Dance - Lesson 3

In Year 3, Dance lesson 3 from the Striver Lesson Plans, students are introduced to the vibrant world of cheerleading. The learning objectives are to perform simple cheerleading arm positions and basic movement actions in pairs. The success criteria for the lesson include the ability to explore, repeat, and link a range of actions with coordination, respond to a beat using music, and work in partners to create a short dance phrase using learned arm positions. Key vocabulary for the lesson includes "phrase," "stance," and "choreographic". Essential equipment for the lesson comprises gymnastic mats, marching music, a percussion instrument, and colourful pom-poms to add to the cheerleading experience.

The lesson begins with a warm-up where the class teacher defines the dance zone with perimeter cones and models various travelling steps such as walking, marching, and skipping. Pupils then engage in a rhythm exercise, tapping their feet, knees, hips, and shoulders in time with beats from a percussion instrument. The main part of the lesson involves pupils recalling cheerleading arm positions from previous lessons and using them to create their own dance phrases. The teacher demonstrates the beginning and cheer stances, as well as a variety of arm positions like the "Tabletop," "High V," and "Low V". Pupils are then encouraged to work in groups to create and perform their dance phrases, using feedback from their peers to improve. The lesson concludes with a cool-down session involving a repeat of the rhythm exercise and stretching on gymnastic mats, followed by a calming breathing exercise.