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What Is Dance?

Third graders discover that dance is moving the body on purpose to express ideas and feelings — exploring how dancers use their body, rhythm, space, and expression to tell stories without words.

Grade 3Dance Foundations40 minutes1 class periodArtistic ProcessExplicit teaching4 StandardsNCAS
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain what dance is.
  • ✓Use your body to move.
  • ✓Move to a beat.
  • ✓Express a feeling.
Essential Question

You move your body all day — but when does moving become DANCE? Dance is moving with purpose to express something. What makes dance special?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

The Dance Explorer

Project this and tap each idea. Have students learn what makes movement into dance.

💃 Explore dance — tap eachTry it

The Lesson · Artistic Process (Warm-Up · Explore · Create · Perform · Reflect)

40 minutes, five moves

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

1

Warm-Up — Moving with Meaning

5 min

You move all day — when does it become dance?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a dance clip.
  • Ask what makes it dance.
  • Warm up bodies.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Watch.
  • Wonder.
  • Warm up.
2

Explore — Explore Dance

9 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the Dance Explorer.
  • Note each idea.
  • Try moving to a beat.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each.
  • Note them.
  • Move.
3

Create — Create

13 min

Students create.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Move your whole body.
  • Move just parts.
  • Move to music.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Move all.
  • Move parts.
  • Dance.
4

Perform — Perform

8 min

Students perform.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Share a movement.
  • Move with the beat.
  • Give kind feedback.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Share it.
  • Keep time.
  • Be kind.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students respond.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Explain what dance is.
  • Name a way to move.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Explain it.
  • 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:Re7.1.3

Identify and describe movement in dance.

NCAS
DA:Cr1.1.3

Explore movement ideas.

NCAS
DA:Pr4.1.3

Move with awareness of the body.

NCAS
DA:Cn10.1.3

Connect dance to feelings and ideas.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Dance-idea picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “Dance is ___.”
  • Move together.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with moving to a beat.
  • Move simple parts.
  • Follow the leader.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Create a movement phrase.
  • Explain a dance style.
  • Move to different music.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🎵Music
  • 💻The Dance Explorer
  • 👟Open space to move
  • 🖍️Crayons
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

dancemoving with purpose to expressbodyyour instrument in dancemovementhow you moverhythma pattern of beatsbeatthe steady pulse of musicspacewhere you moveexpressionshowing a feelingperformto dance for others
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
What is dance?
Moving your body on purpose to express ideas and feelings.
QUESTION 2
What is your “instrument” in dance?
Your body.
QUESTION 3
Name one thing dancers move to.
A beat, rhythm, or music.

Reflect: move with meaning.

Have students dance to a favorite song and show one feeling with their movement. A printable dance 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.

🃏 What Is Dance?Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

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

📝 What Is Dance?Quiz
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.

🖨️ What Is Dance?Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: beat, body, dance, expression, movement, perform, rhythm, space
  1. moving with purpose to express
  2. the steady pulse of music
  3. a pattern of beats
  4. showing a feeling
  5. where you move
  6. to dance for others
  7. your instrument in dance
  8. how you move

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is dance?
  2. What is your “instrument” in dance?
  3. Name one thing dancers move to.
Answer key — Part A: 1) dance · 2) beat · 3) rhythm · 4) expression · 5) space · 6) perform · 7) body · 8) movement
Part B: 1) Moving your body on purpose to express ideas and feelings. 2) Your body. 3) A beat, rhythm, or music.