Dance Lesson Plan
Grades
6-8
Materials
Handouts:
• Glossary Basics
• View & Collect
• View & Discover
DANCE LANGUAGE INTENSIVE
Length
Concept/Objectives
Activities
Toolkit Resource
1 class session
Students will
enhance mastery of
dance Core Content
language related to
the elements of
dance.
Through guided
viewing of video and
worksheets, students
learn the elements
and components of
dance.
DanceSense
Program 4: Elements
of Dance on the
DanceSense
Enhanced DVD
Length of Segment:
00:15:00
Technology
TV/DVD player
Vocabulary
See Glossary Basics
handout
Instructional Strategies and Activities
The purpose of this lesson is to help students familiarize themselves quickly with the
language in the dance Core Content related to the elements of dance.
A guided viewing exercise helps them gather and clarify the terminology used in
DanceSense Program 4: Elements of Dance. During this one-hour intensive, students
will view the segment twice. Duplicate the three student handouts—Glossary Basics,
View & Collect, and View & Discover—in advance.
Before the first viewing, provide the Glossary Basics handout and discuss important
terminology. Tell students that DanceSense Program 4: Elements of Dance is divided
into three main parts which correspond with the three elements of dance: space,
time, force. The View & Collect handout corresponds to these three sections.
Students may use this sheet to gather notes during their first viewing.
Give students the View & Discover handout and ask them to familiarize themselves
with its guided-viewing questions. They may be able to answer some of the guidedviewing questions from the notes they collected during the first viewing. During the
second viewing, students will record their responses to any remaining guided-viewing
questions. They may also add new information to their View & Collect sheet from the
first viewing.
Arts Toolkit Dance • Lesson Plans • 1
After the second viewing, have the class create a large chart on the board (similar to
the View & Collect chart). A variation on this is to have students work in pairs or
teams of 3-4 to collaborate on chart paper or butcher paper; these will be displayed
around the room when completed.
After students work with the elements of dance language in these ways, you can test
their knowledge using the Multiple Choice Questions. This is not meant to be a culminating assessment, but can be used as a check to determine whether the basic terminology has been mastered.
Finally, students will be assessed using the Open Response prompt provided.
Kentucky
Academic
Content
Big Idea: Structure in
the Arts
Academic Expectations
1.15
Program of Studies
Understandings
AH-6/7/8-SA-U-1
Open Response Assessment
Skills and Concepts
AH-6/7/8-SA-S-Da1
Prompt:
Dancers and choreographers must understand the elements of dance and how these
elements are used in rehearsals and performances. Audience members who understand the elements of dance may improve their appreciation of performances they
view.
Directions:
A. List and define the three elements of dance.
B. Choose one of the elements and explain why mastery of it is essential in a
successful dance performance.
OPEN RESPONSE SCORING GUIDE
4
3
2
1
• Student demonstrates extensive
knowledge of the
elements of dance
and applies this
knowledge
consistently and
effectively.
• Student communicates this knowledge and understanding effectively with insightful
use of supporting
examples and/or
details.
• Student demonstrates broad
knowledge of the
elements of dance
and applies this
knowledge
effectively.
• Student communicates this knowledge and understanding effectively with use of supporting examples
and/or details.
• Student demonstrates basic
knowledge of the
elements of dance
and makes some
correct application
of this knowledge.
• Student communicates this knowledge and understanding effectively using some
supporting examples and/or
details.
• Student demonstrates limited
knowledge of the
elements of dance
and makes inappropriate or
underdeveloped
application of this
knowledge.
• Student communicates this knowledge ineffectively
with little or no
supporting examples and/or
details.
2 • Arts Toolkit Dance • Lesson Plans
0
• No answer or
irrelevant
response.
