Dance: Grade 3

Creating

Performing

Responding

Connecting

Demonstrate an understanding of the choreographic process.

Demonstrate an understanding of dance as a form of communication.

Identify and demonstrate movement elements, skills, technique, and terminology in dance.

Understand and model dance etiquette as a classroom participant, performer, and observer.

Recognize the relationship between human anatomy and movement. 

Understand and apply music concepts in dance.

Demonstrate critical and creative thinking in dance.

Understand and demonstrate dance throughout history and in various cultures. 

Recognize connections between dance and wellness.

Identify connections between dance and other areas of knowledge.

Collaborate with others to create and perform movement phrases.

Create a sequence of three or more movements utilizing body, space, time, and energy.

Explore how personal feelings and experiences influence choreography and performance. 

Respond to a variety of stimuli through movement (e.g. literature, visual art, props).

Implement various approaches to creating choreography (e.g. improvisation, guided imagery).

Use personal experiences and choreographic tools (e.g. improvisation, guided imagery) to create a movement narrative.

Recognize and describe how movement quality impacts meaning.

Move expressively to music or other stimuli (e.g. sound, text).

Apply and expand dance terminology to describe and create movement (e.g. levels, pathways, directions, speed, rhythm, energy, qualities, shapes).

Combine and execute a wide range of locomotor movements with appropriate energy and coordination (e.g. walk, run, hop, jump, gallop, skip).

Execute a range of axial movements comprised of space, force, body shapes, and qualities (e.g. levels, sharp/smooth, curved/straight, heavy/light, swing/float planes).

Demonstrate weight transfer and directional changes in axial and locomotor movements.

Perform or improvise a sequence of movements in response to oral instruction and prompts.

Demonstrate attentiveness, full participation, and cooperation with others in the dance learning environment.

Demonstrate focus and concentration in the performance of skills.

Apply knowledge of appropriate behaviors and skills as an observer and performer.

Apply knowledge of healthy practices for dance (e.g. proper warm up/cool down, proper clothing, stretching).

Describe the concept of alignment.

Recognize and identify major muscles, bones, and joints on one’s own body using limited anatomical terminology.

Create and perform simple movement sequences using rhythmic patterns and various tempos in guided and improvised dance.

Demonstrate how music or sounds influence movement quality.

Explain basic features that distinguish one dance from another (e.g. speed, force/energy, costume, setting, music).

Compare and contrast movement elements of dance.

Evaluate simple composition using specified criteria.

Demonstrate an understanding of dance as a means of communication, expression, and interaction. 

Recognize the reason for dance in other cultures. 

Compare and contrast various dance styles (e.g. ballet, jazz, tap, folk).

Explain how health, hygiene, and nutrition enhance dance ability. 

Develop and practice criteria for personal safety and the safety of others in dance.

Compare and contrast dance to other art forms and subject areas.

Explore, create, and communicate the art of dance through the use of media and technology.