Dance 2 - Lesson 4

In the fourth lesson of the Year 2 Dance 2 series, the Striver Lesson Plans present an imaginative journey into the world of marionettes. The learning objectives are to select and explore a variety of movements associated with these stringed puppets. Success criteria for the pupils include exploring, repeating, and linking a range of actions with coordination, responding to a musical beat, and providing feedback on peers' work using simple dance vocabulary with the support of the class teacher. Key vocabulary for the lesson includes phrases such as 'string', 'puppet', 'marionette', 'inanimate', 'lifeless', 'alive', and 'active'. The equipment needed for the lesson includes gymnastic mats for the cool-down, various toys, books themed around toys and toymakers, and suggested music pieces like Tchaikovsky's 'Waltz Of The Flowers' or 'Dance Of The Sugarplum Fairy'.

The lesson begins with a warm-up where the class teacher sets out the dance zone and models finding a space inside the learning space. Pupils then participate in 'Copy Cats', a game where they follow the leader's movements. This is followed by the main activity, where pupils are reminded of the dance topic of toys and are informed that they will be creating dance phrases based on the movements of different toys, particularly marionettes. Pupils observe a toy's movement, describe it using a word bank, and then explore how marionettes move, comparing them to robots and toy soldiers. They then create a short dance phrase with a partner, mirroring each other's movements to playful music. The lesson concludes with a cool-down session, including a repeat of the 'Copy Cats' activity and stretching exercises on gymnastic mats, accompanied by breathing exercises to relax the body and mind.