Expressing Stories

Unit: Expressing Stories Through Dance

Lesson 1: Introduction to Dance as Storytelling Year Levels: Year 1 and Year 2 Duration: 60 minutes Class Size: 25 students

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Learning Objectives (Aligned with New Zealand Curriculum Refresh)

By the end of this lesson, students will:

• Understand storytelling elements: Identify basic story elements such as characters and settings through guided discussion.
• Express ideas through movement: Show simple story elements using body movements and gestures.
• Engage in creative improvisation: Participate in guided improvisation activities to represent stories through dance.
• Develop key competencies: Strengthen their Thinking, Managing Self, and Relating to Others competencies through collaborative dance expression and reflection.
• Begin to understand dance as a form of communication: Recognise how movement can express feelings and narratives non-verbally.

Curriculum Links:

• The Arts Learning Area (Dance Strand, Level 1-2)
• Creating: Students explore and use dance to express ideas and stories about familiar events or experiences.
• Responding: Students share their own dance creations and describe how movement communicates ideas.
• Key Competencies: Thinking; Managing Self; Relating to Others; Participating and Contributing.
• Principles: Inclusion, Cultural diversity (integrating storytelling elements familiar to children), Future focus (creative expression essential for lifelong learning).

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Materials Needed

• Open space suitable for safe movement.
• Story props or images illustrating characters and settings (optional: puppets, picture cards).
• Music player with light, rhythmic music (optional).
• Visual aids showing simple story structures (characters, setting).

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Welcome and Introduction (10 minutes)

• Greeting and settling: Engage children in a simple warm-up where they stretch softly and wiggle to music.
• Introduction to storytelling through dance:
• Briefly discuss what a story is — ask “What is a character? What is a setting?” Use examples from familiar children’s stories.
• Explain that today we are going to tell stories using our bodies and movements instead of words or pictures.
• Connect to competencies: Encourage students to listen carefully (Managing Self) and share ideas respectfully (Relating to Others).

2. Story Elements Discussion (10 minutes)

• Show pictures or puppets representing characters and setting (e.g., animals, people, places like forest or ocean).
• Ask students:
• Who is in this story? (characters)
• Where does it happen? (setting)
• Encourage students to move like the character or imagine being in the setting by moving their bodies (e.g., hopping like a rabbit, swaying like trees).

3. Movement Exploration and Improvisation (20 minutes)

• Guided improvisation 1: Characters
• Ask students to choose a character from the examples shown and explore moving like that character (slow/fast, big/small movements).
• Guided improvisation 2: Settings
• Explore how the setting makes the character feel and move (e.g., cold wind, soft grass).
• Short sequences: Create very simple sequences combining character and setting movements (e.g., hopping rabbit in the forest).
• Emphasise creativity and personal expression—no right or wrong way.

4. Sharing and Reflection (10 minutes)

• Invite small groups or individuals to share their dance story improvisations with the class.
• Ask guiding questions:
• What was your character?
• Where were they?
• How did you show this with your body?
• Highlight different ways of expressing stories through dance.

5. Cool Down and Counting Activity (5 minutes)

• Lead students through gentle stretches to cool down.
• Incorporate counting forwards/backwards in 1s, 2s, 5s, or 10s from any number between 1 and 100 (e.g., "Let's count backwards from 20 to 0!") to integrate numeracy linked with movement (swaying arms to each count).

6. Closing and Next Steps (5 minutes)

• Recap what they learned about telling stories through dance.
• Briefly explain next lesson focus: exploring feelings and moods in stories through movement.
• Encourage students to think about their favourite stories for next time.

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Assessment and Feedback

• Formative assessment through observation: Monitor students’ ability to identify character and setting, and to express ideas through movement improvisation.
• Use simple visual or verbal prompts to scaffold understanding when needed.
• Give positive affirmations and specific feedback: e.g., “I saw how you made big, slow movements like a large animal—that was great storytelling!”
• Encourage peer feedback with guided sentence stems: “I liked when you…” or “Can you tell me more about your movement for…?”
• Encourage self-assessment with simple questions: “How did your body help tell your story today?”

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Teaching Considerations

• Ensure inclusive participation by offering multiple ways to express ideas (gestures, facial expressions, body movement).
• Support students’ language development by modelling story vocabulary like character, setting, and action.
• Acknowledge cultural diversity by inviting stories and movements inspired by children’s backgrounds or Aotearoa/New Zealand context.
• Keep movements age-appropriate, safe, and simple, respecting individual physical and developmental needs.
• Use group activities to develop social skills and key competencies while making learning collaborative and enjoyable.

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This lesson aligns closely with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh goals for The Arts and key competencies development for Year 1 and 2 students in a highly engaging, kinaesthetic approach that fosters creativity, narrative skills, and physical confidence in dance as a storytelling medium.

If you would like, I can also prepare Lesson 2 and 3 in the unit with similarly detailed plans!