Dance 8th Grade

Course Title: Dance 8th GradeKALogonew2012 copy
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Course Title: Dance 8th Grade


8th Grade Dance is a year long encore class that meets every other day.  The course is designed to provide a venue not only into the world of dance but also to reinforce the lifelong benefits of a healthy dance instrument, the body.  Dance is explored in social, virtuoso, professional and athletic contexts. In addition to honing dance and choreographic skills,  students will develop problem solving assessment skills and aesthetic reflective critiquing skills.  

Life long takeaways include 1) utilizing resources, 2) understanding audience etiquette, 3)

reinforcement of the benefits of an active body to create and sustain a healthy lifestyle.

Power Standards

  1. Student successfully creates, performs or participates in dancing.
  2. Student is able to reflect, interpret, and evaluate a wide variety of dance/choreographic works.
  3. Student is able to make connections between dance and healthful living.

Course Outline

Creating, performing and participating in dance

 Guiding Questions Learning Objectives
  • How does a dancer develop craft?
  • What are choreographic principles?
  • What does an effective rehearsal look like?
  • What are the obligations of a performer?
  • What are the obligations of the audience?
  • Understand and properly execute dance moves
  • Memorize and reproduce movement sequences
  • Apply improv skills
  • Choreograph dance studies
  • Demonstrate the abilities to take various roles in productions and performances
  • Dance a range of genres
  • Apply critique and develop revision skills
 Summative Projects:  Dance Techniques, Choreography Studies, Improv, Yoga, Zumba, Social Dance

Reflect, interpret and evaluate a wide variety of dance works

 Guiding Questions Learning Objectives
  • How do performers learn from their performances through reflection?
  • How can dance inform about culture or social cause?
  • How can a performer identify strengths and weaknesses in a performance to offer feedback to peers?
  • Why is revision important?
  • Reflect on their performance to identify areas of strength and weakness.
  • Critique a variety of performances done by professional performer to identify how the performer is using concepts explored in class.
  • Critique self/peer performances to provide feedback that will better future performances.
 Assessments: Self and Peer Critiques, Personal Reflection, Journals, Class Discussions

Healthy living and connecting to the world

 Guiding Questions Learning Objectives
  • How does preparing the body for physical endeavors, keep the body safe?
  • How does preparing the body for physical help enhance performance?
  • Identify personal goals to improve themselves as dancers/athletes and the steps that they are taking to reach those goals.
  • Explain strategies to prevent injuries.
  • Model and discuss warm up how warm-up prepares the body and mind for expressive purposes.
 Assessments:  Developing, leading and participating in warm-ups, reflections


 Career and Life Skills
 Social and Cross Cultural The student respects and contributes to the diverse learning community by:

  • Honoring  the ideas and opinions of others and
  • Interacting effectively and appropriately with others.
 Productivity and  Accountability The student takes ownership of work and actions  by:

  • Completing assignments on time
  • Arriving prepared and on time
  • Managing time
 Initiative and Self Direction The student demonstrates independence by:

    • Self-advocating for assistance or resources
    • Persevering through rigorous/challenging tasks
    • Utilizing feedback