Dance - Lesson 5

Striver Lesson Plans for Year 6 Dance offer a comprehensive guide for teaching dance with a focus on choreography and narrative. Lesson 5 aims to enable pupils to learn and rehearse a dance routine that tells a story. The success criteria for the lesson include exploring and repeating a range of coordinated actions, combining movement patterns, and using choreographed movements to convey a narrative. Pupils also get the chance to use gymnastic equipment to create improvised movements. Key vocabulary for the lesson includes terms such as 'phrase', 'gesture', 'retrograde', 'instrumentation', 'pathway', and 'parkour'. Resources required for the lesson include gymnastic mats, benches, music, and a percussion instrument.

The lesson begins with a 10-minute warm-up where the teacher sets out the dance zone and models different traveling steps like walking, marching, or skipping. Pupils are encouraged to travel around the space, mimicking the beat of a percussion instrument. The main 30-minute session involves reminding pupils of the street art theme and leading them through the opening of a choreographed narrative that includes movements like putting on a backpack, walking down the street, and creating a spray-painted tag. Pupils then rehearse the routine and use gymnastic mats and benches to improvise parkour movements. The lesson concludes with a 10-minute cool-down that includes stretching and breathing exercises to help pupils relax and reflect on their learning experience.