Minds On

Today’s vocabulary

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A sequence of elements in which one or more of the elements repeats.

A dance phrase is a small group of movements that go together.

The instrument of dance. The term body may also describe the body’s position or shape (e.g., curved, straight, big, or small); also, how the body is moving (e.g., using locomotor or non-locomotor movements).

The space in which the body moves; includes the area around the body and the larger dance space.

The force or power with which the body moves (e.g., heavy/light, sharp/smooth, tight/loose).

An element of dance that includes rhythm, tempo, accent, and duration.

rhythm–patterns of movement and rest
tempo–how fast or slow a movement is performed
accent–a strong movement or gesture used to create emphasis or focus
duration–how long a movement lasts

Let’s get started!

Explore the following video clip to learn more about how ants move.

Brainstorm

What do you think?

After checking out the video, brainstorm the following:

How are the ants marching?
What do you notice?
Do you notice any patterns?

Record your ideas in a notebook or another method of your choice.

Action

Get ready, get set…

Movements in dance can be created and put together to form patterns.

We can explore insects in nature as an inspiration to create different movements.

Now, let’s create our own movements that represent an ant and a bee.

The ant will represent the ‘A’ part of the pattern.

The bee will represent the ‘B’ part of the pattern.

Record your movement ideas for each insect in a notebook or another method of your choice.

When you are ready, press ‘Let’s Check’ to access possible A and B movements.

Let’s Check

Check out the following movements:

Marching energetically in a straight pathway

Moving excitedly in a zigzag pathway

Teacher A and B making movements like an ant and a bee.

We can keep repeating the ‘A B’ pattern as many times as we want!

Safety

Let’s get our bodies moving!

Always be sure to do your safety checks before you do an activity.

Safety

Before you begin:

Are your clothes comfortable? Do you have running shoes on? Do you have proper equipment? Be sure to check the equipment first. Ask an adult to help you check. Is there enough space? Have you moved any objects that you might bump into? How are you feeling? Listen to your body. Take breaks, if you need to. Stop, if you need to.

If possible, try out the ‘A B’ pattern and repeat it at least three times.

Ant moves: Part A

We will create an ‘A B’ pattern with movements inspired by just an ant.

Let’s start with the ‘A’ part of the pattern.

What are some movements that ants do?

When you are ready, press ‘Let’s Check!’ to access sample movements.

Let’s Check!

Ant movements:

march
crawl
carry
lift

So for the ‘A’ part of the pattern, we can use marching, or another movement of your choice.

Portfolio

Elements

How can we use the elements of dance to make the ‘A’ movement interesting?

Let’s explore a few elements of dance. Check out the following chart:

Body	What is your body doing? Consider the following questions: What different body bases could you use to create a shape with your body? What different body parts could you move? How many different locomotor and non-locomotor movement could you create? Could you create symmetry in your body? What about asymmetry? What kinds of angular shapes could you make? What kind of curved shapes could you make?
Space	Where is your body moving? Consider the following questions: How could you move at a high, middle, or low level? What different pathways could you travel (in a straight line, in a zigzag, backwards)? If you are dancing with someone else, how is it different when you dance close together vs. far apart?
Time	When is the body moving? (in relation to time) Consider the following questions: How could you move at various speeds (e.g., fast, medium, slow)? How it is different dancing to music vs. dancing without music? Could you add a pause or a moment of stillness into your movements?
Energy	How is the body moving? Consider the following questions: How could you move lightly (e.g., as if you are a balloon floating through the sky, as if you are an astronaut in outer space)? How could you move as if your body was heavy (e.g., as if you were pushing a big piece of furniture across the floor, as if you were moving through thick mud)? What is an example of a sudden movement? What is an example of a sustained movement?

Complete the Ant Moves Activity: Part A in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document. If you would like, you can use speech-to-text or audio recording tools to record your thoughts. Consider adding your work to your dance portfolio.

Ant Moves Activity: Part A

How can we use the elements of dance to make the ‘A’ movements interesting?

My chosen movement:
Body	Space	Time	Energy

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Ant Moves Activity: Part A.

Activity

Consider adding this Ant Moves Activity: Part A to your portfolio.

When you are ready, press ‘Let’s Check!’ to access a possible answer.

Let’s Check!

Marching
Body	Space	Time	Energy
locomotor body base: feet	high level straight pathway	quick	percussively

Safety reminder

Always be sure to do your safety checks before any physical activity!

If possible, try out your movements from the Ant Moves Activity: Part A.

Go!

