Unit Title:
/ Expressive Body LanguageAchievement Standard / By the end of Year 2, students describe the effect of the elements in dance they make, perform and view and where and why people dance. Students use the elements of dance to make and perform dance sequences that demonstrate fundamental movement skills to represent ideas. Students demonstrate safe practice.
Learning Intention
/ Developing knowledge of dance elements and experimenting with simple technical and expressive skills to explore choreographic devices.Learning Framework / Community Contributor
Leader and Collaborator / Active Investigator
Effective Communicator / Designer and Creator
Quality Producer
Cross Curricular Priorities / Catholic Ethos
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures / Social Emotional Learning
Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia / Inclusive Education
Sustainability Education
General Capabilities / Literacy
Critical and Creative Thinking / Numeracy
Ethical Behaviour / Information and Communication Technology
Personal and Social Competence
Content Descriptors / Elaborations
Explore, improvise and organise ideas to make dance sequences using the elements of dance (ACADAM001) / ● exploring fundamental movements safely to improvise dance ideas, for example, running in a race, jumping like a frog, stomping like a giant, rolling like a log, falling like an autumn leaf, floating like a cloud, gliding like a bird
● considering viewpoints – forms and elements: For example – Which levels are you using in your dance? What sort of movements did the dancers perform? What are they wearing? What kind of music are they dancing to?
● exploring movement possibilities in response to a stimulus, such as imagery, music and shared stories
● experimenting with the elements of space, time, dynamics and relationships through movement, for example, considering levels, tempo and dynamics
● taking photos or videoing dance sequences to view and extend their dance idea
Use fundamental movement skills to develop technical skills when practising dance sequences (ACADAM002) / ● practising and responding to a range of fundamental movements to music, for example, walking, running, marching, galloping, skipping, crawling (locomotor); bending, stretching, twisting, turning (non-locomotor)
● practising fundamental movements to begin to develop technical skills of body control, posture, strength, balance and coordination, and responding to teacher’s feedback
● considering viewpoints – meanings and interpretations: For example – How are you communicating the ideas or intention in this dance? forms and elements: Which levels are you using in your dance?
● developing awareness of and taking responsibility for safe dance practices, for example, being aware of self and others in the dance space, moving with care, respecting others dancing in the space; awareness of the boundaries of the dance space; awareness of their bodies’ needs, for example, getting a drink after dance activities for hydration
● recognising and accepting a teacher’s or classmates’ constructive feedback
Present dance that communicate ideas to an audience, including dance used by cultural groups in the community (ACADAM003) / ● presenting a learned sequence of movements or performing simple dances, individually or as a group, to classmates, teachers and parents
● expressing ideas to an audience through movement, for example, showing contrasting dynamics by stamping heavily and tip-toeing lightly, or using movement qualities such as slow controlled sinking to the floor to express melting ice and sharp jerky movement to express a robot
● considering viewpoints – meanings and interpretations: For example – What did this dance make you think about? Did the dance movements remind you of anything? How are you communicating the ideas or intention in this dance?
● exploring the movements in dances with representatives of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, for example, creating movements that represent animals from their region using expressive skills to engage the audience, for example, looking out to audience and using facial expression presenting their dance in a digital format
Respond to dance and consider where and why people dance, starting with dances from Australia including dances of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACADAR004) / ● identifying where they might experience dance in their lives and communities, for example, considering how dance sustains and communicates cultural knowledge
● considering viewpoints – evaluations: For example – Why are these people dancing? Where are they dancing? Where is this dance from?
● recognising that dance can show that people have different feelings about the world based on their experiences of the environment and other people
● exploring and responding to dances they make and view, for example, considering what the dance made them think about or how the dance made them feel
● recognising patterns of movement in dances they make, perform and view using their own words and learnt dance terminology
● considering viewpoints – What sort of movements did the dancers perform? What are they wearing? What kind of music are they dancing to?
Session / Focus / Learning and Teaching Activities / Resources
1 / Safe Dance Practice.
