Classroom Resource

Creating a Pathway Dance With My Initials

Subject Area

Arts Education

Grade(s)

2

Overview

Students will draw their initials in upper case letters on paper and in the air. They will explore the pathways created by their initials while walking on the floor. They will identify the different types of lines created by the pathways. They will choreograph a three-part (beginning, middle, end) dance using their initials. 

Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): 2 - Dance

AE17.D.2.1

Respond to movement with a variety of prompts and suggest additional sources for movement ideas.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.D.2.1

Vocabulary

  • prompts
  • elements of dance
  • locomotor
  • non-locomotor
  • dance phrase
  • structure
  • concept and inspirations
    • for choreography
  • dance phrase
  • improvisation
  • notation

Essential Questions

EU: Choreographers use a variety of sources as inspiration and transform concepts and ideas into movement for artistic expression.
EQ: Where do choreographers get ideas for dances?

Skills Examples

  • Execute a sequence of movements in different ways (i.e., different levels, timing, directions, body parts).
  • Create a dance based on a short story, with a beginning, middle and end.
    • Create a dance to a short poem and explain why movement expressed the idea.
  • Improvise movement to verbs and adjectives. Recall the movement and sequence to repeat.
  • Using basic stick figures to draw shapes used in a series of movements.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): 2 - Dance

AE17.D.2.2

Connect a variety of moments while manipulating the elements of dance through locomotor and non-locomotor movements.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.D.2.2

Vocabulary

  • prompts
  • elements of dance
  • locomotor
  • non-locomotor
  • dance phrase
  • structure
  • concept and inspirations
    • for choreography
  • dance phrase
  • improvisation
  • notation

Essential Questions

EU: Choreographers use a variety of sources as inspiration and transform concepts and ideas into movement for artistic expression.
EQ: Where do choreographers get ideas for dances?

Skills Examples

  • Execute a sequence of movements in different ways (i.e., different levels, timing, directions, body parts).
  • Create a dance based on a short story, with a beginning, middle and end.
    • Create a dance to a short poem and explain why movement expressed the idea.
  • Improvise movement to verbs and adjectives. Recall the movement and sequence to repeat.
  • Using basic stick figures to draw shapes used in a series of movements.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): 2 - Dance

AE17.D.2.3

Create a dance phrase with a main idea that has a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.D.2.3

Vocabulary

  • prompts
  • elements of dance
  • locomotor
  • non-locomotor
  • dance phrase
  • structure
  • concept and inspirations
    • for choreography
  • dance phrase
  • improvisation
  • notation

Essential Questions

EU: The elements of dance, dance structures, and choreographic devices serve as both a foundation and a departure point for choreographers.
EQ: What influences choice-making in creating choreography?

Skills Examples

  • Execute a sequence of movements in different ways (i.e., different levels, timing, directions, body parts).
  • Create a dance based on a short story, with a beginning, middle and end.
    • Create a dance to a short poem and explain why movement expressed the idea.
  • Improvise movement to verbs and adjectives. Recall the movement and sequence to repeat.
  • Using basic stick figures to draw shapes used in a series of movements.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): 2 - Dance

AE17.D.2.7

Demonstrate clear directional movement that changes body shape, facings, or pathway in space.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.D.2.7

Vocabulary

  • Space
  • Shape
    • Symmetrical
    • Asymmetrical
  • Facing
  • Pathway
  • Time:
    • Accented beat
    • Downbeat
    • Duple meter
    • Triple meter
  • Utilize quality of movement
  • Embody
  • Locomotor
  • Non-locomotor
  • Personal space
  • General space
  • Spatial relationship
  • Body awareness
  • Space
  • Projection in performance
  • Production elements

Essential Questions

EU: Space, time, and energy are basic elements of dance.
EQ: How do dancers work with space, time, and energy to communicate artistic expression?

Skills Examples

  • Identify symmetrical and asymmetrical body shapes and examine relationships between body parts.
  • Differentiate between circling and turning as two separate ways of continuous directional change.
  • Recall and practice given steps or sequencing with facing or level changes (what was up, make it down, face the back instead of the front).
  • Create body shapes that change level and facings.
  • Demonstrate locomotor movement on a straight pathway, circular pathway, zig zag pathway; making clear changes when called out.
  • Identify the beat in metered music and execute movement on the downbeat (the 1) of duple and triple meter.
  • Demonstrate an accented movement (clap, stomp, or jump) only on the downbeat of a piece of music. Practice with different tempos and 2/4, 4/4, and 3/4 music.
    • Other examples: Waltz, triplet, walking, or marching.
  • Review the terms adverb and adjective and make a list of descriptive words, choose several and execute a given movement or sequence with the word in mind or explore the word with their body in free movement.
    • (i.e., bouncy, jiggly, loose, strong, etc.).
    • Other examples: Bouncy leap or floppy fall.
  • Demonstrate movement and sequencing that utilizes a variety of pathways for personal space and group formations.
    • Skipping across the floor followed by skipping in place.
  • Identify modifications for spatial placement in a dance phrase.
  • Repeat movement or sequencing in a group formation or group dance using an awareness of his/her own body in space and make modifications to adjust placement as needed or requested.
  • Practice using production elements (i.e., multimedia equipment, scenery, costumes, lighting).

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 4: Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.
Link to Resource
https://sites.uci.edu/class/second-grade/dance-second-grade/grade-2-dance-lesso…

CR Resource Type

Lesson/Unit Plan

Resource Provider

Center for Learning through the Arts
Accessibility
License

License Type

Custom

Custom License Type (URL)

https://sites.uci.edu/class/

Comments or Notes

PDF of lesson plan

Approved Date

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