Performing and Reflecting

Overview

In this final session of Moving Stories Together, students present their group dance to classmates or an invited audience. They build confidence through performance, respond respectfully to others’ work, and explain how their movement communicated an idea, story or cultural connection.

Learning intentions

• WALT perform our dance for others with focus, safe spacing and expression.
• WALT show respect as performers and audience members.
• WALT explain or draw what our dance communicates.
• WALT identify one success and one next step.

Success criteria

• I can perform the sequence with focus, safe spacing and expression.
• I can show respect as a performer and audience member.
• I can explain or draw what our dance communicates.
• I can identify one success and one next step.

Curriculum links

• Dance: explore movement with awareness of body, space, time, energy and relationships.
• Dance: improvise and explore movement ideas in response to stimuli.
• Dance: share dance movement through informal presentation and share thoughts and feelings in response to dances.
• Dance: demonstrate awareness of dance in their lives and communities; key competencies include managing self, relating to others, thinking, and participating and contributing.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and performance expectations. Teacher welcomes students, displays the WALT and success criteria using the welcome and success-criteria slides, and briefly revisits the story, stimulus or cultural idea behind each group’s dance. Establish expectations: performers have a safe space, audiences watch quietly, and feedback describes what was noticed rather than judging people. Students show with their fingers or a quick partner talk what respectful performing and watching look like.

2. 5–15 min · Warm-up and final rehearsal. Teacher leads a gentle warm-up using travelling, stillness, changes of level, shape, direction and energy; then shows the rehearsal sequence on the warm-up and rehearsal instruction slides. Groups rehearse twice, checking their beginning shape, transitions, spacing, ending shape and expressive choices. Students may choose to face front, side or back and may perform as part of the group without a solo. Teacher gives one specific coaching point to each group and records brief evidence against movement vocabulary, coordination, expression, collaboration and cultural respect.

3. 15–35 min · Group performances. Teacher organises the eight students into an appropriate performance order, marks a clear audience area and offers a quiet waiting space. Invite the audience to use the viewing prompts on the performance expectations and viewing prompts slides. Each group performs, with a short pause between dances for resetting and applause. Students perform with focus and safe spacing, while audience members watch attentively and notice one movement choice that helped communicate meaning. If an invited audience is unavailable, groups perform for classmates or a small audience circle.

4. 35–45 min · Appreciation and feedback. Teacher leads a supportive response after each performance: “I noticed…”, “I wondered…”, and “The movement communicated…” Use the appreciation and feedback slides to remind students that feedback is specific, kind and connected to dance elements. Students offer one observation or question, using words, gesture or a choice from picture prompts. Teacher acknowledges different ways of moving and avoids asking students to explain or imitate cultural material that is not theirs to share.

5. 45–55 min · Individual reflection. Teacher distributes the dyslexia-friendly dance reflection sheet and reads each prompt aloud. Students draw, dictate, write, or use speech-to-text to respond: What did our dance communicate? What is one success? What is one next step? Encourage students to name a dance element, such as a body shape, level, direction, speed, energy or relationship. Students may complete the reflection orally or record a short video response instead.

6. 55–60 min · Closing celebration. Teacher returns to the closing celebration and next-steps slide and invites each student to share one proud moment, pass if preferred, or show it with a gesture. Celebrate individual progress, teamwork and respectful participation. Explain that the class will revisit the rubric and transfer storytelling skills to a new dance or drama context.

Resources

• the Performing and Reflecting slide deck
• the dyslexia-friendly dance reflection sheet
• Music used during the unit and playback device
• Clear performance and audience space
• Teacher observation rubric
• Visual cue cards for sequence, spacing and formations
• Optional camera or tablet for oral/video reflection
• Quiet waiting space and floor markers

Assessment

• During rehearsal and performance, record evidence of movement vocabulary, coordination, expression, collaboration, safe spacing and cultural respect using a simple rubric.
• Listen for students’ observations and questions during audience feedback; check that responses are specific, kind and connected to movement or meaning.
• Review each reflection for an identified communicated idea, one success and one achievable next step. Accept drawn, oral, dictated or written responses.

Differentiation

• Provide front, side or back performance choices, group-only participation, visual cue cards, floor markers, rehearsal repetition and a quiet waiting space. No student needs to perform a solo.
• Use large print, a clear sans-serif font, generous spacing, icons, highlighted keywords and read-aloud instructions. Offer drawing, oral response, dictation, video or speech-to-text.
• Pair students strategically and give short, one-step directions. Allow extra processing time and demonstrate rather than relying only on verbal explanation.
• Extend confident learners by introducing their dance to the audience or comparing how a change in music, level or formation affects the meaning communicated.