Home›Lesson Plans›The Arts›Dance · Grade 6

Choreography

Sixth graders learn the craft of choreography — creating a dance from an idea by building movement phrases, arranging them into a sequence, and refining the whole through rehearsal.

Grade 6Choreography45 minutes1 class periodArtistic ProcessExplicit teaching4 StandardsNCAS
Start the Lesson
Assign or share this lesson

Copy link works with Canvas, Schoology, Moodle and any other LMS — paste it in as a resource or assignment.

Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain choreography.
  • ✓Order the design steps.
  • ✓Build movement phrases.
  • ✓Create a dance.
Essential Question

A dance doesn’t just happen — a choreographer designs every move. What steps do you follow to create a dance of your own?

0
Lesson Phases
0
Vocabulary Terms
0
Standards Aligned
0
Interactive Task
Put in Order · Interactive

Order the Choreography Steps

Project this and have students put the steps of choreographing a dance in order — from the idea to refining.

💃 Put the choreography steps in order!Try it
Tap the first step!
The Lesson · Artistic Process (Warm-Up · Explore · Create · Perform · Reflect)

45 minutes, five moves

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

1

Warm-Up — Designed, Not Random

5 min

A choreographer designs every move — how do you make a dance?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a short dance.
  • Ask how it was made.
  • Warm up.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Watch.
  • Wonder.
  • Warm up.
2

Explore — Explore Choreography

11 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Order the Choreography Steps.
  • Order them.
  • Note phrases.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Order.
  • Note it.
  • Explain.
3

Create — Create

14 min

Students create.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Make a movement phrase.
  • Arrange phrases in order.
  • Add a theme.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Make it.
  • Arrange it.
  • Add theme.
4

Perform — Perform

10 min

Students perform.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Perform their sequence.
  • Explain the design.
  • Give critique.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Perform it.
  • Explain it.
  • Critique.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students respond.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a step.
  • Explain a phrase.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

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

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (Dance).

NCAS
DA:Cr1.1.6

Generate movement ideas for a dance.

NCAS
DA:Cr2.1.6

Organize movements into a structured dance.

NCAS
DA:Cr3.1.6

Refine a dance through revision.

NCAS
DA:Pr4.1.6

Perform choreographed movement.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Step + phrase cards.
  • Sentence frame: “First ___, then ___.”
  • Choreograph together.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with idea and music.
  • Order two at a time.
  • Make one phrase.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Choreograph a full dance.
  • Add motifs and repetition.
  • Choreograph for a group.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🎵Music
  • 💻Order the Choreography Steps
  • 👟Open space
  • ✏️Pens
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

choreographythe art of creating danceschoreographera person who creates dancesphrasea short series of movementssequencemovements in orderthemethe idea behind a dancemotifa repeated movement idearehearseto practice a dancerefineto improve a dance
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 choreography?
The art of creating and arranging the movements of a dance.
QUESTION 2
What is a movement phrase?
A short series of connected movements — like a sentence in a dance.
QUESTION 3
What is a good FIRST step in choreographing?
Choose an idea or theme for the dance.

Reflect: choreograph it.

Have students create a short movement phrase and arrange it into a simple sequence. A printable choreography 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.

🃏 ChoreographyFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
0

Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

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

📝 ChoreographyQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

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.

🖨️ ChoreographyPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: choreographer, choreography, motif, phrase, refine, rehearse, sequence, theme
  1. the art of creating dances
  2. the idea behind a dance
  3. a repeated movement idea
  4. movements in order
  5. a person who creates dances
  6. a short series of movements
  7. to improve a dance
  8. to practice a dance

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is choreography?
  2. What is a movement phrase?
  3. What is a good FIRST step in choreographing?
Answer key — Part A: 1) choreography · 2) theme · 3) motif · 4) sequence · 5) choreographer · 6) phrase · 7) refine · 8) rehearse
Part B: 1) The art of creating and arranging the movements of a dance. 2) A short series of connected movements — like a sentence in a dance. 3) Choose an idea or theme for the dance.