Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art
Students connect their own memories, feelings, and outside interests to the dances they create or study. Personal experience becomes part of the work, not separate from it.
What does a student learn in
This is the year dance becomes a thinking craft, not just steps to copy. Students start with a clear idea, shape it into choreography, and rework sections until the meaning comes through. They also study how dances connect to culture and history, and they give honest feedback using set criteria. By spring, students can perform a short piece they helped create and explain what it means and why they made those choices.
- Choreography
- Performance skills
- Dance and culture
- Giving feedback
- Refining a piece
Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 7.
Connecting
Connecting
-
-
Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural
Students connect a dance piece to the time, place, or culture it came from. Understanding that context changes how they read the movement and what it means.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art | Students connect their own memories, feelings, and outside interests to the dances they create or study. Personal experience becomes part of the work, not separate from it. | DA:Cn10.7 |
| Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural | Students connect a dance piece to the time, place, or culture it came from. Understanding that context changes how they read the movement and what it means. | DA:Cn11.7 |
Creating
Creating
-
Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work
Students brainstorm and develop original ideas for a dance, deciding what movement, theme, or feeling they want to explore before they start choreographing.
-
Organize and develop artistic ideas and work
Students take movement ideas from their notes or sketches and shape them into a clear, rehearsable sequence. They make deliberate choices about timing, space, and transitions so the piece holds together.
-
Refine and complete artistic work
Students review a dance they've been building and make final decisions about movement, timing, and structure before calling it finished.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work | Students brainstorm and develop original ideas for a dance, deciding what movement, theme, or feeling they want to explore before they start choreographing. | DA:Cr1.7 |
| Organize and develop artistic ideas and work | Students take movement ideas from their notes or sketches and shape them into a clear, rehearsable sequence. They make deliberate choices about timing, space, and transitions so the piece holds together. | DA:Cr2.7 |
| Refine and complete artistic work | Students review a dance they've been building and make final decisions about movement, timing, and structure before calling it finished. | DA:Cr3.7 |
Performing/Presenting/Producing
Performing/Presenting/Producing
-
Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation
Students review a piece of choreography or movement work and decide whether it's ready to share with an audience, explaining what makes it worth presenting.
-
Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation
Students practice and improve their dance skills to get ready to perform. They refine specific movements and sequences until the work is polished enough to share with an audience.
-
Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work
Students rehearse and perform a dance to communicate a specific idea or feeling to an audience, making intentional choices about movement, timing, and focus to land that meaning.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation | Students review a piece of choreography or movement work and decide whether it's ready to share with an audience, explaining what makes it worth presenting. | DA:Pr4.7 |
| Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation | Students practice and improve their dance skills to get ready to perform. They refine specific movements and sequences until the work is polished enough to share with an audience. | DA:Pr5.7 |
| Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work | Students rehearse and perform a dance to communicate a specific idea or feeling to an audience, making intentional choices about movement, timing, and focus to land that meaning. | DA:Pr6.7 |
Responding
Responding
-
Perceive and analyze artistic work
Students watch a dance performance and explain what they notice: how the movement, timing, and use of space work together to create meaning.
-
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 why a movement is slow or sharp or repeated.
-
Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work
Students use a clear set of criteria to judge a dance, explaining what makes it effective and where it could improve.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Perceive and analyze artistic work | Students watch a dance performance and explain what they notice: how the movement, timing, and use of space work together to create meaning. | DA:Re7.7 |
| 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 why a movement is slow or sharp or repeated. | DA:Re8.7 |
| Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work | Students use a clear set of criteria to judge a dance, explaining what makes it effective and where it could improve. | DA:Re9.7 |