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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
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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?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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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
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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.

📝 ChoreographyQuiz
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.

🖨️ 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.