Dances-for-Exp-Univ-2

Dances for an Expanding Universe Workshops for Students

The sun is in me,

pale morning flames

setting my still-sleeping

heart alight.

The moon is in me,

sad silver beams

painting my dreams

with shadows.

From The Sun in Me

by Moira Andrew

Learning Activities: Grades 5 – 8

Newton’s Laws of Motion / The Gravity Dance Improvisation - Activity #2

Description of Learning Activity

Students will:

Create a simple Gravity Dance Structured Improvisation based on Newton’s Laws of Inertia, and Universal Gravitation.

Use their bodies to kinesthetically communicate concepts related to Newton’s First Law of Motion and Universal Gravitation.

Make a connection between the dance concepts of kinesphere, spatial awareness, and pathway to communicate information about gravity and orbiting masses.

Next Generation Science Standards

MS-PS2-1. Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.

MS-PS2-2. Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.

MS-ESS1-2. Develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motions within galaxies and the solar system.

National Core Dance Standards

Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art. Investigate two contrasting topics using a variety of research methods. Identify and organize ideas to create representative movement phrases. Create a dance study exploring the contrasting ideas. Discuss how the research informed the choreographic process and deepens understanding of the topics.

Common Core State Standards

ELA/Literacy –RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions

WHST.6-8.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related,