Dance Sentence Starters

Overview

This 30-minute lesson, the third in the "Giraffe Sentence Adventures" series, supports reception-aged pupils (4–5 years) to connect spoken and written language through movement and sentence building. Inspired by Gerald the giraffe’s journey, students create their own dances and compose simple sentences using structured sentence starters. This immersive, cross-curricular approach aligns with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Development Matters and the National Curriculum’s Communication and Language and Literacy goals, fostering foundational English skills alongside physical development and creativity.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the session, pupils will:

• Communication and Language (EYFS Framework, 2021):
  • Use relevant vocabulary to describe dance moves and actions.
  • Use simple sentences to express ideas and intentions orally.
• Literacy – Reading and Writing (English Programmes of Study, Reception):
  • Recognise and use simple sentence starters to form meaningful sentences.
  • Practice segmenting words orally before writing them down.
  • Begin to use correct letter formation and spacing in writing.
• Physical Development (EYFS Framework):
  • Express ideas and feelings through movement and dance, using coordination and control.

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Curriculum References

• EYFS Communication and Language: Listening, Attention and Understanding (ELG: Children listen attentively, respond to what they hear with relevant questions, comments and actions)
• EYFS Literacy: Writing (ELG: Children write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed)
• English National Curriculum Reception Reading and Writing Early Learning Goals
• EYFS Physical Development: Moving and Handling (ELG: Children show good control and coordination in large and small movements)

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Resources Needed

• Whiteboard and marker – to display sentence starters
• Visuals of Gerald the giraffe and action prompts
• Sentence starter strips (e.g., “I will ___ like a giraffe.”) laminated for durability
• Writing materials: pencils, lined or plain exercise books
• Open space for movement and dance
• Music player with a gentle instrumental track

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction and Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Gather pupils in a circle and briefly recap Gerald’s giraffe story and the journey explored in previous lessons.
• Explain that today they will create their own special dance moves inspired by Gerald and then write sentences about their dances.
• Lead a short physical warm-up (stretching tall like a giraffe, tiptoeing, etc.) to prepare bodies for movement.

2. Modelling and Guided Practice (8 minutes)

• Write sentence starters on the board:
  • “I will ___ like a giraffe.”
  • (Examples to add: “I will stretch my neck”, “I will walk slowly”, “I will jump high”)
• Demonstrate with a volunteer: perform a dance move and use the sentence starter to orally describe it. E.g., “I will stretch my neck like a giraffe.”
• Emphasise using clear, confident voice and correct sentence structure.

3. Partner Practice (7 minutes)

• Pair up pupils and give them laminated sentence starter strips.
• Pupils take turns inventing a dance move, performing it, and completing a sentence orally with their partner.
• Teacher circulates to support with vocabulary, pronunciation, and sentence formation, gently scaffolding where necessary.

4. Writing Own Sentences (8 minutes)

• Return to seats or writing area.
• Pupils choose one dance move and sentence from their partner work to write.
• Use scaffolding: visual sentence frame displayed clearly on the board to copy.
• Encourage phonetic spelling and correct letter formation; adults to support individually.

5. Sharing and Plenary (2 minutes)

• Gather pupils and invite 3–4 volunteers to perform their dance move and read their written sentence aloud.
• Give positive, specific feedback to highlight their successful linking of movement, talking, and writing.
• Recap learning: how sentences tell others about our ideas and how it felt to create a dance like Gerald!

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Assessment Opportunities

• Formative: Observe oral sentence construction during pair work, noting use of sentence starters and vocabulary.
• Written: Review pupil writing for evidence of understanding sentence structure, letter formation, and phonetic spelling.
• Physical: Note coordination and creativity in dance moves, encouraging self-expression.

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Differentiation

• Support: Provide additional adult support with oral sentence rehearsal and writing. Offer extra visual prompts.
• Challenge: Encourage some pupils to extend sentences with adjectives or connectives (“I will stretch my neck like a tall giraffe.”)
• Use mixed-ability pairing to scaffold learning.

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Ideas to Impress:

• Use a simple voice recording device (tablet/phone) for pupils to listen back to their spoken sentences before writing.
• Introduce a “Sentence Builder” station with word cards and pictures for independent sentence making in free-flow time.
• Turn the dance-sentence activity into a class book titled “Our Giraffe Dances” by photographing moves and displaying sentences next lesson.

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Follow-Up

Lesson 4 will build on this by expanding sentence structures with conjunctions, and encouraging children to write sequences of sentences about their dances.

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This lesson is designed to spark creativity, build sentence confidence, and strengthen the crucial link between spoken and written language for young learners, all within the engaging context of Gerald’s giraffe adventures.