Speak to students about safety relating to the area you are dancing in. (Doors, stairs, poles, etc). Brainstorm ideas to be safe and discuss silly behaviour that may lead to accidents. REVISE BEFORE EACH LESSON.
Exploring the element of Space. Developing spatial awareness and personal space while dancing.
Responding to counts of four.
Warm down.
Reflection. / Warm up-Non-Locomotor
Explain to students that it is very important that we warm up each time before dancing so our bodies and muscles are warm. This way we won’t hurt ourselves and our bodies will be able to move easily. Direct students to hold hands in a circle and blow out the circle (like a balloon) until their hands come apart.
Teacher- ‘We are going to do a Non-Locomotor warm up. That means we are moving our body parts but we are staying on the spot and not moving around the space.
Start from your head and move down your body isolating and warming up each part.
Teacher demonstrates and students copy.
Slow head circles, Shoulders up and down/ circles forwards and backwards, arms out to the side for small circles growing bigger and bigger, Hips (pretend they have a hula hoop around their waists), knee bends, tippie toes around in the circle.
(Music is playing in the background- however movement is not set to a beat. See resources for music ideas).
Read ‘Bubbles, Bubbles Everywhere’.
Using a mixture of water and detergent (or
commercially made bubble preparation), students experiment with bubble blowing. They observe the shapes made and watch for the change in dynamics from forming through floating to popping.
Students find their own space. Have them stand with their feet apart. Ask them to reach above their head, in front and behind as far as they can without leaving
their spot. Tell them that this is their own personal bubble of space, and that they must try to keep the bubble around them at all times during this activity. Have them explore their bubble while standing still (remind students of Non-Locomotor movement)
and then while moving about the room (Locomotor movement).
Remind them to keep within their own space, and not move into anyone else’s space. Develop a simple movement sequence which can be repeated e.g. form the bubble (4 counts), float (4
counts), turn slowly (4 counts), pop and freeze (4 counts), form the bubble (4 counts), float (4 counts), turn (4 counts).
Perform this sequence as a class, with teacher counting out loud at first. Once the pattern is established, introduce quiet music.
Divide class into 4 groups. Perform the sequence like canon e.g. group 1 begins and after 4 counts, group 2 begins etc. Alternatively, number students 1- 4 randomly around the class. Have all of the 1s begin together, then after 4 counts, all of the 2s.
To conclude the lesson, have students sit or stand in a circle, facing inwards. They pat a balloon from one to the other, around the circle, trying not to let it fall to the floor. As the balloon rises, ask students to make a soft sound, rising to a high note, and falling to a lower note as the balloon falls. As students pat the balloon, they should make a popping sound.
Warm Down- Teacher “Because we are nice and warm from all the dancing it is now time to do some stretches. This makes sure we don’t get sore and gives our bodies time to cool down”. Have students stand back in their circle and give ideas on how they think they should stretch after dancing. Teacher “What part of your bodies feel like they need a stretch?”. Develop a class warm down together.
Reflection time
‘What movements did you enjoy doing today?’
‘What movements did you enjoy watching others do today?’
‘What do you think others would think if they watched your bubble dance?’ / Teacher notes:BODY
The body is the instrument of dance.
· Non-locomotor (axial):
Stretch, bend, twist, turn,
rise, fall, swing, rock, tip,
shake, suspend
· Locomotor (traveling):
Slide, walk, hop,
somersault, run, skip, jump,
do-si-do, leap, roll, crawl,
gallop, chainé turns
Warm up music should consist of different tempos. ‘Putumayo Presents’ CD’s are great and can be found on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=+putumayo+presents
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=+putumayo+presents
ELEMENTS of DANCE
TIME
Defines when one moves
Duration (short/long):
Length of movement
Tempo (fast/slow):
Speed of movement
Metric rhythm:
Grouping of beats in recurring pattern.
SPACE
Defines where one moves
Shape:
The form of the body
Size:
Large, small, narrow, wide Level:
High, medium, low
Place:
On the spot (personal space),
through the space (general
space), upstage/downstage,
stage right/left (specific
space)
Direction:
Forward, backward,
sideways, diagonal, right, left
Orientation:
Facing front, back, side, etc.
