To help students understand the structure of simple sentences
To teach students about appropriate capitalization and ending punctuation
To provide students with an outlet for dance and movement
To create a dance with various levels, directions and pathways to express a sentence and its structure/elements
Materials
Pre-made sentences for each group
Punctuation anchor charts
Capitalization anchor charts
Activities
I DO: Make sure students have prior knowledge of capitalization (I, first letter, proper nouns) and ending punctuation (period, exclamation point, question mark) Discuss the importance of these elements in a sentence. Model activity structure and movement with a similar sentence (Jen and I went to McDonald’s to eat lunch.) Explain that for each word that needs to be capitalized, students will stand tall; for each punctuation mark, students will express themselves through movement to show ending punctuation.
WE DO: Practice whole group with sentences projected or written on the board. Once the group feels comfortable with the movements, allow student volunteers to come to the front of the class and present a given sentence.
YOU DO: Allow students to work in pre-organized groups to write their own sentence. Their sentences must include at least two capitalizations and ending punctuation. Students will then work as a group to create movements to express their complete sentence. Students will then present their sentences to the class.
Differentiation Approaches
Provide students with written sentences. Dots on sentence strips to help with one-to-one correspondence. Grouping higher readers/learners with struggling readers/learners. Higher level thinkers could create sentences with more capitalization (proper nouns).
Assessment
CHECKLIST
1. Are students able to collaborate with their peers?
2. When performing, are students able to follow directions and present correct information?
3. Are students able to use appropriate levels and movements?
4. Can students recognize words that should be capitalized and where ending punctuation should go?
Follow Up and Extension Ideas
Students can independently create their own sentences and complete the same activity independently.
Students may use directionality when creating their sentences (moving sideways as a sentence would be read).
Additional Details
- Grade Level: First, Kindergarten
- Arts Content Area: Dance
- Non-Arts Content Area: English Language Arts
