Dance - Fairy Tales - Lesson 2

In Reception's second lesson on Dance within the Fairy Tale theme, the young learners are set to enhance their ability to interpret music and inspire movement. The learning objectives are clear: create movements that reflect fairy tale characters, interpret music to guide their dance, and independently improvise and choreograph. Success is measured by pupils' abilities to embody characters through movement, interpret musical cues, and craft their own dance sequences. Key vocabulary terms such as 'genre', 'count of 8', 'shape', 'transition', and 'musicality' are introduced to support their understanding of dance concepts. To facilitate the lesson, music recommendations and a character poster are provided as essential resources.

The lesson begins with a structured warm-up where the class teacher leads the children in counting to 8 and moving rhythmically, progressing from simple clapping to marching and performing various actions to the beat. Following the warm-up, the main activity spans 30 minutes, revisiting the previous lesson's fairy tale characters and associated music. The children are now challenged to stand in place and execute four distinct actions to the count of 4 for each character, allowing them to delve deeper into character portrayal through movement. After ample practice, the class is divided for performance, with each half observing and discussing the other's interpretations. The lesson concludes with a cool-down, where the children act out a well-known fairy tale, focusing on actions, facial expressions, and movement through space. This final activity encourages them to apply their new skills in a narrative context, reinforcing their learning and creativity.