Dance - Minibeasts - Lesson 1

In the first lesson of a Reception class dance series focusing on minibeasts, children are encouraged to explore movement and creativity by embodying various small creatures. The learning objectives are to create shapes and patterns within a group, with success criteria including the ability to work together and form shapes using their bodies. Key vocabulary introduced includes 'floor plan', 'group work', 'scuttle', and 'freeze'. The lesson begins with a warm-up where children identify minibeasts from posters and then move around the space, imitating these creatures to music. The teacher highlights good performances and leads a transition to a seated circle for the main part of the lesson.

The core of the lesson is dedicated to studying the movement of spiders. The teacher engages the children with facts about spiders and guides them to move like these arachnids, incorporating quick movements and freezes. This is practiced several times, with the addition of a 'pounce' on the teacher's clap. Groups of five are then formed to create the shape of a spider's web using their bodies, with the teacher providing examples and assistance as needed. The lesson concludes with a full dance sequence that combines all the learned movements, finishing with the groups displaying their web shapes. A cool down follows, where children stretch and relax their bodies, preparing to transition out of the lesson.