Exploring Movement Elements

Year Level

Year 1 and Year 2

Duration

60 minutes

Class Size

25 students

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Unit Context

This is Lesson 2 of 3 in the unit "Expressing Stories Through Dance".

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Lesson Overview

In this lesson, students will explore the fundamental dance elements of body, space, time, energy, and relationships. Through engaging, age-appropriate structured improvisation activities, students will create movements that express different emotional responses to a story. This encourages their kinaesthetic learning, creativity, and understanding of dance as a language to communicate ideas and feelings.

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Curriculum Alignment

Learning Area: The Arts - Dance

Strand: Participating and contributing Level: 1-2 (age-appropriate for Year 1-2)

Students will:

• Develop a repertoire of dance skills and movement vocabularies (NZC Dance Achievement Objective, Level 1-2)
• Express ideas and feelings through movement by exploring the elements of dance (body, space, time, energy, relationships)
• Use movement to represent emotions and stories
• Work collaboratively to explore ideas and communicate through dance
• Understand safe dance practices

Key Competencies Addressed

• Thinking: Making meaning through movement and story expression
• Using language, symbols, and texts: Interpreting stories and representing them non-verbally
• Managing self: Confidently participating in improvisation and cooperative activities
• Relating to others: Collaborating and sharing ideas within the group
• Participating and contributing: Engaging actively in dance activities and performance

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Identify and demonstrate the five elements of dance: body, space, time, energy, and relationships.
2. Use their bodies to create movements that express different emotions inspired by a story.
3. Experiment freely with movement, sustaining safe practice.
4. Collaborate with peers in explorative dance improvisation.
5. Reflect on how movement can tell a story and express feelings.

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Resources Needed

• Open indoor space or hall, safe for movement
• Soft mats or carpeted area to ensure safety
• Music player with speakers (optional: a variety of mood music tracks)
• Storybook or short oral story (familiar or simple, e.g., a fairy tale or fable)
• Visual emotion cards (happy, sad, scared, excited, calm) for prompts
• Markers or cones to define space areas

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Lesson Outline

1. Warm-up and Introduction (10 minutes)

• Welcome and settle: Briefly review the previous lesson’s story and dance connection.
• Warm-up activity:
• Lead students in gentle full-body movements to warm up — stretch arms, legs, neck, wiggle fingers and toes, roll shoulders, and take deep breaths.
• Include counting together forwards and backwards in 1s and 2s from any chosen number between 1 and 20 to integrate maths skills in movement transition (counting down as they slowly lower body, progressing to counting up as they stretch higher).
• Introduce that today we will explore movements inspired by different emotions in stories, focusing on five dance elements: body, space, time, energy, relationships.

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2. Exploring Dance Elements Through Movement (20 minutes)

• Body:
• Ask children to think about their bodies as tools for telling stories.
• Prompt: “Show me a big body and a small body. Can your body be heavy? Can it be light?”
• Students try different body shapes and sizes.
• Space:
• Mark different spots using cones or markers. Challenge students to move from one spot to another using different pathways: straight, zigzag, around.
• Discuss high, low, near, and far positions.
• Time:
• Use clapping or a drum to demonstrate fast and slow movements.
• Students practice moving fast like running or slow like tiptoeing.
• Energy:
• Explore sharp and smooth movements.
• Students practice using energetic bursts (like jumping) and calm flowing movements.
• Relationships:
• In pairs or small groups, students mirror each other’s movements or create opposites (one fast, one slow).
• Encourage noticing how movements relate or connect.

Teacher models all elements clearly, using simple language and exaggerated examples suited for ages 5-7.

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3. Structured Improvisation: Emotional Story Movement (20 minutes)

• Story brief: Read or tell a short simple story with clear emotional moments (e.g. a character feels happy, scared, excited).
• Emotion movement stations: Set up 5 zones representing different emotions (happy, sad, scared, excited, calm). Use visual cards for reminders.
• Task:
• Ask students to move to a zone and create movements using the five dance elements to express that emotion inspired by the story.
• Guide prompts such as:
• How does your body move when you're happy?
• What space do you take when you feel scared?
• Can your movement be quick or slow to show excitement?
• Use sharp or soft energy to show calmness.
• Group sharing: Invite students to share their favourite movement and explain which element they used.

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4. Cool Down and Reflection (10 minutes)

• Slow stretches and breathing exercises to calm the body.
• Circle time discussion:
• Ask open questions about their experience:
• “What did you enjoy about moving your body today?”
• “How did your movements tell the story’s emotions?”
• “Which dance element was your favourite to explore?”
• Encourage using dance terms body, space, time, energy, and relationships in responses to promote vocabulary development consistent with the curriculum.
• Encourage students to think about movement as a way to tell stories in their daily lives and other learning areas.

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Assessment & Reflection

• Continuous formative assessment through teacher observation:
• Are students able to identify and demonstrate the dance elements?
• Are they experimenting with different movement qualities to express emotion?
• Do they work cooperatively and safely with others?
• Anecdotal notes to record student participation, creativity, and understanding.
• Encourage students to verbally describe or show their favourite movements, reinforcing expressive language skills.

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Teaching Considerations

• Ensure inclusive practice: Provide extra support or adaptations for students with physical, sensory, or cognitive needs.
• Use positive reinforcement to build confidence for all learners.
• Connect movement counting (for warm-up) with numeracy practice by counting movements forwards and backwards in small steps.
• Promote Māori perspectives by integrating storytelling traditions or dances, ensuring the inclusion of local tikanga Māori and te ao Māori values where possible.

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This lesson plan aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh focus on holistic, connected learning that builds knowledge progressively and encourages students to explore identity and creativity through the arts. It balances explicit teaching of dance language with experiential and student-led learning, reflecting curriculum principles and key competencies.