Dance 2 - Lesson 4

In Year 4's Dance 2, Lesson 4, students are encouraged to creatively express the growth of a tree through dance. The learning objectives are to select and explore a variety of movements inspired by a tree's life cycle, from seed to maturity. The success criteria for the lesson are for pupils to explore and repeat movements with coordination, respond imaginatively to stimuli, and provide peer feedback with teacher support. Key vocabulary includes terms such as 'phrase', 'pathway', and 'germination', which relate to both dance and the natural growth processes of trees. The lesson requires gymnastic mats for the cool down and suggests Grieg's 'Morning' from the Peer Gynt suite as background music to enhance the learning experience.

The warm-up involves the class teacher setting up a dance zone and modelling travelling steps, such as walking and skipping, with pupils being asked to demonstrate these movements. The main activity focuses on creating dance phrases that depict the life cycle of trees. Pupils discuss the characteristics of trees and then work in groups to choreograph a sequence that represents seed germination and the subsequent growth of a tree, incorporating movements that symbolise roots, stems, and branches. The lesson culminates in a performance where pupils showcase their dance phrases, reacting to different weather conditions such as wind and rain, which adds a dynamic element to their interpretation of a tree's life cycle. A cool-down session with stretching and breathing exercises rounds off the lesson, ensuring that pupils leave feeling relaxed and grounded.