Warming up and finding ideas
Students start the year exploring movement and pulling ideas from their own lives. They try out shapes, levels, and rhythms to see what sparks a dance worth making.
What does a student learn in
This is the year dance moves from learning steps to making real choices as a choreographer. Students pull from their own lives and from other cultures and time periods to shape short pieces with intent. They polish their technique, pick which work is ready to show, and explain why a dance does what it does. By spring, students can create and perform a short dance and talk clearly about what it means.
- Choreography
- Dance technique
- Performance
- Personal expression
- Cultural context
- Critique
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
- 1
- 2
Shaping movement into dances
Students take rough ideas and build them into short pieces with a clear beginning, middle, and end. They learn to organize steps on purpose instead of stringing them together.
- 3
Sharpening technique for the stage
Students focus on how the body moves. They work on balance, control, and timing so their dances look the way they want them to look when someone is watching.
- 4
Performing with meaning
Students choose pieces to share and think about what they want the audience to feel. They rehearse with intent so the movement tells a clear story or idea.
- 5
Watching, reading, and judging dance
Students watch dances from different cultures and time periods and talk about what they see. They learn to give honest feedback using shared criteria instead of just liking or disliking a piece.
Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 7.
Connecting
Connecting
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Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art
Students connect something from their own life to the dance they're making, using that personal experience to shape the movement choices.
-
Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural
Students look at a dance piece and connect it to the time, place, or culture it came from. That context changes how the work reads and what it means.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art | Students connect something from their own life to the dance they're making, using that personal experience to shape the movement choices. | DA:Cn10.7 |
| Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural | Students look at a dance piece and connect it to the time, place, or culture it came from. That context changes how the work reads and what it means. | DA:Cn11.7 |
Creating
Creating
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Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work
Students brainstorm movement ideas and begin shaping them into a dance. They explore different ways a body can move and start connecting those choices into something intentional.
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Organize and develop artistic ideas and work
Students take the movement ideas from earlier brainstorming and shape them into a structured piece, deciding what stays, what changes, and how the dance fits together from start to finish.
-
Refine and complete artistic work
Students review a dance they've been building and make deliberate changes to improve it. They finish the work with a clear sense of what they intended and why each choice was made.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work | Students brainstorm movement ideas and begin shaping them into a dance. They explore different ways a body can move and start connecting those choices into something intentional. | DA:Cr1.7 |
| Organize and develop artistic ideas and work | Students take the movement ideas from earlier brainstorming and shape them into a structured piece, deciding what stays, what changes, and how the dance fits together from start to finish. | DA:Cr2.7 |
| Refine and complete artistic work | Students review a dance they've been building and make deliberate changes to improve it. They finish the work with a clear sense of what they intended and why each choice was made. | DA:Cr3.7 |
Performing/Presenting/Producing
Performing/Presenting/Producing
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Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation
Students choose a dance piece to perform and explain why it suits their skill level and artistic goals.
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Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation
Students rehearse a dance piece with enough focus and control to perform it clearly for an audience. They work on technique, timing, and physical precision until the piece is ready to share.
-
Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work
Students perform a dance with intention, making clear choices about movement, timing, and energy so the audience understands what the piece is about.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation | Students choose a dance piece to perform and explain why it suits their skill level and artistic goals. | DA:Pr4.7 |
| Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation | Students rehearse a dance piece with enough focus and control to perform it clearly for an audience. They work on technique, timing, and physical precision until the piece is ready to share. | DA:Pr5.7 |
| Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work | Students perform a dance with intention, making clear choices about movement, timing, and energy so the audience understands what the piece is about. | DA:Pr6.7 |
Responding
Responding
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Perceive and analyze artistic work
Students watch a dance performance and explain what they notice, from how the dancer moves to what the piece might mean. The focus is on looking closely and thinking past the surface.
-
Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work
Students explain what a dance is trying to say and why the choreographer made specific choices, such as a repeated movement or a sudden stillness.
-
Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work
Students use a set of criteria to judge a piece of dance, explaining what works, what doesn't, and why, using specific details from what they saw.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Perceive and analyze artistic work | Students watch a dance performance and explain what they notice, from how the dancer moves to what the piece might mean. The focus is on looking closely and thinking past the surface. | DA:Re7.7 |
| Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work | Students explain what a dance is trying to say and why the choreographer made specific choices, such as a repeated movement or a sudden stillness. | DA:Re8.7 |
| Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work | Students use a set of criteria to judge a piece of dance, explaining what works, what doesn't, and why, using specific details from what they saw. | DA:Re9.7 |
Common Questions
What does a year of dance look like at this grade?
Students make up their own dances, learn steps from others, perform for an audience, and talk about what dances mean. They move from copying movement to shaping it on purpose, with reasons behind their choices.
How can I support dance at home if I am not a dancer?
Put on music students like and ask them to show a short movement idea, then ask why they chose it. Watching dance clips together and talking about what the movement made you feel counts as practice.
My child says they are not flexible enough. Does that matter?
Flexibility is one small part of dance at this age. Students are graded on making choices, working with others, performing with focus, and explaining ideas, not on splits or tricks.
How should I sequence the year?
Start with movement vocabulary and short improvisations, then build into choreography with clear structure. Save formal performance and peer critique for the second half, once students have language for what they are seeing.
What does mastery look like by June?
By the end of the year, students can take a starting idea, shape it into a short dance with a beginning, middle, and end, and perform it with control. They can also watch another dance and say what the choreographer was going for.
How do I help students give useful feedback to each other?
Give them a short list of things to look for, such as use of space, timing, and clarity of the idea. Model one round of feedback yourself before letting partners try, and keep comments tied to what they actually saw.
How can I help with a dance project that is due soon?
Ask the student to show what they have so far and explain the idea behind it. Then ask one question, such as how the dance starts or ends, and let them solve it. Resist the urge to suggest moves.
Why does class time go to watching and discussing dances?
Talking about dance is part of the subject at this grade. Students learn to notice choices a choreographer made and connect dances to history and culture, which makes their own work stronger.