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Lesson: Integrating Dance into Social Studies

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http://clipart-library.com/social-studies-clipart.html
http://clipart-library.com/social-studies-clipart.html

Lesson Objective

Participants will explore practical applications and example lessons of dance integrated into social studies

Dance Concepts

The following are the dance concepts most commonly or naturally integrated into social studies courses. However, this list is not exhaustive. As covered in Unit 2, you should now understand the scope of dance as well as have access to the standards if you would like to explore other connections.

DANCE ELEMENTS
There are five elements: Body, Action, Space, Time, Energy (B.A.S.T.E.) that can serve as lenses to help students analyze, discuss, manipulate, and create movement. Each category describes who is dancing or what is moving (body), what they are doing (action), where they are in relation to others or their surroundings (space), when they are moving or for how long (time), and how they are moving or the quality of movement (energy).

Perpich Center for Arts Education, & University of MN Dance Program. (2018). The Elements of Dance. Retrieved from https://www.elementsofdance.org/
Perpich Center for Arts Education, & University of MN Dance Program. (2018). The Elements of Dance. Retrieved from https://www.elementsofdance.org/
  • Social Studies Applications: As a non-dance teacher, you should not feel the need to teach dance elements as a broad concept, or feel like you need to integrate all five elements. In social studies, typically teachers focus on actions that may physically events or structures in history. Also, sometimes energy qualities are used to help students express thoughts and emotions about current events. As you will see in examples below, all of these elements can have numerous applications for social studies teachers of every grade level or demographic.
    • Actions: Students can practice different types of movements that relate to events that have occurred or studies of historical people. Examples of different actions include jumping, turning, locomotor (traveling), open/close movements, rise/sink, stretch/bend, etc. ~ See Elements of Dance chart above for more
    • Energy: Students can practice movement with different qualities that represent emotions read about in documents, as well as personal feelings towards past or current events. Examples of different energy qualities include force (strong/gentle), weight (heavy/light), or flow (bound/free) ~ See Elements of Dance chart above for more
  • NCAS Artistic Process: Dance element concepts can be developed into activities that facilitate creating, performing, responding, and connecting. With more space for movement activities, students can practice and choreograph movement inspired by historical events or people. At a desk, students can discuss and write about dances viewed using social studies concepts.
Here is a quick video on Dance Elements if you are still unsure about this dance concept.
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CULTURAL DANCES
A large component of every student's dance education, is typically some experience with cultural dances. In the United States of America, this is often assumed to be simply 'non-western' dance styles. However, cultural dances include any style that emerged from a community of people. Either brought together by a similar way of thinking, geographical location, or history, the human race has managed to create an innumerable amount of dance styles. Some are highly unique, but most can exhibit connections and inspirations from others.

Blake, O. (n.d.). Slideshow Presentation. Retrieved from https://slideplayer.com/slide/9152160/
Blake, O. (n.d.). Slideshow Presentation. Retrieved from https://slideplayer.com/slide/9152160/
  • Social Studies Applications: The potential for cultural dance in a social studies classroom is most likely pretty obvious. However, it is worth saying that dance can have a significant effect in supporting social studies curriculum in many unique ways. From the beginning of known human history, movement and music have been used for multiple reasons. These lens help dancers process the different facets of different cultural dances.
    • Form: Students can view forms as the general structure and elements of a dance that make it unique. Examples of different forms are the codified steps of ballet, the polyrhythms of African dance, or the strict shapes of Chinese fan dance.
    • Function: Students can view function as the purpose of a cultural dance style. Examples of different functions are the religious purposes of liturgical dancing, the performance goals of commercial hip hop, or the social purposes of swing dancing
    • Context: Students can view context as the place and setting typical to a specific style. Examples of different contexts are the stage for modern dance, the underground clubs for certain street dances, or at weddings for many ceremonial dances.
  • NCAS Artistic Processes: Cultural can be best developed into activities that facilitate performing. Ideally with more space for movement activities, students can learn and practice the cultural dance associated with the topic of the unit. Sometimes these units can also include choreographing activities if students learn how to rearrange traditional steps into their own sequences. At a desk, students can also complete responding and connecting activities while watching videos of professional performing the dance styles and discussing with each other.
  • Related Concepts: Dance elements (reflecting on unique uses of B.A.S.T.E), themes or artistic intent (choreographing with a purpose)
  • Note: Depending on your resource, some cultural dances will appear different based on region and teacher. Try to just pick a reliable source, but you may also use that as an opportunity to show how dance styles change and morph so easily.

Examples

Arts Partnership: Arts Reaching and Teaching in Schools | BYU
These lessons are great examples of dance and math fully integrated for multiple grade levels. Each includes materials, resources for both students and teachers, in-depth procedures, and alignment to common core standards.

  • From the Heart of Africa by Miriam Bowen ~ Grade 2 ~ 1 Class Period: Students learn about African culture while reading books, singing songs, and performing gesture choreography for the traditional welcome dance, Fanga Alafia. They gain a respect and understanding for a specific culture while practicing and presenting the dance to peers.
  • Native American Round Dance by Chris Roberts and Brenda ~ Grades 3-5 ~ 1 Class Period: Students learn about Native American culture while practicing a traditional Round Dance. Then they practice different follow the leader games while maintaining hand-to-hand connections from the circle (like a snake). This means that students experience different formations and pathways (space), as well as traveling (actions), all while gaining an appreciation for a specific culture.
  • Iron Horses by Miriam Bowen ~ Grades 4-6 ~ 1-2 Class Periods: Students learn about the Transcontinental Railroad while practicing various locomotor movements (traveling actions). After reading the book Iron Horses, students choreograph and perform short movement sequences in groups, inspired by the actions in the story.
  • 1600s Dancing and Instruments by Emily Soderborg ~ Grade 6 ~ 1-2 Class Periods: Students learn about the Renaissance/Baroque period by practicing a social dance choreographed to "Scarborough Fair". They experience different formations (space), traveling steps (actions), and dancing together in pairs or groups.
  • Egyptian Pyramids by Jana Shumway ~ Grade 6 ~ 1 Class Period: Students learn about various Egyptian history, pyramid structures, and their evolution while performing shapes that represent them. After viewing pictures of certain artifacts and landmarks, they improvise shapes (space) with creative interpretations of pyramids. Then they choreograph short movement phrases in groups, where some students remain parts of the pyramid, while one navigates through the structure.

Creative Dance Integration | BYU by Erika Cravath
These lessons are great examples of dance and science fully integrated for elementary grade levels. They all connect well to all for NCAS artistic processes and allow for plenty of movement.

  • Social Studies: The Charleston and Dance Culture in the 1920s and 30s ~ Grade 5 ~ 1 Class Period: Students learn about American culture and effects of The Great Depression while choreographing steps inspired by the Charleston. After they learn some basic parts of the Charleston style, they improvise and create steps of their own.

Collaborate

Click here to join our Collaboration Nearpod (with code CPGLM) and respond to the question: How do you plan to integrate dance into your classroom? -- After reviewing these applications and examples, describe a content topic that interests you.

Your contributions will be public to any other participants in this course. Feel free to peruse other responses.

Additional Resources

  • Kassing, G. (n.d.). | This excerpt functions a as a great perspective to view dance as a cultural anthropologist. With a stronger connection to the many concepts explicitly taught in social studies, this resource includes a more detailed review of how culture and dance can truly blend. It even discusses some specific dance qualities of certain cultures from around the world

References

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