Classroom Resource

A Butterfly's Life Cycle Dance

Subject Area

Arts Education

Grade(s)

K, 1, 2

Overview

Students will discuss the life cycle of the butterfly.  They will observe the characteristics of the monarch butterfly.  They will brainstorm movements to choreograph the life cycle of the monarch butterfly.   

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

AE17.D.K.4

Illustrate an idea, feeling, or image through improvised movement.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.D.K.4

Vocabulary

  • locomotor
  • non-locomotor
  • non-locomotor vs locomotor movements
  • elements of dance
  • choreography
  • improvisation
  • structure
  • concepts and inspiration for choreography
  • feedback and revision
  • 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

  • Demonstrate locomotor and non-locomotor movements (i.e., running, skipping, twisting, falling).
  • Identify elements of movement that are personally difficult to perform and discuss how this impacts movement choice in choreography.
  • Identify how it feels to perform the same movement fast and slow.
  • Create a connected shape, improvise while disconnected, and finish back in original connected shape.
  • Perform improvised movement based on a famous painting.
  • Identify how the movement changes if an element is performed differently, such as taking the movement from a high level to a low level.
  • Create three movements and develop a symbol to go with each (such as ⟲ for turn).

Anchor Standards

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

AE17.D.1.1

Respond with movement to a variety of prompts.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.D.1.1

Vocabulary

  • Prompts
  • elements of dance
  • choreography
  • structure
  • content and inspiration for movement
  • improvisation
  • dance phrase
  • feedback and revision
  • 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

  • Create movement based on music/ sound, artwork or tactile prompts.
  • Demonstrate a leap in a different direction, a turn on a different level or a run in different timing.
  • Observe a dance and discuss how it began (low level in stillness), what happened in the middle (became fast) and how it ended (dancer exit).
  • Discover how movements and elements can change the emotion of a dance, such as slow and curved movements can express sadness.
  • Perform a dance in different ways, changing the elements of the movement.
  • Create a personal key of symbols for movements (i.e., Jump ↑, turn ⟲, bend ↶).

Anchor Standards

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

AE17.D.2.4

Select movements that express an idea or emotion or follow a musical phrase and explain reasons for movement choices.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.D.2.4

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.
Link to Resource
https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-reso…

CR Resource Type

Lesson/Unit Plan

Resource Provider

The Kennedy Center
Accessibility
License

License Type

Custom

Custom License Type (URL)

https://www.kennedy-center.org/terms-conditions/

Approved Date

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