LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Read about a teen spreading awareness about racial representation in dance; identify issues facing ballerinas of color.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 8: Advocate for personal and community health.

CASEL: Social awareness

KEY VOCAB

representation

momentum

Lesson Plan: Dancing Toward Change

Ava Holloway is working to empower other young dancers of color.

PREPARING TO READ

Before you read the article “Dancing Toward Change,” ask your students the following pre-reading question:

What unique challenges might ballet dancers of color face?

READING AND DISCUSSION

  • Have your students read the article “Dancing Toward Change”; read the article out loud to them; or have students partner-read the article out loud.
  • After they’ve read the article, revisit the pre-reading question. Have their answers changed?

BUILDING COMPREHENSION AND VOCAB

Check students’ comprehension of and engagement with the story with the following assessment tools:

  • Comprehension Quiz
  • Vocab Builder

EXPANDING SEL OPPORTUNITIES

Continue the learning journey with the following writing prompt:

In THANK YOU FOR MAKING A CHANGE, have your students write a letter to Ava and Kennedy explaining how they have been inspired to become involved in activism after reading about Brown Ballerinas for Change. Have students consider the issues that they are passionate about. Students should explain how they plan to take action to make a positive impact on the issue of their choice. They should also clearly state which aspects of Ava and Kennedy’s activism they found most inspiring.

Print the Lesson Plan

Text-to-Speech