Dance 3 - Lesson 4

In Year 5's Dance 3, Lesson 4, the students are tasked with the creative challenge of using poetry to inspire dance sequences performed as a duet. The learning objectives set the stage for a fusion of literary art and physical expression, with the success criteria demanding that pupils not only use adverbs to craft their movements but also choreograph sequences that echo phrases from a poem. The key vocabulary for the session includes terms such as 'transition', 'adverbs', 'canon', 'tempo', and 'direction', all of which are crucial to understanding and executing the dance pieces. To facilitate this artistic exploration, the necessary equipment and resources include a selection of poems, phrases, and river-themed music to set the mood.

The lesson begins with a warm-up where pupils walk around the space, responding to directional commands and embodying various verbs and adverbs to express movement through their bodies. This warm-up serves as a foundation for the main activity where the class engages with sentences from a poem, discussing and interpreting key words that will inform their choreography. The pupils, working in pre-established groups, have the opportunity to choreograph a sequence that should visually represent the poetic phrases, with the goal of creating a fluid transition of movements reminiscent of the flow of a river. As the lesson concludes, the groups perform their sequences in front of their peers, with river music enhancing the atmosphere. The session wraps up with a cool-down that encourages pupils to reflect on their movements and visualise their dance path, while the teacher prepares a poem for the next lesson's choreography, ensuring it is rich in adverbs and prepositions to spark further creative movement.