This lesson students will work together to create a dance sequence that includes all of their narrative stories.

Lesson Overview

Estimated Time: 1-2 class periods

Learning Goals

By the end of this lesson, students will:

  • Present personal narrative stories through creative movement
  • Reflect and critically analyze the dance phrases of groups
  • Use the elements of dance to communicate the key elements of narrative stories through dance 
Readiness

Students need to be familiar with the elements of dance and understand the difference between miming and narrative dance.

Terminology
Materials
  • Narrative Story Cards from previous lesson
  • Music and Speakers (if group requires music for presentation)
  • Success criteria co-created in the previous lesson
  • High Tech Elementary video

Minds On

Bring the class together and review the co-created success criteria for the narrative dance presentations. 

Share this video with students:

Invite students to reflect on the video example using the success criteria and have them determine whether that piece has met the criteria.

Teacher Prompt: 

  • Did you notice a beginning, middle and end to the dance pieces?
  • What elements of dance did you observe?
  • Did they use different levels?

Action

Small Group > Narrative Story Dance Sequence

Divide students into groups of three and have each student re-read their personal narrative story card and then share their movement sequence. Once all group members have shared their stories and dance sequence, ask them to find a way to combine the three sequences into one dance piece. Depending on student readiness, you could brainstorm a list of possible suggestions (e.g., Everyone dances all three sequences in unison, the first person dances their sequence, then the first and second person dance the second person’s sequence etc.) 

Give students time to rehearse their group dance sequence. Encourage groups to review the co-created success criteria for the presentation and self-reflect on whether they have met all requirements.  Students will discuss as a group and then consider where their piece can benefit from change or improvement in preparation for their presentation. 

Small Group > Peer Feedback and Revising/Refining

When groups are prepared, partner the groups and have them share their pieces with each other. Using the success criteria anchor chart, invite groups to give each other feedback about their dance phrases. 

Allow students time to revise and refine their dance piece based on feedback received from peers. 

Whole Class > Sharing Dance Pieces

Invite each group to present their narrative dance phrase to the class. For comfort of the performers you may wish to have students perform where they had been practicing, rather than creating a formal presentation set up in the room. 

Extensions

If working with Intermediate students, and depending on students’ level of readiness, you can invite them to include a choreographic form and/or use different compositional tools. See CODE’s resource on Compositional Elements for suggestions.

Consolidation

Whole Class > Feedback

Invite students in the audience to give feedback on the performance using the posted success criteria.  

Following each performance, invite groups members to read the narrative story card aloud so that the class can reflect on the group’s presentation of the story through movement. Invite the class to discuss ways the parts of the narrative were told through dance.  

If time allows, you may want each group to do a repeat performance following the reading of the card for deeper reflection.

Assessment of Learning

Each individual within the group will be evaluated using success criteria checklists that are based on the co-created success criteria. Where possible, it is recommended that group presentations be recorded for review later. 

Students should reflect on their personal experience communicating narratives through dance in their reflection journal/writer’s notebook or using audio or video tools.