shaped the decision. | DA:Pr4.8 |
| Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation | Students practice and improve a dance piece until it's ready to perform in front of others, refining technique, timing, and movement quality along the way. | DA:Pr5.8 |
| Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work | Students refine and perform a dance so the movement itself communicates a clear idea or feeling to the audience. The performance is the message. | DA:Pr6.8 |
Responding
Responding
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Perceive and analyze artistic work
Students watch a dance performance and break down what they see: how the choreographer used movement, timing, and space to build meaning. Then they explain what those choices add up to.
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Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work
Students explain what a dance is trying to say and why the choreographer made specific choices, such as the mood a movement creates or the story a gesture tells.
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Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work
Students use a set of criteria to judge a dance, explaining why specific movements, choices, or moments in the work do or do not meet the standard.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Perceive and analyze artistic work | Students watch a dance performance and break down what they see: how the choreographer used movement, timing, and space to build meaning. Then they explain what those choices add up to. | DA:Re7.8 |
| Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work | Students explain what a dance is trying to say and why the choreographer made specific choices, such as the mood a movement creates or the story a gesture tells. | DA:Re8.8 |
| Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work | Students use a set of criteria to judge a dance, explaining why specific movements, choices, or moments in the work do or do not meet the standard. | DA:Re9.8 |