Performing a Story Through Dance
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This learning activity provided by:
Author:
Casaundra Taylor
System: Huntsville City School: Academy For Academics & Arts
General Activity Information
Activity ID:
2050
Title: Performing a Story Through Dance
Digital Tool/Resource:
Web Address – URL:
Not Applicable
Overview: The students will use a story they have previously studied and identify the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Then the students will be put into 3 groups. Each group will use elements of dance to create an improvisational dance to retell their part of the story.
This activity was created as a result of the Arts COS Resource Development Summit.
Associated Standards and Objectives
Content Standard(s):
Arts Education 3) Perform an improvisational dance that has a beginning, middle, and end.
Unpacked Content
Artistic Process: Creating
Anchor Standards:
Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Process Components: Plan
Essential Questions:
EU: The elements of dance, dance structures, and choreographic devices serve as both a foundation and a departure point for choreographers.
Concepts & Vocabulary:
locomotor
non-locomotor
non-locomotor vs locomotor movements
elements of dance
choreography
improvisation
structure
concepts and inspiration for choreography
feedback and revision
notation Skill Examples:
Demonstrate locomotor and non-locomotor movements (i.e., running, skipping, twisting, falling).
Identify elements of movement that are personally difficult to perform and discuss how this impacts movement choice in choreography.
Identify how it feels to perform the same movement fast and slow.
Create a connected shape, improvise while disconnected, and finish back in original connected shape.
Perform improvised movement based on a famous painting.
Identify how the movement changes if an element is performed differently, such as taking the movement from a high level to a low level.
Create three movements and develop a symbol to go with each (such as ⟲ for turn).
English Language Arts 27. Identify and describe the main story elements in a literary text.
a. With prompting and support, retell a text orally, including main character(s), setting, and important events in logical order.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
27.
Identify
Describe
Characters
Settings
Important events
Literary text
27a.
Retell
Text
Orally
Main character(s)
Setting
Events
Logical order
Prompting
Support Knowledge:
27. Students know:
Main story elements in a literary text.
27a.
Techniques for retelling a text orally using key details.
How to sequence events in logical order (first, next, last). Skills:
27. Students are able to:
Identify the main story elements (characters, settings, and important events) in a literary text.
Describe the main story elements (characters, settings, and important events) in a literary text.
27a. With prompting and support,
Recall key details and important events in a text.
Orally retell a text, including main character(s), setting, and important events in logical order. Understanding:
27. Students understand that:
Identifying the characters, setting, and important events in a text help them better understand the overall meaning of the text.
27a.
Recalling important events and details of a text helps to retell the story and understand the meaning of the text.
Learning Objectives: The students will retell a familiar story using dance to show the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
Strategies, Preparations and Variations
Phase: During/Explore/Explain, After/Explain/Elaborate
Activity: 1. Using a story the students are familiar with, have them identify the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Suggestions are below.
2. Divide the students into three groups. A beginning group, middle group, and an ending group.
3. In their groups, each group needs to identify 3 key elements from their part of the story.
4. Now students will create a dance movement for each element.
5. One student will narrate the elements while the rest of the group dances.
6. Add the groups together to complete the sequence dance to retell the story.
Assessment Strategies:
Advanced Preparation: Book suggestions:
The Great Turkey Race
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Three Little Pigs
The Little Red Hen
Stellaluna
Variation Tips (optional):
Notes or Recommendations (optional):
Keywords and Search Tags
Keywords and Search Tags:
