Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Moccasins Are Made for Dancing

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students explore two Native American legends. In this cultural traditions activity, students read "The Legend of Blue Bonnet," and "The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush." Students then study basic Native American dance movements prior to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dancing Into History from Dance in America: Acts of Ardor: Two Dances by Paul Taylor

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students watch a video of a performance choreographed by Paul Taylor. They research the Great Depression and issues facing teenagers today. They create a dance that shows a historic period of the United States.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Say It With Dance From Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Oklahoma"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners examine the history of the musical "Oklahoma". They choreograph their own segment from the Dream Ballet. They also gather information from listening to media reports.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Korean Dance

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students examine the various types of dancing present in Korea. In groups, they discover the history and cultural purposes of the dances and how society influenced the role of dance in its culture. They answer discussion questions and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harriet Tubman: Dancing on the Freedom Trail

For Teachers K - 4th
Students observe a dance interpretation about Harriet Tubman. For this art/social studies lesson, students explore how their emotions can be expressed through movement and create their own dance or dramatic interpretation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Travel Agent to the Ancient World

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students persuade others to visit ancient times. In this ancient civilizations lesson, students participate in a webquest that requires them to encourage others to visit ancient Greece, ancient Israel, Ancient Rome, ancient China,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Appreciating the Men of Ballet from Dance in America: Born to be Wild: The Leading Men of the American Ballet Theatre

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students examine the role of men in the American Ballet Theatre. In this ballet instructional activity, students watch segments of the Great Performances video "Dance in America: Born to be Wild: The Leading Men of the American Ballet...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Basic Waltz Steps

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learn the five basic waltz steps: box step, under arm turn, walt left box or waltz right box, hesitation step, and progressive waltz step. Teach a little about the history of the waltz and the countries from which it came: Germany and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Japanese Music Study

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Gagaku is music traditionally played in the Japanese imperial courts of long ago. Learners listen to this and other traditional Japanese music to gain an understanding of culture and music history. They work to identify Japanese...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Grand Canyon Suite

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Take a trip to the Grand Canyon! Lesson one explores how Ferde Grofe painted a musical landscape of America when he wrote the Grand Canyon Suite. Learners then examine art that shows the Grand Canyon in lesson two. Finally, lesson three...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Japanese Tea and Teacups

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Upper graders use the potter's wheel to make Japanese style tea cups, which they will use in a Japanese style tea ceremony. They hone their sculpting techniques while exploring Japanese cultural and the history of tea. There are two...
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

The Sounds of an Island: Jamaican Music for the Classroom

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Introduce young explorers to the music and history of Jamaican culture through game songs and dances. As a bonus, class members get to play simple songs transcribed for the recorder.
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Braiding Rhythms: The Role of Bell Patterns in West African and Afro-Caribbean Music

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Africans transported to the Caribbean as part of the transatlantic slave trade brought with them a rich tradition of music and dance. Four lessons teach young musicians the rumba clave rhythm, cascara rhythm, and the 6/8 bell patterns...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dance Transitions

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students create a small group dance that addresses free-flowing techniques and transitions for in-class performance. This lesson meets state arts standards and includes rubric for assessment.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nataraj Shiva as Lord of the Dance

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students considers the piece of artwork entitled, The Nataraj, Lord Shiva and Lord of the Dance to visualize several of the most important ideas of Hinduism.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Modern & Contemporary

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An informative study of the masters of modern and contemporary dance, including Ailey, Fokine, Balanchine, Baryshnikov, and Graham, this presentation offers students some key moments in the development of 20th century dance. Great in a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Native American Friendship Dance

For Teachers All
The performing arts offer artistic perception, creative expression, historical and cultural context and aesthetic valuing. This dance helps students understand dance history and develops cultural awareness. Students are given the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Family Stories

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students use dance to better understand the writing process. In this interdisciplinary lesson plan, students use their critical thinking skills to connect dance with writing. Students use thinking maps to follow the writing process,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Careers Related to Dance

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are introduced to the various career opportunities in dance. Using the internet, they research the educational requirements and starting salaries. They write a paper on the information they collected and share their statistics...
Lesson Plan
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education

Revelations

For Teachers 5th
They say art often imitates life. Learners research and write an expository paper on modern dance choreographer, Alvin Ailey. They focus on describing how his life and background has influenced his dance creations. This is a great...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Celebrate Oktoberfest with the Polka

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Here's a pretty comprehensive lesson on the polka. There is information on the origins of the polka and the history of Oktoberfest. There is even a list of how to count to ten in Polish, Czech, and German. Include or skip whatever you...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Graphs of the Heart

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study Greek literature. For this Greek tragedies lesson, students explore the dance-dramas of Martha Graham. Students study the choreography that brings ancient Greek literature to life.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dance Research Essay

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars discover and appreciate the history, characteristics, and significance of a specific dance style. They to pick a dance style that they are interested in and would like to research.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dance Around the World

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers gather information about traditional dances. In this folk dance lesson, students work in small groups to research a type of folk dance, then present information and perform the dance for the class.

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