Dance 3 - Lesson 1

The first lesson in Year 4's Dance 3 series sets out to educate pupils on the evolution of dance styles through time. The learning objectives are clear: students should understand how dance has transformed over the years, recognise the differences between various dance genres, and learn to let music guide their movements. Key vocabulary for the lesson includes dance styles like swing, rock n roll, Charleston, ballet, and jive. To facilitate the lesson, the teacher will need different music tracks representing these styles and videos showcasing each dance, which can be chosen based on the teacher's preference. The lesson starts with a ten-minute warm-up where pupils find their own space and follow the teacher's lead in performing full-body warm-up exercises to music, which could be chosen by the pupils themselves to engage them from the outset.

The main part of the lesson, lasting 30 minutes, involves sitting in a circle for a discussion, where pupils contribute to a list of dance styles they are familiar with. The teacher then introduces a range of dance styles through music, prompting pupils to improvise movements that they feel match the music. Afterward, they watch videos of the actual dances and discuss their observations, such as the tempo of the dance, the emotions it evokes, and the era it represents. This process is repeated for at least five different dance styles, ending with rock n roll. The lesson concludes with the teacher explaining that the upcoming lessons will focus on rock n roll, specifically swing dance and the hand jive. A ten-minute cool-down follows, where pupils relax and stretch to calming music, culminating in a slow, deliberate unravelling motion from a crouched position to a full stretch on their toes, before lining up to leave the hall.