Core Content
AH-(06)(07)(08)-1.2.1
Answer Key for
Multiple Choice
Questions
1. B
2. B
3. C
4. C
5. A
6. D
7. A
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The adjectives high, medium, and low describe the component of space called
A. direction.
B. level.
C. shape.
D. form.
2. The dance elements are
A. direction, level, beat.
B. space, time, force.
C. energy, shape, dynamics.
D. rhythm, size, pathway.
3. The term used to describe patterns a dancer makes as she moves through the
space is
A. level.
B. weight.
C. pathway.
D. shape.
4. The components of space are
A. direction, duration, tempo, flow, weight.
B. level, pathway, accent, flow, dynamics.
C. size, shape, pathway, level, direction.
D. form, phrase, dynamics, size, shape.
5. The quality of a movement or how the movement is done is called
A. dynamics, a component of force.
B. energy, a component of force.
C. duration, a component of time.
D. rhythm, a component of time.
6. The speed with which a movement is performed is called
A. accent.
B. beat.
C. rhythm.
D. tempo.
Author: Kate Larken
Copyright 2004,
2008 KET
Reviewed by the
Kentucky
Department of
Education
7. The following is a true statement:
A. In a circle, all dancers are equal.
B. Shape always stays the same in a dance piece.
C. In syncopation, accents are on the beat.
D. The use of energy while moving never changes in a dance.
This lesson plan is part
of the Dance Arts
Toolkit. To order the
entire toolkit or for
more information
about the Arts Toolkit
project, visit
www.ket.org/artstoolkit
or call (859) 258-7294.
Arts Toolkit Dance • Lesson Plans • 3
Dance Language Intensive: Glossary Basics
space: the area of space occupied by the dancer’s body. The components of space
include direction, size, pathway, level, and shape.
• direction: which way a dancer faces or moves; forward, backward, sideways, up, and down.
• level: the vertical distance from the floor: high, middle, and low or deep.
• pathway: patterns made as a dancer moves through the air or on the floor: straight, vertical, horizontal, zigzag.
• shape: the form created by the body’s position in space; the design of the body or a group of
dancers in space.
• size: magnitude of a body shape or movement; from small to large movements.
time: the relationship of one movement or part of a movement to another.
• accent: a movement or shape performed in such a way as to give emphasis.
• beat: underlying rhythmic pulse.
• duration: the length of time a movement lasts; a short time, or something in between.
• phrase: a sequence of related movements that has a sense of rhythmic completion.
• pulse: the ongoing underlying beat.
• rhythm: a flow of sound or movement having regular accented beats; patterns made by arranging
long and short sounds or strong and light sounds.
• syncopation: a temporary accenting of a normally weak beat in music to vary the rhythm.
• tempo: the speed with which a movement is performed.
force (energy): degree of muscular tension and use of energy while moving.
• dynamics: how a movement is done; movement quality; e.g., sharp/smooth, tension/relaxation.
• flow: continuity of movement; e.g., bound/free flowing.
• weight: strength (force) or lightness of movement; e.g., heavy/light.
4 • Arts Toolkit Dance • Lesson Plans
Dance Language Intensive: View & Collect
Instructions: As you view, collect information in the appropriate categories.
Space
Time
Force
Arts Toolkit Dance • Lesson Plans • 5
Dance Language Intensive: View & Discover
Instructions: Familiarize yourself with these guided-viewing questions so that during (or after) viewing
DanceSense Program 4: Elements of Dance, you can record your responses.
1. What are the three elements of dance?
2. Shape, level, and direction are all part of which of the three elements of dance?
3. Which of the terms in item 2 (above) describes the use of circles, lines, or other body or group
designs in dance?
4. What religious group used dance performed in concentric circles moving in opposite directions?
What did they call their dance? What did the circles mean?
5. In what two ways is dance compared to visual art?
6. Beat, rhythm, tempo, and duration are components of which of the three elements of dance?
7. Which of the three elements of dance is defined as “the use of energy”?
8. When a dancer moves toward or away from the audience, what do these movements often
emphasize or mean? Explain.
9. What term means “the length of time a movement, phrase or choreography lasts”?
10. One of the choreographers says using various types of energy makes any dance piece more
interesting. What do you think he means?
6 • Arts Toolkit Dance • Lesson Plans