Reflecting on Dance

Curriculum Alignment

This lesson aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum Drama learning area for Year 3 students, focusing on:

• The Arts - Drama Strand: Participating and responding to drama (Levels 2-3)
• Key Competencies Developed:
  • Managing Self: Reflecting on personal learning
  • Relating to Others: Appreciating others’ performances
  • Thinking: Critically reflecting and expressing ideas clearly

The lesson’s learning intention and activities support students to develop understanding and skills in reflecting on their own and others’ dance performances, expressing ideas and feelings, and listening respectfully, as outlined in the curriculum guidance for Years 1-4 Drama , .

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Lesson Details

Lesson 13 of 15: "Reflecting on Our Dances"

Duration: 45 minutes
Class size: 30 students
Year Level: Year 3

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Learning Intentions (WALT):

• We Are Learning To reflect thoughtfully on our own dance and the dances performed by others.

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Success Criteria

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

• Share thoughts about their own dance performance using specific examples.
• Describe what they liked or noticed about peers’ dances.
• Respond respectfully to others' reflections.
• Use guided questions to help structure their reflections.
• (Extension) Write a short reflection piece about their dance experience.

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Learning Objectives

In line with the New Zealand Curriculum Drama achievement objectives (Years 3-4):

• Participate confidently in drama activities that develop personal and shared meanings.
• Respond to drama by describing and reflecting on experiences, feelings, and ideas.
• Express thoughts and feelings about drama performances, identifying what works well and why.

These specifically connect to the overall purpose of the Arts Learning Area: “To develop practical knowledge, skills, and understandings for creating, presenting, and responding to drama” .

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Resources Needed

• Dance space large enough for students to move freely
• A seated circle area for discussion
• Reflection prompt cards (guiding questions)
• Paper and pencils for extension writing activity
• Optional: Audio recording device for playback of reflections

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Lesson Outline

1. Warm-up & Setting the Reflective Tone (5 minutes)

• Quick breathing and gentle stretching to calm and focus after dance activities.
• Gather students in a circle to create a safe space for sharing.
• Teacher models positive reflection by sharing a brief personal thought on watching a dance.

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2. Sharing Reflections – Guided Discussion (15 minutes)

• Explain WALT and Success Criteria clearly.
• Introduce Guided Reflection Questions to scaffold thinking (differentiation support):
  • What did you like about your dance?
  • How did you feel during your dance?
  • Can you name a part of a friend’s dance that you enjoyed? Why?
  • What was something new you learned about dancing today?
• Students take turns sharing verbally in small groups or pairs (depending on class dynamics).
• Teacher prompts and supports quieter or less confident students with questions and encouragement.

*This discussion develops oral language, listening, social skills, and reflection as emphasized in the curriculum for years 0-6 communication and drama, supporting students to express and organise ideas clearly in social contexts .

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3. Whole-Class Sharing and Appreciation (10 minutes)

• Groups or pairs share a summary of reflections with the class.
• Teacher encourages attentive listening and validates all contributions.
• Teacher highlights examples of insightful reflections, respectful language, and different viewpoints.

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4. Extension Writing Activity (10 minutes)

• Students independently write a short reflection sentence or two about their own dance experience.
• Prompts are provided, and students can choose to draw and write if needed (differentiation).
• Advanced learners encouraged to write about both their own and a peer’s dance.

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5. Conclusion & Connecting Learning (5 minutes)

• Teacher summarises key ideas from reflections, linking back to the importance of thinking about our learning and respecting others' work.
• Encourage students to keep thinking about how reflection helps them grow as dancers and learners.
• Quick sharing of one word or phrase about how they feel now after reflecting.

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Differentiation

• For diverse learners:

  • Use pictorial reflection prompts for English Language Learners and students with learning needs.
  • Provide sentence starters (e.g., "I liked my dance because…", "My favourite part of my friend's dance was…")
  • Use paired or small group discussions before whole-class sharing to build confidence.

• For advanced learners:

  • Encourage writing a longer reflection piece describing feelings, movements, and what was challenging.
  • Invite them to think critically about ways the dances could be improved or made more expressive.

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Assessment for Learning

• Formative: Observe participation in oral reflections and contributions to group discussion.
• Listen for vocabulary use related to dance, feelings, and performance.
• Review written reflections for clarity of thought and engagement with success criteria.
• Use this information to plan the final unit lessons focused on presentation and refinement of dances.

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Supporting Curriculum References

• The Arts – Drama Learning Area (Levels 2-3):
  “Participate in, share, and respond to drama”, demonstrating understanding of their own and others’ creative work and ideas.
• Key Competencies: Managing Self, Relating to Others, Thinking (NZ Curriculum pages 12-13)
• Explicit oral language practice through sharing and reflection supports communication development (English curriculum phases years 0-6).
• Reflection and self-assessment align with school-wide goals to encourage student agency and lifelong learning skills .

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This lesson plan integrates drama learning with literacy and communication skills, designed for a joyful and respectful environment. It encourages students to think deeply about their creative expression, appreciate diversity in performance, and grow confidence as expressive communicators.

If you would like, I can also create accompanying reflection prompt cards or writing templates for this lesson.