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Strong & Gentle Moves

Second graders learn that dance moves can be strong and powerful — stomps and jumps — or gentle and soft — floaty waves and light tiptoes — and that changing the energy changes how a dance feels.

Grade 2Energy30 minutes1 class periodArtistic ProcessExplicit teaching4 StandardsNCAS
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Make strong moves.
  • ✓Make gentle moves.
  • ✓Sort the moves.
  • ✓Change my energy.
Essential Question

Some dance moves are STRONG like a stomp, and some are gentle like a floaty wave! Can you tell them apart?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Sort It · Interactive

Strong or Gentle?

Project this and sort each move into a strong move or a gentle move.

💃 Sort each — strong or gentle?Try it
💪 Strong
🍃 Gentle
Tap a move, then tap a box.
The Lesson · Artistic Process (Warm-Up · Explore · Create · Perform · Reflect)

30 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Strong or Gentle

4 min

A stomp is strong, a floaty wave is gentle — can you tell?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Do a strong and gentle move.
  • Ask which is which.
  • Warm up.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Watch.
  • Guess.
  • Warm up.
2

Explore — Strong & Gentle

8 min

Children explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send children to Strong or Gentle?
  • Sort each one.
  • Try them.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sort them.
  • Try them.
  • Name.
3

Create — Create

8 min

Children create.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Make a strong move.
  • Make a gentle move.
  • Go strong then gentle.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Strong!
  • Gentle.
  • Change it.
4

Perform — Perform

6 min

Children perform.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Follow a strong/gentle leader.
  • Show a move.
  • Be kind.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Follow.
  • Show it.
  • Be kind.
5

Reflect — Reflect

4 min

Children respond.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a strong move.
  • Name a gentle move.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Name one.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (Dance).

NCAS
DA:Pr4.1.2

Move with strong and gentle energy.

NCAS
DA:Cr1.1.2

Explore movement energy.

NCAS
DA:Re7.1.2

Notice energy in dance.

NCAS
DA:Pr5.1.2

Practice energy range.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Strong/gentle cards.
  • Sentence frame: “This is a ___ move.”
  • Move together.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with stomp vs. sway.
  • Move along.
  • Sort one at a time.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Make a strong-gentle pattern.
  • Change a move’s energy.
  • Draw strong and gentle.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🎵Music
  • 💻Strong or Gentle?
  • 👟Open space
  • 🖍️Crayons
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

energyhow strong or gentle a move isstrongpowerful and firmgentlesoft and lightstompa strong foot moveswaya gentle side-to-side movepowerfulfull of forcelightsoft and floatymovea dance action
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
Is a powerful stomp strong or gentle?
Strong.
QUESTION 2
Is a soft, floaty wave strong or gentle?
Gentle.
QUESTION 3
Name a strong move.
A stomp, a strong punch, a firm reach, or a mighty jump.

Reflect: strong and gentle.

Have children make one strong move and one gentle move at home. A printable energy sheet is in the Arts library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Strong & Gentle MovesFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Strong & Gentle MovesQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Strong & Gentle MovesPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: energy, gentle, light, move, powerful, stomp, strong, sway
  1. soft and light
  2. a strong foot move
  3. soft and floaty
  4. a gentle side-to-side move
  5. powerful and firm
  6. full of force
  7. a dance action
  8. how strong or gentle a move is

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Is a powerful stomp strong or gentle?
  2. Is a soft, floaty wave strong or gentle?
  3. Name a strong move.
Answer key — Part A: 1) gentle · 2) stomp · 3) light · 4) sway · 5) strong · 6) powerful · 7) move · 8) energy
Part B: 1) Strong. 2) Gentle. 3) A stomp, a strong punch, a firm reach, or a mighty jump.