Lesson Plans and Activities

Pacific Northwest Ballet lesson plans correspond with Washington State standards in dance, as well as other curricular areas. All lesson plans are written by PNB Teaching Artists and Staff and are intended for use by classroom teachers. Reproduction of the lessons is encouraged, provided they are reprinted in their entirety and proper credits remain intact. For questions about how to implement these lessons, or other movement activities, in your classroom, please contact PNB Community Education Programs Manager, Kayti Bouljon, at 206.441.2432 or kayti@pnb.org.

Lesson Plans

Kindergarten  (Dance Concept: Body Parts/Body Shapes. Curriculum Link: Communication/Listing)
Second Grade  (Dance Concept: Body Shapes. Curriculum Link: Science—Solids & Liquids)
Fourth Grade  (Dance Concept: Space—Self & General. Curriculum Link: Geography & Landforms)
Eighth Grade  (Dance Concept: Energy/Movement Quality. Curriculum Link: Reading & Comprehension)

Roméo et Juliette Study Guide
Includes a synopsis of the ballet, information about the artists, questions to guide student discussion, and resources for further information. (815 KB)

Snow White Study Guide
Includes a synopsis of the ballet, information about the artists, questions to guide student discussion, and resources for further information. (811 KB)

Don Quixote Study Guide
Includes a synopsis of the ballet, information about the artists, questions to guide student discussion, and resources for further information. (809 KB)

Cinderella Curriculum Guide
Includes a synopsis of the ballet, information about the artists, questions to guide student discussion, and resources for further information. (5 MB)

Behind the Scenes Study Guide
Includes behind the scenes information on costumes, sets, the life of a dancer, jobs at the ballet and more. (979 KB)

Movement Activities
For use by classroom teachers with their students (650 KB)

Vocabulary Activity
Introduction to vocabulary used to describe movements and shapes (3 MB)

Newspapers in Education

PNB has partnered with The Seattle Times Newspapers in Education program, creating features on recent ballet productions. The series are available here as PDF files.
Cinderella
•  Feature 1: What is ballet, plus the story of Cinderella
•  Feature 2: PNB's Cinderella—An interview with Kent Stowell and Francia Russell
•  Feature 3: Jobs at the ballet

The Sleeping Beauty
•  Feature 1: About The Sleeping Beauty; What is a ballet?
•  Feature 2: Who's Behind the Scenes; Make a ballet
•  Feature 3: Performance reviews; How to create your own review