Pathway:
Curved, straight
DYNAMICS
Defines how one moves.
Characteristics of a movement.
The degree of energy, intensity, or power in the execution of movements.
Quality:
Flowing, tight, loose, sharp,
swinging, swaying,
suspended, collapsed,
smooth
Attack:
Sharp/smooth
Sudden/sustained
RELATIONSHIP
Defines the relationship of the dancers.
Spatial Relationships:
In front, beside, behind, over,
under, alone/connected,
near/far, formations
Timing Relationships:
Before, after, unison, canon,
sooner than, faster than.
2 / Moving in space and warm up.
Focussing on dynamics and how you move.
Moving emotions.
Hearing emotions.
Heavy or light movement?
Warm down.
Reflection. / Moving in Space
Teacher ‘Remember the bubbles from last lesson? Now let’s have a go at moving with our bubbles around us’. (Teacher and Students can move in and around each other in the space.)
Teacher calls out ‘Forwards’, ’sideways’, ‘be very careful and go backwards’ (Each time freezing between direction change so all students can hear and see how teacher is moving first).
Levels and speed- Low, medium, high- Teacher-”’Let’s see if we can go really low to the ground and move” (Bend knees as much as you can and walk with body as low to the ground as possible - Low level). “Let’s come up to standing and move in slow motion” (Medium level). “Let’s go right up on our toes and reach our arms up and do fast little feet” (High level)- These can be changed each lesson.
Non-Locomotor isolation warm up (lesson one)
Teacher- ‘Today we are going to focus on the element of dynamics’. Ask the students what they think it might mean. Refer to the ‘Element Stars’. ‘Dynamics is how you are moving. You might be Tiptoeing, stamping, shuffling, walking,etc.I am going to call out a few different sentences and I would like you to think about how you will move and then have a go moving across the room’.
‘Walk as though the floor is a drum and your feet are playing it loudly’
‘Come back light and free as a bird or a butterfly’.
‘Move without letting your feet leave the ground’.
‘Pretend the floor is on fire and walk across it’.
Sing ‘If you’re happy and you know it’ and change the words to different emotions.
Eg. ‘If you’re angry and you know it stamp your feet’.
‘If you’re scared and you know it tiptoe round’.
‘If you’re proud and you know it strut around’.
Get half the class to brainstorm some emotions and the other class to move as if they are feeling these. Brainstorm similarities and differences between students movement qualities and swap over after a few goes.
Teacher uses different types of percussive instruments to demonstrate how sound can direct movement. Students close their eyes and listen to the instrument and beat to start and then opens their eyes to move around in the space.
Eg, Slow, loud beat of the drum.
Fast, high ting of a triangle.
Shake of the tambourine. etc.
In pairs, students choose a Heavy or Light? movement card (see resources). Give pairs time to discuss and create movement before joining with another pair to perform their movement. Each pair needs to decide if the movement was heavy or light and what might have been happening.
Warm down-lesson one.
Reflection time
‘What movements did you enjoy doing today?’
‘What movements did you enjoy watching others do today?’ / Warm up music.
Element Stars.
Variety of percussive instruments.
Heavy or Light? cards.
3 / Warm up.
Exploring the element of Relationship.
Partner work.
Group Work.
Group choreography.
Warm Down.
Reflection. / Warm up from lesson one and moving in space from lesson two.
Teacher- Today we are going to be looking at the element of ‘Relationship’. We are going to look at the relationship between the dancers. They might be standing next to each other, behind, in front, on a diagonal, etc. They might be dancing at the same time or before and after.
Mirror image- Have students stand facing each other in pairs. One student at a time is the creator and with slow movements they begin to move. Their partner is going to move the same way and mirror image them in unison (movement is done at the same time). After the other student has a turn split the class into two groups. One person from each group is chosen to stand at the front and the process is repeated with a group following. Students take turns of being at the front and creating. The other group has the opportunity to observe. Remind students not to move too fast so the others can keep up with them.