Overview – Year 2 – Dance unit

Stimulus: Story – ‘James and the Giant Peach’ by Roald Dahl
Focus: The unit aims to encourage children to:
* explore, remember, repeat and link a range of actions with coordination, control, and an awareness of the expressive qualities of the dance;
* compose and perform dance phrases and short dances that express and communicate moods, ideas and feelings, choosing and varying simple compositional ideas;
* recognise and describe how different dance activities make them feel;
* understand the importance of warming up and cooling down;
* to watch and describe dance phrases and dances, and use what they learn to improve their own work.
QCA Core Task: Create and perform short dances, using rhythm and expressive and dynamic qualities.
Vocabulary: In this unit children will have an opportunity to use a range of words and phrases, such as: words to describe body actions and body parts; stimulus (the starting point for dance); words to describe levels, e.g. high, medium, low; words to describe directions; words to describe pathways, e.g. curved, zigzag; words to describe moods, ideas and feelings, e.g. happy, angry, calm, excited, sad, lonely; tired, hot, sweaty, heart rate; warm up, cool down.
Differentiation: Through outcome and adult expectations and support.
Assessment: By observation in relation to the learning outcomes.
Resources: Story: James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. Music: Any lively, rhythmic, light music e.g. country-dance tunes such as a polka; contrast with slower, sustained music to accompany stretching, e.g. Enya; ‘The Entertainer’ by Scott Joplin. Information about James and the Giant Peach. Images: 'The Animals in the Peach.' Percussion instruments; video camera.
Lesson 1: Journey into the Peach / Lesson 2: Journey into the Peach / Lesson 3: Animals in the Peach
Learning Outcomes:
* compose a travelling sequence using a variety of body parts;
* explore their ideas, moods and feelings;
* show control, coordination and spatial awareness in their work. / Learning Outcomes:
* perform with an increasing awareness of body shape and with a partner;
* show greater consistency in control, coordination and spatial awareness in their work;
* show some sensitivity to the accompaniment. / Learning Outcomes:
* compose a movement phrase using extension and contraction, using a variety of body parts;
* perform in unison with a partner and in contact with them;
* have an increased understanding about working with a partner.
Warm up: Movement to music / Warm up: Stretching and twisting / Warm up: Movement with a partner
Development: Exploring movement for the journey into the peach / Development: Further development of the journey into the peach / Development: Movement phrases for animals in the peach
Cool down: Discussion & relaxation / Cool down: Discussion & relaxation / Cool down: Discussion & relaxation
Lesson 4: Animals in the Peach / Lesson 5: Floating to Safety / Lesson 6: The Whole Dance
Learning Outcomes:
* successfully explore their ideas, moods and feelings;
* have an increased understanding about working with a partner;
* know that they need to warm up and cool down for dance. / Learning Outcomes:
* compose a phrase of gestures and travelling steps using different speeds;
* show greater control, coordination and spatial awareness;
* have an increased appreciation of changing dynamics of movement and their expressive qualities. / Learning Outcomes;
* choose and link actions to make short dance phrases that reflect rhythmic qualities;
* remember and repeat short dance phrases with greater control and coordination;
* perform dance phrases and short dances that express ideas and feelings.
Warm up: Creating a warm up sequence / Warm up: Rubbing actions with partner / Warm up: Sequence from Lesson 4
Development: Further development of phrases for animals in the peach / Development: Movement phrases for floating to safety / Development: Performance of the whole dance
Cool down: Discussion & relaxation in pairs / Cool down: Discussion & relaxation / Cool down: Discussion & evaluation