Levels and Directions in Space
Navigating the performance area using high, medium, and low levels, and various directions.
Key Questions
- Explain how changing direction can create interest in a dance.
- Design a movement sequence that explores all three levels.
- Analyze how high and low levels change the impact of a dance.
Ontario Curriculum Expectations
About This Topic
Material strength and utility focus on why we choose certain materials for specific jobs. Students investigate properties like flexibility, durability, buoyancy, and insulation. In the Ontario curriculum, this topic bridges Science and Technology (Structures and Mechanisms), asking students to think like engineers. They learn that the 'best' material depends entirely on what you are trying to build.
This unit is a great way to introduce diverse perspectives, such as how Indigenous peoples across Canada used local materials like birch bark for canoes or cedar for longhouses based on their unique properties. Students grasp this concept faster through structured testing and comparison, where they can push materials to their limits to see when and why they fail.
Active Learning Ideas
Inquiry Circle: The Paper Bridge Challenge
Groups must build a bridge using only one sheet of paper and tape that can hold the most pennies. They must experiment with folding, rolling, and layering the paper to change its strength.
Gallery Walk: Indigenous Technology
Display images of traditional items like snowshoes, kayaks, and baskets. Students move around and use their knowledge of material properties to guess why certain woods, skins, or barks were chosen for each item.
Stations Rotation: The Property Lab
Students test different materials (plastic, wood, metal, fabric) for specific properties: Does it float? Is it waterproof? Does it bend? They record their findings to create a 'Material Guide' for the class.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionHeavy materials are always stronger than light ones.
What to Teach Instead
Students often equate weight with strength. A hands-on test comparing a heavy piece of clay to a light, corrugated cardboard strip can show that structure and material type matter more than just weight.
Common MisconceptionMetal is always the best material for building.
What to Teach Instead
While strong, metal is heavy and can rust. Peer discussions about building a boat or a winter coat help students realize that 'strength' isn't the only property that matters; flexibility and weight are also important.
Suggested Methodologies
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are 'properties' of materials?
How can I include Francophone perspectives in this topic?
How can active learning help students understand material utility?
What is the best way to test 'strength' in the classroom?
More in Stories in Motion: Dance and Movement
Body Parts and Isolation
Developing physical coordination and understanding the range of motion of individual body parts.
2 methodologies
Locomotor and Non-Locomotor Movements
Differentiating between movements that travel through space and those that stay in one place.
2 methodologies
Pathways and Formations
Exploring different floor patterns and group formations to create visual interest in dance.
2 methodologies
Effort and Energy in Movement
Understanding how to vary the force, speed, and flow of movements to express different qualities.
2 methodologies
Rhythm in Dance
Connecting musical rhythms and beats to movement, creating dances that align with music.
2 methodologies