Dance - Unit Overview

The Year 3 Dance 1 unit is an engaging introduction to cheerleading for young pupils, incorporating simple arm positions and fundamental movement actions. Throughout this unit, students will have the chance to express themselves and collaborate through solo performances, partner work, group activities, and whole class routines. Building on their prior knowledge of dance movements and phrases, they will learn how to connect different moves seamlessly into cohesive dance sequences. The unit is designed with a clear goal in mind: to foster basic choreography skills, body awareness, creativity, and an appreciation for dance, culminating in a final performance that could be showcased at a sporting event or to an audience.

The medium-term plan for the unit details six lessons, each with specific learning objectives and success criteria. The initial lessons focus on mastering cheerleading arm positions and movements, with an emphasis on coordination, musicality, and group collaboration to create short dance phrases. As the unit progresses, pupils will refine their skills and work towards enhancing their dance phrases with choreographic devices. By the final lesson, the aim is for the entire class to perform a choreographed group dance, demonstrating their ability to rehearse, refine, and provide feedback using simple dance vocabulary. Teachers are advised to incorporate cheerleading images and videos to inspire students and to familiarise themselves with the basic techniques to be taught.