2 Science Integration Unit

8/22/2019 2 Science Integration Unit

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Creative Dance Unit on Rocks

Grade: Second Written by: Chelsea Alley

Unit Objective: By the end of these four lesson plans, students will be able to

demonstrate an understanding of the difference in how the three types of rocks are

formed and their characteristics through physical performance and creation of a piece thatshowcases the differences. In doing so, students will also demonstrate an understandingof dance concepts light and strong weight, bound and free flow, explosive and sustained

energy, far-reach and near-reach, and positive and negative space.

Utah Core - Science

Standard 2: Earth and Space Science. Students will gain an understanding of Earth and Space Science

through the study of earth materials, celestial movement, and weather.

Objective 1: Describe the characteristics of different rocks.

a. Explain how smaller rocks come from the breakage and weathering of larger rocks.c. Sort rocks based upon color, hardness, texture, layering, particle size and type (i.e. igneous,

metamorphic, sedimentary).

Utah CoreFine Arts

Standard 3: Students will develop an understanding of their environment.

Objective 3

Investigate the properties and uses of rocks.

a. Describe rocks in terms of the parts that make up the rocks.b. Sort rocks based upon color, hardness, texture, layering, and particle size.c. Identify how the properties of rocks determine how people use them.d. Create artworks using rocks and rock products.

Materials Needed: Hand Drum; CD player; CD with creative dance music; tape (outlinea square in the middle of the room), pictures of rock types

Vocabulary Words: metamorphic, igneous, sedimentary, porous, fossil, pressure,magma, particles, light weight, strong weight, explosive energy, sustained energy, bound

flow, free flow, positive space, negative space, far-reach, near-reach

Assumptions: It will be assumed that as second graders, students will have a couple

years of previous exposure to creative dance through an elementary program and will be

at a normal development level for their age, showing ability with gross motor skills and

beginning to work together.

Assessment: Throughout the unit, informal assessment will be constantly forming the

direction of the class. At the end of the unit, students will be assessed in their ability todistinguish and perform concepts discussed with clarity and purpose.


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Creative Dance Lesson Plan on Rocks Part I

Grade: 2nd

Length: 35 minutes Written by: Chelsea Alley

Student Learning Outcome: By the end of this 35 minute lesson, students demonstrate

and understanding of the formation process and characteristics of sedimentary rock

through physical performance using light and strong weight.

Behavioral Expectations/Warmup: (3 minutes)

1. Keep space all around you, dont touch the walls or objects in the room, and dontrun into each other.

2. When I say, freeze! and beat the drum, freeze right where you are as fast youcan. Dont move a muscle!

Lets try a few times . . .

Experience/Identify: (3 minutes)

How many of you ever notice the rocks outside? Do you collect rocks? When I

was your age, I really liked to collect rocks. I still have some that are my favorites!Rocks are so interesting. Show me with your fingers how many types of rocks there are.

[3]. Today, we are going to learn more about a specific type of rock and how it is

formed. Can you make a shape with your hands that shows layers? If I say layers is a

characteristic of todays rock, would you have any guesses as to which one well beexploring? Sedimentary!

Explore/Investigate: (12 minutes)Spread out in the space. Close your eyes and imagine wind blowing over the

earth. In your mind, look closer and closer until you can see tiny particles in the wind.

There is some dirt and dust caught up in the wind. When you hear the music, begin to

move like the dust caught in the wind. Move as lightly as if the wind could blow youaround. You are floating through the air. You are turning and rolling, so small and light,

the wind is carrying you all across the land. Now the wind has stopped and the dirt has

fallen into water. On a low level, move as if you are dust flowing down a river in thewater. Now, if you cross through the tape square in the middle of the room, you must

settle lightly down into an interesting shape in the square. Do not touch each otherthis

means you will have to creatively use each others negative space to make your shapesand fit everyone in!

You have been moving very lightly, which is a type of weight we use in dance.

Now, however, there is more and more dust and dirt piling up in this square; some small

rocks are even there. The pressure is getting greater and you must move instead withstrong weight, because you are no longer a little dust particle. This whole class of dust

and dirt particles is compressing, becoming one rock! Gently put your hand the back of

the person next to you. The square is getting smaller and smaller, slowly, as a group, you

must pull together. You have a strong connection to the ground and to each other. Youare no longer freely and lightly floating around. You are becoming stronger and stronger

in your weight and force. Think about the interesting layers you can make with each

other. Can an arm layer on top of a back? How about a head over a head? Etc. Freeze!Class, you have just become a sedimentary rock through pressure and layering! Now


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sedimentary rocks easily break apart. When you hear my drum, roll away from the group

until you find your self-space and make a small, rock-like shape.

