Grade One

1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION

Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information Through the Language and Skills Unique to Dance

Students perceive and respond, using the elements of dance. They demonstrate movement skills, process sensory information, and describe movement, using the vocabulary of dance.

Development of Motor Skills and Technical Expertise
1.1 Demonstrate the ability to vary control and direct force/energy used in basic locomotor and axial movements (e.g., skip lightly, turn strongly, fall heavily).

Comprehension and Analysis of Dance Elements
1.3 Name basic locomotor and axial movements (e.g., skip, slide, stretch, roll).

Development of Dance Vocabulary
1.4 Perform simple movements in response to oral instructions (e.g., walk, turn, reach).

2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION

Creating, Performing, and Participating in Dance

Students apply choreographic principles, processes, and skills to create and communicate meaning through the improvisation, composition, and performance of dance.

Creation/Invention of Dance Movements
2.1 Use improvisation to discover movements in response to a specific movement problem (e.g., find a variety of ways to walk; create five types of circular movement).
2.2 Respond in movement to a wide range of stimuli (e.g., music, books, pictures, rhymes, fabrics, props).
2.3 Create a short movement sequence with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
2.4 Create shapes and movements at low, middle, and high levels.
2.5 Imitate simple movement patterns.

Communication of Meaning in Dance
2.6 Express basic emotional qualities (e.g., angry, sad, excited, happy) through movement.
2.7 Perform improvised movement ideas for peers.

Development of Partner and Group Skills
2.8 Work with others in a group to solve a specific dance problem (e.g., design three shapes high, medium, and low; create slow and fast movements).

3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT

Understanding the Historical Contributions and Cultural Dimensions of Dance

Students analyze the function and development of dance in past and present cultures throughout the world, noting human diversity as it relates to dance and dancers.

Development of Dance
3.1 Name and perform folk/traditional dances from other countries.
3.2 Describe aspects of the style, costumes, and music of a dance.
3.3 List commonalities among basic locomotor movements in dances from various countries.

History and Function of Dance
3.4 Identify where and when people dance.

4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING

Responding to, Analyzing, and Making Judgments About Works of Dance

Students critically assess and derive meaning from works of dance, performance of dancers, and original works according to the elements of dance and aesthetic qualities.

Description, Analysis, and Criticism of Dance
4.1 Use basic dance vocabulary to identify and describe a dance observed or performed (e.g., shapes, levels, directions, tempo/fast-slow).

Meaning and Impact of Dance
4.2 Describe the experience of dancing two different dances (e.g., Seven Jumps, La Raspa).
4.3 Describe how they communicate an idea or a mood in a dance (e.g., with exaggerated everyday gesture or emotional energies).

5.0 CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS

Connecting and Applying What Is Learned in Dance to Learning in Other Art Forms and Subject Areas and to Careers

Students apply what they learn in dance to learning across subject areas. They develop competencies and creative skills in problem solving, communication, and management of time and resources that contribute to lifelong learning and career skills. They also learn about careers in and related to dance.

Connections and Applications Across Disciplines
5.1 Demonstrate curricular concepts through dance (e.g., growth cycle, animal movement).
5.2 Give examples of how dance relates to other subjects (e.g., mathematics shape, counting; language arts beginning, middle, and end).