Unit 2: “My Relationships”

Unit Summary

After students have explored a unit on their body’s parts and basic movements, students
now will dive into the relationships between body parts and the relationships between one
another. Students will use their bodies to learn about English prepositions and demonstrate an
application of meaning. The relationships that bodies have can help students apply the meaning
of prepositions to their own life and things around them. Students will create movement
through collaboration, read stories, embody stories, practice writing skills, exercise
vocalizations, and problem solve through exploring relationships in various situations.
Students will build movement phrases using relationships with peers and then begin to
evaluate their own use of relationships and their peers’ use of relationships.

Rationale

Throughout this unit, the students will explore themselves in relation to one another in
body and space. A physical relation to the world connects with the idea of emotional and
spiritual connection with the world. This unit will follow the basic body unit because the
knowledge and application of basic body parts in action is a prerequisite to relating the body
parts and the self to other people and space. Once dancers learn where the elbow and knee is,
dancers can learn how their elbow and knee can be in front of or behind one another in
movement, for example. Dancers can also learn where their bodies are in relation to others in
space. This can help students gain greater skills in kinesthetic awareness and proprioception.
Proprioception relates to the self’s awareness and perceptions of the body in movement.
Learning the English prepositions through dance concepts builds a personal, physical
connection to the English words. Because students will embody the prepositional phrases
directly, the application of prepositions in other situations of cognitive processes may be
helped. Once students learn the words through embodiment, students can apply the words to
objects in space outside of themselves, such as “the pencil is under the table.” Relationships
help students build a more complex map of the body, since dancers now know how the own
body relates to itself. Students can learn prepositions to describe movement, such as describing
that the foot is above the head when lying down with the leg lifted. This unit will explore
students in creation of movement with partners, connecting dancers to one another and
building interpersonal relationships. While the relationships of physical bodies are explored,
the selves in collaboration with peers will be explored. Students will discuss and analyze with
peers, and problem solve with peers. The focus of peer interaction will explore the zone of
proximal development. Through problem solving with peers, students may discover their self-
identity through decision making and a growth in the awareness that all humans have valuable
ideas. Through hearing the ideas of peers, students can discover an appreciation for a diversity
of humans. Self reflection will be continued from unit one into this unit. Self reflection through
journaling may not occur in the English language, but self reflection in the classroom is crucial
to attend to in class, and goals in self-reflection need the same attention as the English
language goals.

Vocabulary

Prepositions
Above
Below
Over
Under
Next to
Between
Through
Front of
Behind
Together
Around

Dance concepts
Relationships
Low level
Mid level
High level

Nouns
Students will choose nouns/objects in the room to learn and apply to prepositional phrases
(“the marker is under the table,” “the desk is next to the wall”)

Grammar

Present tense
I am _______
Where is ____?
_____ is (insert preposition)
Example: The cup is next to me, the cup is under me, etc.

Question marks
Periods
Capitalization to begin a sentence

Movement Concepts

Relationship: Relationships are about space, connection, and disconnection

Relationships work within kinesphere and boundaries, can be used as interpersonal
connections, and can increase external and internal awareness, as well as how they work
together.
Relationships work with prepositions, which relate one part to another

Level:
Low level
Mid level
High level

Critical Questions

1. How can you demonstrate your comprehension of the vocabulary words through
writing?
a. How can you demonstrate your comprehension of the vocabulary words
through reading
b. How can you demonstrate your comprehension of the vocabulary words
through verbalization?
2. How can you form a complete statement that correctly uses a prepositional phrase
relating one object to another?
3. How can you collaborate to construct a dance phrase with a partner that expresses an
idea or theme?
4. How can you recognize prepositions in movement with a partner and discuss
movement choices (how and why those choices were made in relation to theme)?

Content Questions
1. What is a preposition?
2. What is a capital letter?
3. What is a period?
4. What is a question mark?
5. What is relationship in the body?
6. What is level?
7. Where is the low level?
8. Where is the mid level?
9. Where is the high level?

