Text Space Dance

GRADES K-1 ELA AND DANCE

accelerator membership

Ask students to join you in the center of the room to practice some new moves. Share the Elements of Dance poster and tell students that we will be focusing on the elements of SPACE today. Go through each example of space on the chart and ask students to demonstrate with their bodies how each example would look.

Read the book Alphabet Soup by Kate Banks aloud. Discuss how the letters transform into amazing things each time the boy puts some of the letters together to create a word. Look at the letters as he puts them together. together. Is there a lot of space between the letters or a little when a word is created? What about if there were two words? Would there be a lot of space or a little?

Lesson Process:

Step 1:  Arrange students in groups of 3-5. For each group, provide them with a paper bowl and die-cut letters. The letters should be enough to create 2-3 words.

Step 2: Next, tell students that they are going to create words out of their alphabet soup, just like the boy did. For Pre-K, you can show them the words they need to make.

Step 3:  Students should look for how much space they are placing between each letter to make sure that they connect to make a word.

Step 4:  After each group makes their word, students can use their bodies to create a movement using the element of space that represents their word. For example, if they have the word “bear”, they may show that with large space that moves from low to high. Just like there can’t be too much or too little space between the letters, there can’t be too much or too little use of space to show the word.

Time Required:
30-45 minutes

Materials List:

  • Elements of Dance poster
  • Alphabet Soup book by Kate Banks
  • Paper bowls
  • Approximately 80 die-cut letters (variety)
  • Open space for movement

Assessment:

Checklist.

Did students use space appropriately in putting their letters together to form a word?

Did students use space appropriately in demonstrating their word?