Dancing With Props

Fourth graders use dance moves to perform narratives. In this dramatic performing lesson plan, 4th graders use strong and soft movements to show what character's voice is portraying. Students also use movement to show the feelings in the...

Examine the way water moves, drips, and splashes with an expressive dance. Learners discuss the ways in which water moves, then create dance sequences that show or describe water. There are several suggestions to adapt this lesson to...

Grover shows how peacocks move. His friends from China dress and dance like peacocks. Have your little learners observe bird movements and create a dance of their own.

Zoe dances to stay healthy. She does ballet because when she dances she moves her whole body. Use this video to help incorporate a rhythmic movement through dancing into the daily routine of your primary learners.

There is a wonderful magic that happens when artists collaborate. Kids examine storytelling through collaborative art. Inspired by Rodin's sculpture Minotaur, Daria Martin and Anna Halprin create a filmed dance sequence. Kids analyze the...

Examine the movement of characters in the story, Caps for Sale. Using the text, pupils invent gestures and movements for some of the actions and major events. They practice retelling a story by using the movements they developed. They...

A read-aloud of a familiar fairy tale introduces the concept of story elements—main characters, setting, and plot. Multiple retellings of the story set to music get scholars moving as they dance. Movements portray story elements and tell...

Scholars listen to several pieces of music in preparation for a discussion about how instruments and lyrics convey emotions. With Harriet Tubman as the focus, small groups create an original song or dance. A reflection piece concludes...

"It's not magic. It's physics!" Here is a short video that explores the physics behind the fouetté—the most difficult move in ballet.

Young performing artists create a song or choreograph a dance to illustrate a theme in a text they are reading. Step-by-step directions are included.