Dance - Fairy Tales - Lesson 1

The first lesson in a Reception class dance series is themed around fairy tales, aiming to inspire children to express themselves through movement, inspired by music. The learning objectives are focused on interpreting music to inspire movement, understanding how different styles of music can influence movement, and improvising and choreographing their own movements. The success criteria set out for the pupils include recognising the relationship between movement and music, travelling through space in various ways, and creating their own dance movements. Key vocabulary for the lesson includes terms like 'choreograph', 'direction', 'travel', 'speed', 'musicality', 'tempo', 'style', and 'feelings'. To facilitate the lesson, resources such as a suggested music list, face emotion cards, and fairytale character references are provided.

The session begins with a 10-minute warm-up where children walk around the space, avoiding contact with others, while responding to shouted-out emotions or shown pictures with corresponding facial expressions and movements. The main activity, lasting 30 minutes, introduces the children to the fairy tale theme and encourages them to discuss known fairy tales and typical characters. The children then listen to different music styles, associating them with fairy tale characters and expressing these characters through movement. The lesson ends with a cool-down routine, where children follow the teacher's instructions to stretch and relax their bodies, preparing to transition out of the dance space. Throughout the lesson, differentiation is considered to ensure all children are engaged and challenged appropriately. Images and music recommendations are provided to support the lesson's fairy tale theme.