Most of the sedimentary rock formations in our world have fossils in them!Sedimentary rock is the only kind of rock that can have fossils. Why do you think this

is? [Things get buried in the layers of accumulating particles and the pressure petrifies

them or their imprints and imbeds them in the rock.] Right where you are make aninteresting shape, frozen and fossilized. Make a plant-like fossil shape. Make an animal-like fossil shape. Look around at all these fossils! When I beat my drum, find two other

people to stand in a circle with. Who is the shortest person in the group? When I beat

my drum, this person will make an interesting fossil shape while the other two use theirnegative space and bodyparts to make creative layering shapes around them. Switch

through partners.

Create/Perform: (12 minutes)With the partners you are with now, create a dance that begins spread out and far

away from each other. Explore levels and pathways with light weight. End in a

connected, layered shape. Perform two groups at a time. Students watching will look forinteresting middle movement and creative interconnected shapes.

Connect/Analyze: (5 minutes)

How are sedimentary rocks formed? Do you like moving with light weight orstrong weight better? Why? Where else in our world can we see the forces of pressure?


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Creative Dance Lesson Plan on Rocks Part II

Grade: 2nd


Student Learning Outcome: By the end of this 35-minute lesson, students will

demonstrate an understanding of the formation process and characteristics of igneous

rock through physical performance with bound and free flow, explosive and sustainedenergy qualities.

Exploration/Investigation:

Begin with explosive vs. sustained energy quality explorations.

Stay as still as you can in a small shape on the floor until you hear thedrum. The second you hear it, explode! Then settle back down in a

sustained way.

When the music is loud, move only explosively, when it is quiet, yourmovement is sustained. Try it the other way around.

Next, explore bound and free.

Bound Land and Free Land Discuss process of magma and cooling into rock

Explore shapes that are porousthat have air pockets or negative space in them.

Creation/Performance:Students will create a dance that begins with an explosive moment and moves

through free flowing sustained movement. The dances will end with a transition into

bound movement and a collaborative frozen shape.

Connect/Analyze:

Where else do we see bound and free flow in our world? What about explosiveand sustained qualities? What was your favorite way to move? Why?


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Creative Dance Lesson Plan on Rocks Part III

Grade: 2nd


Student Learning Outcome: By the end of this 35-minute lesson, students will

demonstrate an understanding of the formation process and characteristics of

metamorphic rock through physical performance with far-reach and near-reach shapes.


Far-reach and near-reach

On the beat of the drum, make an interesting shape (twisted, angular,curved, or straight). Then let it breathe and expand as much as you can

until you are as wide-spread as you can be. You are a balloon that has

been blown up! Now, there is a leak, let the shape shrink smaller and

smaller until you are in the most compact shape you can be in.

Discuss the formation process of metamorphic rock with pressure andheat, compacting and forming.

When the drum gets faster, there is more heat and pressure in this room.Let it press you down until you are in a compact shape with mostlypositive space and very little or no negative space.

Create/Perform: (12 minutes)Students will create a dance that begins with a high level, far-reach shape, moves

through bound flow, and ends in a near-reach, low level shape.

Connect/Analyze: (5 minutes)Where else in our world do we see far-reach and near-reach shapes? Which one

is your favorite?


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Creative Dance Lesson Plan on Rocks Part IV

Grade: 2nd


Student Learning Outcome: By the end of this 35-minute lesson, students will be able to

demonstrate an understanding of the differences between the three types of rock anddistinguish them through movement. They will also demonstrate their understandingthrough the creation of a piece that showcases each.


Have students draw from a bag the pictures. Each one represents a differentrock type. Use it as the next movement formula.

Tape pictures on the ground around the room. As students move through theroom and get close to a picture, they must begin to move with the related

dance elements and formation process. When the drum beats, make a rockshape (layered, porous, compact)

Spread out in the room, make a decision now about which rock type you willchoose to dance through. When you hear the music, use the dance elementswe talked about to explore new ways of moving and end in your interestingrock shape.

Create/Perform:Students will create a piece in groups of three where each dancer represents one

rock. Showcase the difference in their formation processes and characteristics through

shapes and movement.

Connect/Analyze:

What was your favorite way to move? What is your favorite type of rock? Do weas humans ever experience pressure, or explosive energy, or sustained energy, or bound

and freeflow?


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2 Science Integration Unit