Unit Student Learning Outcomes

1. Students will demonstrate the ability to write, read, and verbalize their vocabulary
words.
2. Students will apply prepositions to situations/objects to form complete sentences in
writing.
3. Students will create a dance phrase with a partner that expresses an idea or theme.
4. Students will evaluate the relationships in the dance phrase created with a partner.
 Unit Assessment

Pre-Assessment
1. I will ask students to demonstrate various relationships. I will ask students: “how can
you go under your hand?” “how can you go over the pencil?” etc to assess if students
can recognize the prepositions based on hearing the words.

Cumulative Assessment
1. Students will create a poster with a sentence that has a prepositional phrase included.
Students will present the poster to the class. Here, the student wrote the sentence, will
read it, and vocalize it. Students will also have the opportunity to read one another’s
posters, displaying skills in reading further.
2. Students will be given an image. Students will complete five sentences that describe the
image. For example, if the student saw the apple on the desk in the image, the student
could write “The apple is on the desk.” The names of objects will be written on the
image so students only are tested on prepositional use.
3. Students will perform the dance phrase created with a partner to the class. Students will
tell the theme/idea/inspiration to the class, and perform the movement. The length of
the movement phrase will be determined once experience with the class in dancing is
experienced.
4. Each set of partners will identify both their own relationships in their movement as well
as the phrases of classmates. Each pair will write about their movement choices and
how their relationships show their theme, either in English or their native language.

NCAS for Unit

DA: Cr3.1.4 b. Depict the relationships between two or more dancers in a dance phrase by
drawing a picture or using symbols (for example, next to, above, below, behind, in front of).
DA: Cn10.1.3 a. Compare the relationships expressed in a dance to relationships with others.
Explain how they are the same or different.

Prerequisite Knowledge/Experience

Kinesphere
Body parts/ bony landmarks
Introduction to level
Locomotor movement
Non locomotor movement
Stillness vs. movement

Student Learning Assessment Student Learning Assessment

Outcomes: English Outcomes: Dance
Language Concepts
1. Students will 1. I will vocalize the 1. Students will 1. Large cards with
demonstrate the prepositional words recognize prepositions and an
vocalization of their along with a relationships in accompanying picture
prepositional movement that movement (How can will be posted.
vocabulary words represents the word human bodies relate Students will observe
(How are the for my own body in to one another? What movement, and each
prepositional phrases relation to an object do relationships look have the opportunity
pronounced? How that will be passed like?) to identify which
can you say the around the circle. preposition/relationsh
prepositions?) Each student will, ip is being used.
around the circle, Here, students are
vocalize the word and applying an English
find a movement with concept to movement,
the object that was connecting the word
passed to them that to action.
shows the
preposition. With a
stuffed animal, I may
say “I am under the
dog” then repeat the
word “under,” and
place myself under
the stuffed animal.
Then, the next student
would say “under,”
and place themselves
under the stuffed
animal in a different
way.

1. Students will 1. Students will stand

demonstrate in a circle. One
relationships with student will move to
their bodies (How can the center of the
you embody circle and find
relationships with stillness. Another
another body?) student will enter the
circle. The class will
ask, “where is
(student’s name
entering the circle)?”
The student in
stillness will answer,
“(student’s name
entering the circle) is
plus preposition.” For
 example, student a
would enter the center
of the room. The class
would ask, “where is
student b?” and
student a would
answer, “student b is
above me.” Then,
student b would find
a way to move above
student a to cross to
the other side of the
circle.

2. Students will 2. Prepositional 2. Students will 2. Students will travel

demonstrate their phrases that are being demonstrate level in with locomotor
ability to read their worked with will be space with locomotor movement across the
vocabulary words written on cards. movement room using low level,
Each student will then again using mid
receive a card face level, and again using
down, and in a circle high level.
each student will read *can apply
their card and provide relationships to level
a gesture to as well
accompany the
meaning. Students
will switch cards
multiple times, to
read each vocabulary
word.

