Informal Dance Presentations

Curriculum Links

• Learning Area: The Arts / Drama and Dance
• Level: Year 3 (approximately ages 7-8)
• Strand: Drama - Contribution of drama to developing confidence and understanding of story and ideas through movement and presentation
• Achievement Objectives:
  • Communicating and Interpreting: Participate in drama and dance presentations to communicate ideas and build confidence
  • Understanding the Arts in Context: Share and respond to others' expressive arts to develop awareness of audience and collaboration
• Key Competencies:
  • Managing Self: Present with confidence, managing personal performance and participation
  • Relating to Others: Work cooperatively in groups for small and whole class presentations
  • Participating and Contributing: Contribute to shared performance tasks and audience appreciation

These align with the New Zealand Curriculum vision of holistic learning and developing confident communicators who contribute to social settings.

---

Lesson Overview

• Unit: Dancing Through Our Stories

• Lesson Number: 12 of 15

• Duration: 45 minutes

• Class size: 30 students

• Lesson Title: Informal Dance Presentations

• WALT (We Are Learning To): Share our dances with others.

• Success Criteria:

  • Students can confidently present their dance to the class or in small groups.
  • Students demonstrate awareness of the audience by engaging with them through movement and expression.
  • Students show cooperation during small-group presentations or when watching peers.

• Differentiation:

  • Students who are less confident or have performance anxiety are encouraged to work in familiar small groups rather than presenting solo.
  • Provide options for students to take roles such as performing, assisting with music, or helping with props, allowing diverse modes of participation.

• Extension:

  • Invite another class to watch the presentations, giving students a larger audience and opportunity to practice formal sharing.
  • Encourage students to reflect on the audience’s reactions and adapt their performance for wider engagement.

---

Detailed Lesson Plan

Time	Activity	Description	Purpose/Notes
0-5 mins	Settle and Introduce	Gather students in a circle. Recap what they have learned about dance in previous lessons. Introduce the WALT and success criteria on the board or a visual chart.	Activates prior knowledge and clearly sets intentions. Use visual scaffold to support diverse learners.
5-10 mins	Warm-up Movement Activity	Lead a simple, engaging warm-up focusing on body awareness, expressive movement, and breathing to prepare for performing. Include breathing exercises and stretching.	Helps students focus, reduces tension, and prepares the body for performance. Supports physical readiness.
10-30 mins	Group Dance Rehearsals & Informal Presentations	Divide the class into their dance groups (max 5 students per group). Each group rehearses briefly with teacher support, focusing on confident expression and spatial awareness. Then, groups perform their dances informally in front of the class. Teacher encourages positive applause and respectful attention from audience members.	Provides a safe, supportive environment where students practice and share, meeting the success criteria. Teacher models and reinforces audience expectations.
30-40 mins	Peer Feedback & Group Reflection	After each performance, facilitate simple peer feedback, e.g., "I liked how you moved like…", "I noticed you used your space well." Use sentence stems for feedback to scaffold for all learners. Discuss what makes a good dance presentation and how dancers connect to their audience.	Develops students' ability to observe, listen, and relate to others’ work constructively, building empathy and communication skills.
40-45 mins	Closure & Next Steps	Remind students of upcoming extension opportunity (inviting another class). Briefly discuss what they enjoyed and what they might improve for next time. Set clear expectations for the next lesson’s rehearsals or final presentations.	Reinforces learning and motivation to extend their skills. Offers closure and builds excitement for performance to a wider audience.

---

Teaching Strategies & Considerations

• Inclusive Teaching: Use flexible groupings based on student confidence; assign roles like 'music tech,' 'choreography leader,' or 'stage manager' to include all students meaningfully.
• Modelling: Demonstrate how to present confidently—posture, facial expression, and engaging movement. Show examples of good audience behaviour to foster mutual respect.
• Language Support: Introduce dance vocabulary and expressions (e.g., "use your arms wide," "show your feelings," "face your audience") and model sentence stems for peer feedback to scaffold oral language development.
• Managing Behaviour: Develop class guidelines for respectful watching and applause. Remind students of safe body movement and spatial awareness.
• Cultural Responsiveness: Recognise and integrate dances or movements from diverse cultures represented in the class as part of the stories they share, reflecting Aotearoa New Zealand's diversity.
• Assessment (Formative): Observe and note students’ participation, confidence, and cooperation during presentations and reflections. Use this information to inform next steps and support needs.

---

Resources Needed

• Music playback device and speakers
• Space cleared for dance presentations
• Props or costumes previously developed in the unit (optional)
• Visual WALT and success criteria poster or chart
• Sentence stems chart for peer feedback

---

Alignment to New Zealand Curriculum

• The Arts / Drama & Dance:
  • Demonstrates the achievement objective: "Participate in drama/dance to explore and communicate ideas and stories" (The Arts, Level 1-2)
• Key Competencies:
  • Managing Self: presenting confidently and managing personal performance
  • Relating to Others: working collaboratively in groups
  • Participating and Contributing: contributing to shared presentations in class/community contexts
• Values: Encourages Excellence through effort and engagement, Diversity by respecting different dance styles, and Community through sharing performances with peers and other classes.

---

This lesson plan embraces the holistic development of year 3 students by combining movement, storytelling, and communication to share their learning creatively and confidently in alignment with the New Zealand Curriculum. It provides clear structure, differentiation, and extension while valuing cultural inclusion and student voice.

---

If you want, I can also help generate printable student reflection sheets or peer feedback forms to accompany this lesson!