Tag Archives: Dance

2022 Vol 7: Moving to Learn

 Reading and Moving: Integrating Movement to Improve Comprehension by Focusing on Text Structure

Sonia Stahl, 2nd Grade French Immersion, North Academy of World Languages

Curriculum Unit (PDF)

Click on the arrow to read the Synopsis.


Synopsis: In this curriculum unit students will dive into the process of using different strategies to develop better comprehension when reading. The students will read two stories and will learn to answer basic questions about the stories (such as what, when, who etc.), analyze different characters and compare and contrast. All these will be supported by the addition of movement in order to address different learning styles and bring alive the text by involving the body. Creating a dance about the two stories and the main characters will be a new element and experience for my students. The purpose is for students to learn to think about the stories in more imaginative ways. These movement experiences will help the students better perform the tasks of compare and contrast, an abstract concept that is often difficult for them to understand. 

2022 Vol 7: Moving to Learn

Displaying Understanding Through Dance Integration: Connecting the Mind and Body in the ELA Classroom

Danica Wolfe, 5th Grade, Oakhurst STEAM Academy

Curriculum Unit (PDF)

Click on the arrow to read the Synopsis.


Synopsis: The goal of this unit is to teach 5th grade students the basics of dance elements and sequenced movement series so that they can create a dance that reflects their understanding and analysis of a fictional character in a class novel study. Over the course of the first five lessons, students will learn about the elements of body shape, action, space, time, energy. They will also learn how to sequence short series of movements. The next six lessons ask students to apply their knowledge of creative dance sequences to generate series of movements that reflect their understanding of a character’s perspective in a particular event in a literary plotline. These lessons coincide with the 5th grade literacy curriculum for our district. The final three lessons allow students to put finishing touches on their efforts by identifying music that fits their piece, putting on a performance for their peers, and reflecting on their learning through dance integration. This unit also serves as a starting point for teachers to build their capacity to use dance in the literacy classroom as a strategy to make comprehension of text visible through embodiment. The instructional strategies included in this unit would be useful in any literacy classroom and can be modified to meet the needs of a variety of ages and units of instruction. 

2022 Vol 7: Moving to Learn

Exploring Memory through Movement 

Andrea Calderon, 3rd Grade, Starmount Academy of Excellence

Curriculum Unit (PDF)

Click on the arrow to read the Synopsis.


Synopsis: This curriculum unit (CU) will focus on the essential question: How are memories made? Throughout the course of this seven-lesson unit, third-grade scientists will expand upon their knowledge of the Human Body and the Central Nervous System. Scientists will focus on the brain and the three different types of memory: Sensory Memory, Short-term Memory, and Long-Term Memory. Students will gain insight into the world of dance by learning some foundational skills regarding dance composition and tools used to communicate within the dance community. For the culminating project, students will integrate their knowledge of the brain and memory with their knowledge of dance to create a dance composition to demonstrate how memory is made. 

2019 Curriculum Units Vol 8: Time Travel: Using Music to Explore Past, Present, and Future Messages

Inspire Change Through Dance: How Dance and Music Tell a Story to Impact the World

Katie Butler, Dance, South Charlotte Middle

Curriculum Unit (pdf)

Synopsis

read more »

2017 Curriculum Units Vol 3: Chemical Interactions in the Body

Dancing Molecules: A Study in Dance and Chemistry Integration

Kathleen Butler, Dance, South Charlotte MS

Curriculum Unit (pdf)

read more »

2015 Vol 7: Africa: Moving Beyond Popular Culture

Connecting Children to Four African Cultures through Musical Experiences

Lana J. Withrow, Music, Barringer Academic Center

Final Unit(pdf)   Implementing Teaching Standards(pdf)

read more »

2012 Curriculum Units Vol 3: Entertaining with Math

Patterns, Patterns Everywhere

Courtney Myers Pender, Math, Science, Social Studies, Literacy, Elizabeth Traditional Middle School

Final Unit (PDF)

Implementing Common Core Standards (PDF)

read more »