Ant moves: Part B

After choosing the ‘A’ part of the pattern, let’s create a different ant inspired movement for the ‘B’ part of the pattern.

1. You may use one of the following ant movements for part ‘B.’

march
crawl
carry
lift

2. After choosing the ‘B’ movement, let’s reflect on how we can use the elements of dance to make the ‘B’ movement interesting.

Let’s explore a few elements of dance. Check out the Elements of Dance Chart to guide you.

Elements of Dance Chart
Body	What is your body doing? Consider the following questions: What different body bases could you use to create a shape with your body? What different body parts could you move? How many different locomotor and non-locomotor movement could you create? Could you create symmetry in your body? What about asymmetry? What kinds of angular shapes could you make? What kind of curved shapes could you make?
Space	Where is your body moving? Consider the following questions: How could you move at a high, middle, or low level? What different pathways could you travel (in a straight line, in a zigzag, backwards)? If you are dancing with someone else, how is it different when you dance close together vs. far apart?
Time	When is the body moving? (in relation to time) Consider the following questions: How could you move at various speeds (e.g., fast, medium, slow)? How it is different dancing to music vs. dancing without music? Could you add a pause or a moment of stillness into your movements?
Energy	How is the body moving? Consider the following questions: How could you move lightly (e.g., as if you are a balloon floating through the sky, as if you are an astronaut in outer space)? How could you move as if your body was heavy (e.g., as if you were pushing a big piece of furniture across the floor, as if you were moving through thick mud)? What is an example of a sudden movement? What is an example of a sustained movement?

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Elements of Dance Chart.

Activity

3. Then, record your movement ideas and elements of dance choices.

Complete the Ant Moves Activity: Part B in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document. If you would like, you can use speech-to-text or audio recording tools to record your thoughts. Consider adding your work to your dance portfolio.

Ant Moves Activity: Part B

How can we use the elements of dance to make the ‘B’ movements interesting?

My chosen movement:
Body	Space	Time	Energy

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Ant Moves Activity: Part B.

Activity

Consider adding this Ant Moves Activity: Part B to your portfolio.

Safety reminder

Always be sure to do your safety checks before any physical activity!

If possible, try out your movements from the Ant Moves Activity: Part B.

Try It

Your turn!

Now that you have your ‘A’ and ‘B’ pattern, let’s put them together create a new ‘A B’ pattern!

You may choose to do an ‘A B A’ pattern or an ‘A B B A’ pattern.

Pattern A B A: Child marching, then crawling on the ground, then marching again.

Pattern A B B A: Child marching, lifting an object, lifting an object, then marching again.

Record your pattern in a notebook or another method of your choice.

Safety reminder

Always be sure to do your safety checks before any physical activity!

If possible, try out your new pattern for at least three times!

Consolidation

A B pattern

In this learning activity, we used the elements of dance to make the parts of an ‘A B’ pattern.

Now, create an ‘A B’ pattern inspired by another insect.

You may choose a bee or another insect of your choice.

Check out the following video to learn more about how bees move.

You may use the following checklist to guide your ‘A B’ insect pattern.

Complete the A B Pattern Activity in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document. If you would like, you can use speech-to-text or audio recording tools to record your thoughts. Consider adding your work to your dance portfolio.

A B Pattern Activity

What movements and elements of dance are in your ‘A B’ pattern?

My insect:
My ‘A’ movement is:
Body	Space	Time	Energy

My ‘B’ movement is:
Body	Space	Time	Energy

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access A B Pattern Activity.

Activity

Consider adding this A B Pattern Activity to your portfolio.

Safety reminder

Always be sure to do your safety checks before any physical activity!

If possible, try out your new ‘A B’ pattern for at least three times!

Portfolio

Review your learning

After creating and trying our your ‘A B’ pattern, what part of the creative process do you feel the most proud of?

Record your thoughts in a notebook or another method of your choice. Consider adding your work to your dance portfolio.

A child is writing in their notebook. They have a thought bubble off to the side. In the bubble, they are spelling the word "tempo" with letter blocks.

Reflection

How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity? Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.

I feel…

I have an excellent understanding of the concepts I have a very good understanding of the concepts I have some understanding but need to review some more my understanding of the concepts needs a lot more work

Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.

Press ‘Discover More’ to extend your skills.

Discover More

Let’s use your movements to create a dance phrase with a different pattern form.

Try any of the following pattern forms:

‘A B A’ pattern
‘A B B A’ pattern

Learning goals

Success criteria

Minds On

Today’s vocabulary