LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Read about Jamie, a teen professional dancer who is setting an example for younger boys who want to go into dance; identify and challenge stereotypes about male dancers.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 8: Advocate to promote health and well-being of self and others.

CASEL: Social awareness

KEY VOCAB

stereotype

athleticism

choreography 

Lesson Plan: Dancing Free

Jamie, 14, wants to change the way people think about boys in ballet.

PREPARING TO READ

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

What unique challenges might boys face when they pursue dance as a career?

READING AND DISCUSSION

  • Have your students read the article “Dancing Free”; 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

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

  • Comprehension Quiz with vocabulary questions

EXPANDING SEL OPPORTUNITIES

Continue the learning journey with the following extension activity:

In CHALLENGING STEREOTYPES, have students work in pairs to create posters that showcase their learning. First, they’ll reflect on the harmfulness of stereotypes using the questions in the skills sheet. Next, they’ll select a stereotype from the article, such as “Male ballet dancers aren’t athletic,” and write the reality behind it, like “Being a male dancer in the ballet requires incredible strength.” They should use the reality they wrote down as their poster’s title. Students should make their posters as impactful as possible by including pictures and captions that support the title. Once finished, pairs will present their posters and explain how they challenge the stereotype.

Print the Lesson Plan

Text-to-Speech