Group Movement Creation

Unit: Expressing Emotions Through Movement

Lesson 4 of 7: Group Choreography Basics
Year Level: Year 2 (Ages approx. 6-7)
Duration: 45 minutes
Class Size: 25 students

Curriculum Alignment

This lesson plan is designed explicitly to align with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh, focusing on the Drama learning area (The Arts learning domain) and key competencies for Year 2 students.

Learning Area: The Arts – Drama

Achievement Objective:

Drama (Level 1, Year 2): Students experience and express ideas, and communicate feelings through role-play, mime, dance, and drama.
Students will actively explore movement and gesture to express emotions and ideas, and collaborate with others in creating and presenting drama.

Key Competencies

Relating to others: Students work collaboratively, negotiate ideas, and contribute to a shared group choreography.
Participating and contributing: Students engage actively and respectfully in group discussions and creation.
Thinking: Students use creative thinking to develop movement sequences that express emotions.

Learning Objectives

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

Collaborate in small groups to create a simple dance sequence using movement vocabulary previously learned.
Use movement to express emotions and ideas collaboratively.
Communicate their ideas and listen to others' suggestions during group work.
Demonstrate basic choreography skills by linking movements into a short sequence.
Reflect briefly on their group process and presentation.

Learning Success Criteria

Students contribute at least one movement or idea to the group choreography.
Groups create a short (about 30 seconds) sequence incorporating movements that express emotions.
Students demonstrate respectful listening and turn-taking during collaboration.
Each group presents their choreography clearly to the class.
Students can name or describe at least one emotion expressed in their choreography.

Materials & Resources

Open space in the classroom or hall for movement
Music player with selected age-appropriate, instrumental or rhythmic music (optional)
Visual emotion prompts (e.g., images or emotion faces cards previously explored)
Movement vocabulary chart from prior lessons (optional reminder)
Timer or clock for keeping track of time

Lesson Outline

1. Introduction & Warm-up (7 minutes)

Welcome students and briefly recap prior learning of expressing emotions through movement vocabulary from earlier lessons (Lessons 1-3).
Quick whole-class warm-up: gentle stretching and movement games to prepare bodies.
Introduce today’s focus: working in small groups to create a simple dance sequence using their movement vocabulary to express feelings together.
Emphasise the importance of listening and sharing ideas respectfully (link to key competency: Relating to others).

2. Group Formation and Task Explanation (5 minutes)

Organise students into small groups of 4–5.
Explain clearly the task: each group will design a short dance sequence with 3-5 movements that express one or more emotions. They can use movements they already know or create new ones.
Show examples or remind students of movements used previously to express emotions like happy, sad, angry, excited, or scared.

3. Group Choreography Creation (18 minutes)

Groups collaborate to:
- Share ideas and decide on the emotion(s) to express.
- Select or create their movements (building on their movement vocabulary).
- Arrange their movements into a sequence.
Teacher circulates to support groups, encouraging participation and communication.
Scaffold as needed for groups to link movements smoothly and use space effectively.
Encourage groups to practise together in a safe, respectful environment.

4. Group Presentations (12 minutes)

Each group presents their choreography to the class (approx. 1.5 minutes per group).
Encourage attentive audience behaviour: watching quietly and appreciating others' work.
After each presentation, ask one or two students to share what emotion they saw expressed and one movement they liked.

5. Reflection and Wrap-up (3 minutes)

Brief whole-class discussion: What did you enjoy about working in your group?
Ask students how movement helped them show feelings.
Reinforce positive group work and creative expression.
Outline that next lesson will build on these skills for more complex sequences.

Assessment & Feedback

Formative Assessment

Teacher observation of group collaboration skills: ability to listen, share ideas, and participate.
Observe how clearly groups express emotions through their movements.
Informal questioning during reflection: students name or describe emotions they expressed.
Use simple checklists aligned with success criteria to record participation and expression.

Feedback Strategies

Provide affirmative and constructive verbal feedback during group work.
Use peer feedback after presentations, highlighting specific movements or ideas shared.
Encourage self-assessment by asking students what they think they did well.

Teaching Considerations

Allow for differentiated participation—support quieter students to contribute ideas and movements.
Be mindful of cultural diversity and include examples of movement or emotions meaningful to Māori, Pasifika, and other cultures in the class.
Use inclusive language and foster a safe environment for expression.
Allow flexibility in how groups interpret the task to encourage student agency and creativity.
Consider students with physical disabilities and provide adapted movement options.

References to Curriculum Documents

The Arts Learning Area, Drama Strand at Level 1 – expressing ideas and emotions through movement and drama.
Key Competencies – Relating to others, Participating and contributing, and Thinking.
Emphasis on collaborative learning and communication skills in the refreshed curriculum.

This lesson embraces creativity, collaboration, and communication, supporting Year 2 students to express emotions through group choreographed movement, fully grounded in the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh.

Teaching Instructions