Creating Dance Sequences

Overview

In this 30-minute lesson, Year 5/6 students in New Zealand will collaboratively begin creating a dance sequence, incorporating key dance concepts: contrast, repetition, canon, and unison. This lesson is Lesson 5 in the unit "Dance Dynamics: Expressive Movement" and aligns closely with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh, emphasizing the Arts learning area, key competencies, and principles.

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson, students will:

• Understand and apply the dance concepts of contrast, repetition, canon, and unison.
• Collaborate creatively in groups to brainstorm and choreograph an original dance sequence.
• Communicate ideas through expressive movement and group choreography.

Curriculum Links

The Arts – Dance (Years 4-6):

• Students explore, refine, and communicate ideas as they connect thinking, imagination, senses, and feelings to create dance works.
• They develop skills to improvise and develop sequences, using dance elements including contrast, repetition, canon, and unison.

Key Competencies:

• Thinking: Students use creative thinking to develop new choreography and problem-solve group sequence design.
• Relating to Others: Collaborate effectively, sharing ideas and respecting others’ contributions.
• Managing Self: Show initiative to contribute to group choreography.
• Using Language, Symbols and Texts: Use dance movement and non-verbal communication to express ideas meaningfully.

Principles:

• Community Engagement: Encourages collaboration and respect for diverse ideas within groups.
• Inclusion: Learning activities allow multiple ways for students to participate and express themselves through dance.

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Lesson Structure

Time	Activity	Details
5 mins	Warm-up & Review	- Quick physical warm-up to energise students. - Review previous lesson concepts: contrast, repetition, canon, & unison. - Use simple kinesthetic examples (e.g., clap patterns or movement phrases) to illustrate concepts.
10 mins	Group Brainstorm	- Divide class into groups of 5-6. - Task: Brainstorm ideas for a dance sequence incorporating the four concepts. - Provide guiding questions: “How can we show contrast using movements?” “What movements can we repeat?” “How can we use canon?” “When can we move in unison?” - Use visual aids or whiteboard to note ideas.
10 mins	Choreography Development	- Groups select movements and begin to choreograph a short sequence (8-16 counts). - Encourage experimentation with levels (high/low), speed, and space. - Teacher circulates to support, scaffold ideas and encourage use of choreographic concepts.
5 mins	Group Sharing & Feedback	- Each group briefly shares their sequence. - Class gives positive feedback focusing on use of contrast, repetition, canon, unison. - Reflect on the creative process and learning.

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Teaching Points & Strategies

• Explicitly teach choreographic concepts: Use clear definitions and physical demonstrations for contrast (differences in movement), repetition (repeated movements or patterns), canon (staggered imitation), and unison (movements together).
• Group collaboration: Promote respectful listening and idea-sharing—link to Key Competency Relating to Others.
• Support diverse learners: Offer movement options accessible to all students, honour cultural expression, and encourage cross-cultural understanding in choreography, reflecting Inclusion and Community Engagement principles.
• Use visual prompts: Diagrams showing movement sequences or videos of simple dance examples can reinforce understanding.

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Assessment & Reflection

Assessment in this lesson is formative and embedded in observation of:

• Student engagement and contribution during brainstorming and choreography.
• Effective use of dance concepts in group sequences.
• Collaboration skills demonstrated during the group work.

Teacher prompts for reflection:

• "How did your group show contrast in your dance?"
• "What is repeated in your movement sequence?"
• "Can you spot where canon or unison happens in your dance?"
• "How did working in a group help your choreography?"

These reflections can be shared verbally or captured in a learning journal or simple exit slip.

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Resources Needed

• Open space for movement
• Whiteboard or chart paper for brainstorm notes
• Digital timer or stopwatch
• Optional: Visual aids/videos illustrating choreographic concepts

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Final Notes

This lesson is designed to engage Year 5/6 students actively in choreographic thinking and collaborative creation, linking directly to the Arts learning area of the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh. It develops not just movement skills but key competencies vital for lifelong learning and participation in communities. The teacher’s role is facilitator, encourager, and observer, enabling students’ creativity while scaffolding their understanding of dance concepts and collaborative skills.

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If you would like, I can also generate templates or prompts for group brainstorming and feedback to support this lesson. Just ask!

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References

• New Zealand Curriculum Refresh – The Arts learning area overview and key competencies
• Arts strand critical focus for years 4-6: Expanding horizons of knowledge and collaboration
• Key Competencies descriptions: Thinking, Relating to Others, Managing Self, Using Language, Symbols and Texts
• Teaching choreographic concepts within dance for primary students (concept definitions and pedagogy adapted to NZ context)