3. Students will 3. Using the 3. Students will 3. Students will draw

demonstrate the prompts/structure: analyze relationships the body in a standing
conversation of “Where is?” and a and their connection position. Students
asking where an reply, students will to body parts (How will create labels
object is and converse on the does each body part relating the body
answering with a location of body have a relationship to parts, such as “the
preposition/where parts. Students will be the body and to other head is above the
that object is (How in groups of three. bodies?) foot.” To translate
can you ask a One person will ask this further into
question about the question. The embodiment, students
location? How can student who asks the will find stillness in a
you apply a question will move shape with a partner,
preposition to a their body in relation either within the
sentence?) to the second student partner’s kinesphere
in the group. The first or farther apart. Once
 student will ask the pair is in the
“where is…” and stillness, each partner
insert a body part. For will identify verbally
example, “where is three relationships.
my elbow?” This will One observation may
be in relation to be, “My elbow is
partner two. The third under her leg.” I will
member of the group observe the dancers to
will answer, and have see if the preposition
multiple answers that was used correctly.
could be possible.
(For example, the
elbow could be under
the other student’s
knee, or above the
foot). The partner
who is answering will
answer as many
prepositional phrases
as they can. Each
group member will be
the asker and the
answerer at least
once. The class will
listen to each group
as they perform.

4. Students will 4. Students will be 4/5. Students will 4/5. Partners will
recognize and write given a paper with create a movement draw a picture
the correct sentences that contain phrase with a partner together of anything
preposition into a blanks where the that includes they choose. Based
sentence based on prepositions should relationships that is on this picture, the
observation of two be placed. With inspired by an image pair will create
humans (What do another human, (How can you design movement involving
relationships look various positions will movement that uses relationships that
like?) be demonstrated. relationships?) shows this picture in
Each question would three dimensional
be structured as action. Students will
“Riley is ______ post their poster
Sarah.” drawing when they
perform the
movement to the
class. I will observe
movement, and write
down the
relationships I see in
 the movement phrase.

5. Students will apply 5. Students will create 4/5. Students will 4/5. After the
prepositions to nouns a prepositional evaluate the performance of the
and write complete storybook about the movement phrase movement in the pair,
sentences (Where are classroom. Students they created through the dancers will
objects in relation to will receive a book of the perspective of repeat the movement
each other in our five pages. Students relationship (Which phrase slowly, and
classroom? How can will write complete relationships are used identify the
we create a sentence sentences using in the phrase? Why relationships verbally
expressing where prepositional phrases were the relationship when they occur,
things are in our about objects in the choices made? How switching the
classroom?) classroom. For do the relationship identification back
example, one page choices portray your and forth between
could be “The chair is theme?) partners. As one
next to the desk.” partner goes to the
Students will draw a floor,
picture above their
sentence. Students
will read their book to
a partner. In the
completed books, I
will look for: correct
use of preposition,
capitalization, and
punctuation.

5. Students will Students will journal

evaluate their own and reflect upon the
learning through the unit answering:
unit “What did I learn?”
“How did I learn it?”
“Why did I learn it?”

4 / 5: Students will Students will discuss

evaluate their with their movement
collaboration skills collaboration team,
and create written
ideas for the
following prompts
“How did we work
together?” “How
could we work as an
even stronger team in
the future?”
 Unit Scope and Sequence: Description of Each Lesson

Ideas:
● Placing stickers in different places of an image (“place the purple sticker next to the
house”)
● Using prepositional prompts to move across the space (locomotor)
● Freeze dance with prepositional prompts (when music stops, “can you be next to a
partner?”)
● Students guiding other pairs of students in movements and relationships
● Creating movements or shapes as a class through guiding through prepositions (How
can we become a tree as a class? Prompting through “How can you go above her?” etc.)
● Writing own original stories based on drawings, using prepositions
● Adding musical elements and rhythm, creating songs as a class to help in
comprehension of vocabulary
● Gluing certain elements onto a landscape. (How can you cut and glue the ball next to
the tree? How can you cut and glue the bird above the house?) (fine motor skills and
English skills)
● Roll the dice and whichever preposition it lands on, create a gesture
● Creating gestures as a class to have a nonverbal community understanding or symbol
for each vocabulary word
● Interactive posters (attaching animal/bug drawing to poster with string), moving the
animal in different relationships to the house on the poster

Materials

● “We’re going on a bear hunt” book

● Additional preposition books
● Prepositional phrase cards with pictures
● Prepositional images
● Music