Activity 01
Movement Exploration: Level Journeys
Students move through the room on a signal: high level on one drum beat, medium on two, low on three. The teacher layers in direction changes and speed changes to build complexity. Pause and freeze periodically so students can observe who is at which level and discuss the shapes they see.
Explain how moving at a low level can communicate a different feeling than moving at a high level.
Facilitation TipDuring Movement Exploration: Level Journeys, give clear examples of what high, medium, and low look like, such as standing tall with arms up for high, normal stance for medium, and squatting low for low.
What to look forAsk students to stand and move through their personal space, then move into general space. Observe if they are moving safely and aware of others. Then, call out 'High!', 'Medium!', 'Low!' and have students freeze in a shape at that level.
ApplyAnalyzeEvaluateSelf-AwarenessSelf-ManagementSocial Awareness
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 02
Collaborative Choreography: Three-Level Phrase
In pairs, students design a three-part movement phrase: start at a low level, travel through a medium level, and end at a high level. They practice the sequence together and share it with another pair, then watch and describe what they observed about their partner's level choices.
Design a short dance phrase that uses all three levels of space.
Facilitation TipFor Collaborative Choreography: Three-Level Phrase, model how to combine levels smoothly within a phrase and remind students to take turns when sharing ideas.
What to look forShow a short video clip of dancers or characters moving. Ask: 'How did the dancers use the space around them? Did they move high, medium, or low? What feeling did the low movements give you? What about the high movements?'
ApplyAnalyzeEvaluateSelf-AwarenessSelf-ManagementSocial Awareness
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 03
Gallery Walk: Frozen Dancers
Each student makes a shape at a level of their own choosing and freezes. The class walks around the frozen shapes and identifies: Who is high? Who is low? How does each shape make you feel? Students then discuss whether they would have guessed the same emotions from the shapes.
Analyze how dancers use the space around them to interact with others or tell a story.
Facilitation TipDuring the Gallery Walk: Frozen Dancers, ask students to observe one specific element, such as levels or facial expressions, to focus their attention during the walk.
What to look forGive each student a card with a feeling written on it (e.g., happy, sad, scared, excited). Ask them to draw a simple stick figure showing how they would move at a specific level (high, medium, or low) to show that feeling.
UnderstandApplyAnalyzeCreateRelationship SkillsSocial Awareness
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 04
Think-Pair-Share: Feeling and Level
Show images of dances at different levels, such as a ballet leap, a crouching folk dance, and a mid-level jazz pose. Ask: How does the level change the mood of each image? Students share their observations with a partner before contributing to a class discussion about level and emotional expression.
Explain how moving at a low level can communicate a different feeling than moving at a high level.
Facilitation TipIn Think-Pair-Share: Feeling and Level, provide sentence starters like 'I felt _____ when I moved at a _____ level because...' to scaffold their responses.
What to look forAsk students to stand and move through their personal space, then move into general space. Observe if they are moving safely and aware of others. Then, call out 'High!', 'Medium!', 'Low!' and have students freeze in a shape at that level.
UnderstandApplyAnalyzeSelf-AwarenessRelationship Skills
Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Teach this topic by starting with clear, simple demonstrations of each level and space concept. Use consistent language like 'high, medium, low' and 'personal, general space' so students build vocabulary alongside their movement skills. Avoid overwhelming students with too many concepts at once; focus first on safety and awareness before adding expressive elements. Research shows that young children learn spatial concepts best when movement is paired with verbal cues, visual models, and immediate feedback.
Successful learning looks like students moving safely in both personal and general space while accurately demonstrating high, medium, and low levels. They should show awareness of others, control their movements, and express emotions through their choices of level. By the end of the activities, students should confidently freeze in shapes at specific levels and describe how levels affect their movement and feelings.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During Movement Exploration: Level Journeys, watch for students who assume high level means jumping and only practice airborne movements.
During Movement Exploration: Level Journeys, demonstrate standing on tiptoe with arms overhead as a high-level shape and ask students to practice this shape while staying grounded. Praise students who show high level without jumping.
During Collaborative Choreography: Three-Level Phrase, watch for students who think general space means they can move anywhere without regard for others.
During Collaborative Choreography: Three-Level Phrase, pause the activity to play a 'fill the space evenly' game. Students spread out, then call out 'cluster!' and have them adjust their positions to spread evenly again before continuing.
Methods used in this brief