Building movement ideas
Students start the year exploring how to come up with dance ideas from their own experiences, music, stories, or pictures. Parents may hear about short movement sketches students invent at school.
What does a student learn in
This is the year dance becomes a way to say something on purpose. Students take their own experiences and ideas and shape them into short pieces with a clear beginning, middle, and end. They also start watching dance with a sharper eye, talking about what a piece means and how cultures and history show up in the movement. By spring, students can plan, rehearse, and perform a short dance that carries a clear idea.
- Choreography basics
- Dance technique
- Performing for an audience
- Watching and discussing dance
- Dance and culture
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
- 1
- 2
Shaping a dance
Students take a rough idea and turn it into a real dance with a beginning, middle, and end. They practice changing speed, level, and direction so the dance has a clear shape.
- 3
Strengthening technique
Students work on how their body moves: balance, control, posture, and clean shapes. They rehearse the same steps many times so the movement looks sharper on stage.
- 4
Performing with meaning
Students prepare pieces for an audience and focus on showing feeling, not just steps. They think about what the dance is saying and how to make that come through in performance.
- 5
Watching and responding
Students watch dances from different cultures and time periods, then talk and write about what they notice. They use a set of guidelines to judge what works and explain why.
Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 6.
Connecting
Connecting
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Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art
Students connect what they already know and have lived through to the dances they create. Personal experiences, other subjects, and outside interests all shape the choices they make in their choreography.
-
Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural
Students look at a dance and ask where it came from. They connect the moves, music, and style to the culture or moment in history that shaped it.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art | Students connect what they already know and have lived through to the dances they create. Personal experiences, other subjects, and outside interests all shape the choices they make in their choreography. | DA:Cn10.6 |
| Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural | Students look at a dance and ask where it came from. They connect the moves, music, and style to the culture or moment in history that shaped it. | DA:Cn11.6 |
Creating
Creating
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Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work
Students brainstorm movement ideas and start shaping them into a short dance or sequence. The focus is on where the ideas come from and how students begin turning them into something others can watch.
-
Organize and develop artistic ideas and work
Students take rough movement ideas and shape them into a structured dance, making choices about order, timing, and how sections connect.
-
Refine and complete artistic work
Students revisit a dance they've been building, make specific changes to improve the movement or timing, and bring the piece to a finished state ready to share.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work | Students brainstorm movement ideas and start shaping them into a short dance or sequence. The focus is on where the ideas come from and how students begin turning them into something others can watch. | DA:Cr1.6 |
| Organize and develop artistic ideas and work | Students take rough movement ideas and shape them into a structured dance, making choices about order, timing, and how sections connect. | DA:Cr2.6 |
| Refine and complete artistic work | Students revisit a dance they've been building, make specific changes to improve the movement or timing, and bring the piece to a finished state ready to share. | DA:Cr3.6 |
Performing/Presenting/Producing
Performing/Presenting/Producing
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Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation
Students choose a dance piece to perform and explain why it suits them as a performer. They consider the style, difficulty, and how well the movement fits what they can express.
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Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation
Students rehearse and sharpen a dance piece until it's ready to show an audience. They focus on technique, timing, and how the movement looks from the outside.
-
Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work
Students perform a dance to share a specific idea or feeling with an audience, making deliberate choices about movement so the message comes through clearly.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation | Students choose a dance piece to perform and explain why it suits them as a performer. They consider the style, difficulty, and how well the movement fits what they can express. | DA:Pr4.6 |
| Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation | Students rehearse and sharpen a dance piece until it's ready to show an audience. They focus on technique, timing, and how the movement looks from the outside. | DA:Pr5.6 |
| Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work | Students perform a dance to share a specific idea or feeling with an audience, making deliberate choices about movement so the message comes through clearly. | DA:Pr6.6 |
Responding
Responding
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Perceive and analyze artistic work
Students watch a dance performance and describe what they notice: how the dancers move, where they travel on stage, and how the movement connects to a feeling or idea.
-
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 movements, timing, or mood.
-
Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work
Students use a set of criteria to judge a dance, explaining what works, what doesn't, and why. This is the same thinking a film critic or sports coach uses: specific standards, applied out loud.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Perceive and analyze artistic work | Students watch a dance performance and describe what they notice: how the dancers move, where they travel on stage, and how the movement connects to a feeling or idea. | DA:Re7.6 |
| 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 movements, timing, or mood. | DA:Re8.6 |
| Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work | Students use a set of criteria to judge a dance, explaining what works, what doesn't, and why. This is the same thinking a film critic or sports coach uses: specific standards, applied out loud. | DA:Re9.6 |