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Dance Around the World

Sixth graders take a tour of dance around the world — flamenco, Bharatanatyam, hula, Irish step, and samba — learning how every culture tells stories, celebrates, and expresses identity through movement.

Grade 6Dance & Culture45 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…

  • ✓Name dances from around the world.
  • ✓Connect dances to cultures.
  • ✓Value dance diversity.
  • ✓Appreciate global dance.
Essential Question

Every culture on Earth dances — and each dance tells a story about its people. What are some dances from around the world, and where do they come from?

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

Match the World Dance

Project this and match each dance to where it comes from — tap a dance, then tap its origin.

🌍 Match each dance to its originTry it
Dance
Where It’s From
Now tap its origin!
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 — The World Dances

5 min

Every culture dances — what stories do their dances tell?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show two world dances.
  • Ask where they’re from.
  • Warm up.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Watch.
  • Wonder.
  • Warm up.
2

Explore — Explore World Dance

11 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Match the World Dance.
  • Note each origin.
  • Note its meaning.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match.
  • Note them.
  • Explain.
3

Create — Create

14 min

Students create.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Try a movement from a world dance.
  • Describe its culture.
  • Show respect.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Try it.
  • Describe.
  • Respect it.
4

Perform — Perform

10 min

Students perform.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Share a world-dance example.
  • Explain its origin.
  • Give critique.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Share it.
  • Explain it.
  • Critique.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students respond.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a world dance.
  • Say where it’s from.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

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

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (Dance).

NCAS
DA:Cn11.1.6

Connect dance to world cultures and history.

NCAS
DA:Cn10.1.6

Relate dance to personal and cultural meaning.

NCAS
DA:Re7.1.6

Describe movement in world dances.

NCAS
DA:Re9.1.6

Evaluate dances from different cultures.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Dance + origin cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ is from ___.”
  • Use dance clips/maps.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with two dances.
  • Match one pair at a time.
  • Use a map.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add more world dances.
  • Research a dance’s meaning.
  • Compare two cultures’ dances.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🌍A world map
  • 💻Match the World Dance
  • 🎬World-dance clips
  • ✏️Pens
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

culturethe traditions of a group of peopleflamencoa passionate dance from SpainBharatanatyama classical dance from Indiahulaa storytelling dance from Hawaiifolk dancea traditional community dancetraditiona custom passed downheritagecultural backgroundcelebrationa joyful gathering
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
Name a dance and where it comes from.
Sample: flamenco (Spain), hula (Hawaii), samba (Brazil), or Irish step (Ireland).
QUESTION 2
What does hula dance often do?
Tells a story using flowing hand movements.
QUESTION 3
Why does every culture have its own dances?
Dance is a way people tell stories, celebrate, and express who they are.

Reflect: a world of dance.

Have students choose one world dance and describe where it’s from and one thing that makes it special. A printable world-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.

🃏 Dance Around the WorldFlip
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.

📝 Dance Around the WorldQuiz
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.

🖨️ Dance Around the WorldPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: Bharatanatyam, celebration, culture, flamenco, folk dance, heritage, hula, tradition
  1. the traditions of a group of people
  2. a storytelling dance from Hawaii
  3. a joyful gathering
  4. a passionate dance from Spain
  5. a traditional community dance
  6. a classical dance from India
  7. cultural background
  8. a custom passed down

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Name a dance and where it comes from.
  2. What does hula dance often do?
  3. Why does every culture have its own dances?
Answer key — Part A: 1) culture · 2) hula · 3) celebration · 4) flamenco · 5) folk dance · 6) Bharatanatyam · 7) heritage · 8) tradition
Part B: 1) Sample: flamenco (Spain), hula (Hawaii), samba (Brazil), or Irish step (Ireland). 2) Tells a story using flowing hand movements. 3) Dance is a way people tell stories, celebrate, and express who they are.