Health Benefits of Dance Lesson Plans

Students study introductory history and cultural purposes of selected Japanese dance forms. They analyze the philosophical beliefs, social systems, and movement norms that influence the function and role of Japanese dance in the lives of its people.

Fifth graders tell the story of the migration of diverse groups to the United States using written narration and dance.  In this interdisciplinary creative expression lesson, 5th graders view the work of selected choreographers and discuss how dance tells a story.  A research component allows the students to collect data on selected populations to inspire written narrative stories and dances.

Second graders use their bodies to create various shapes to make a dance when given various music and beats. In this shapes and dance lesson plan, 2nd graders create lines, curves, twists, and angles with their bodies.

Sixth graders brainstorm a list of ways dancing benefits their health. Individually, they complete the hamster dance while listening to the music and using the rhythm. To end the lesson, they practice the same dance in sixteen counts.

Students explore how dance can invoke the significance of experiences in their everyday lives. They work in small dance troupes to create their own dance pieces reflecting themes and experiences relevant to their lives.

Students review the concepts of space, time, and energy before participating in dancing to music while examining balancing positions. They work in small groups to choreograph dances in which they mirror balancing positions of the other students. They keep a journal about the dance that they design.

Students use movement and dance in order to strengthen mathematical understanding of different geometric shapes. The movements are imitating the drawing of shapes and they pick one to make into a dance. Upon beginning the dance music can be added.

Students explore the relationships of space through movement. Two perform movement improvisation based on over/under. The activity improves hand-eye coordination, cooperation, and communication skills. The timing of the dance also increases abilities to judge spatial distances.

Students explore the differences in tempo through movement. In groups, students create an original dance phrase and illustrate both fast and slow movement. They share their observations and evaluate each dance according to originality and skill level.

Students explore and perform locomotor movements. With partners, they combine the locomotor movements into a simple dance. The partner identifies three movements they observed. Students may be grouped into dancers for a performance.