Lesson Plans Collection

The National Dance Society Standards in Action Program

Lesson Plans Collection

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An overview of the Standards in Action Lesson Plans Collection provides a guide for reviewing and selecting specific lesson plans for a specific strand and standard in the National Dance Society Dance Education Standards Framework or a grade grouping. Each lesson plan is listed under its primary strand and standard.

A lesson plan may meet more than one strand and standards. Lesson plans may identify with one or more grade groupings. Or, lesson plans may be adapted to other grade groupings as determined by the teacher’s assessment of the students’ learning. Some lesson plans include instruction that extends into becoming learning experiences over several class periods. Many lesson plan listings include an additional handout for students or a teacher resource.

Strand 1: Movement foundations of dance genres and forms

Standard 1.1 Elements of dance for a dance genre or form

• Using Creative Movement and Imagery to Learn Body and Space in Dance (Kindergarten and later grades)
• Mexican Folk Dance (First and later grades)
• Jazz Dance (Third and later grades) {Teacher Resource}
• Modern Dance (Fourth and later grades) {Teacher Resource}

Standard 1.2 Techniques and principles for a dance genre or form

• Foot and Arm Positions for Two Dance Forms with Application of Movement Principles (Fifth and later grades) {Handout: Student Check list, Teacher Resources: Movement Principles}

Strand 2: Dance safety, health, and wellness

Standard 2.3 Dance wellness values

• Developing Personal Dance Wellness Values (Fifth and later grades) {Handouts: Wellness Value Wheel, and S.M.A.R.T. Goal Design}

Strand 3: Creative and artistic communication in dance

Standard 3.1 Creativity and critical Thinking

• Dancing Across Your State (Third and later grades) {Teacher Resource: Journey Plan}

Standard 3.2 Artistic development of expression in dance

• How Timing and Music Affect Intension in Dance (High School and other grades)

Strand 4: Choreography, performance, and production

Standard 4.1 Choreographic design, principles, and structures

• Generating Student Choreography (Middle school) {Handout: Critique Process for Peer or Professional Choreographic Feedback}
• Developing Site Specific Choreography (High school) {Handout: Site Specific Choreography}

Standard 4.3 Dance performance and production

• Performance/Production (Fifth and later grades)

Strand 5: Historical, Cultural, and Social Dance

Standard 5.1 Historical Dance knowledge and performance

• Historical Dancing (Upper elementary and later grades) {Teacher Resource: Historical Dancing}

Standard 5.2 Cultural dance knowledge and performance

• Chinese Ribbon Dance (Middle through High School grades) {Handout: Chinese Ribbon Dance Ribbon Patterns and Directions for performing the Chinese Ribbon Dance)
• Haitian Dance Forms (Middle through High School)
• Percussive footwork in East Indian and Philippine Dance (Middle and High School)

Standard 5.3 Social dance knowledge and performance

• What is Hip Hop (High School grades) {Handout: Brief Culture and History of Hip Hop}

Strand 6: Dance, arts, and media literacy for integrated learning

Standard 6.1 Dance Literacy for interrelated arts learning

• Creating an Arts Interrelated Dance Composition (Upper elementary and later grades)
• Weather Dances (Middle School)

Standard 6.2 Dance, arts, and media literacy in interdisciplinary learning

• Newton’s Laws of Motion and the Limón Technique (Middle School and later grades)
• Site Specific: Choreography on Camera (High School grades)