Lesson Plans



Topic: Lesson 1- Introduction and Name Activity

Context: (macro perspective)
Who- A group of 24 Grade 4 students from Laburnum Primary School (my practicum classroom)
When- The lessons have been planned for every Tuesday afternoon (my day in the classroom). Today's lesson has been planned for the 28th of August 2012.
Where- At Laburnum Primary School. We have booked out the staff room, a big space large enough to cater for the students comfortably and indoors (in case of the weather)
What- Today's lesson is an introductory lesson to set up the Dance Unit I will be completely when on practicum in the final term of this year. Students will be creating their reflective journals, take part in a game and warm up before they start developing a dance piece, using their name as the stimulus. 
Why- I wanted to do this unit initially to make links with dance and 'being healthy'. The theme for last term was 'Are you living a healthy lifestyle?'  and so I felt I use my dance teaching experience, incorporate performing arts into the curriculum while also further developing the students social skills.

Theme: (micro perspective) – focus on specific movement/dance content
What elements will be explored and manipulated? The movement of the body is the main element explored today because it is the first session. Time and Space will be explored in the following lessons once students have created their name pieces. 
·      Think of the body parts being explored through movement, (Shape, movement Qualities, use of Levels, axial and locomotor Transitions, air/floor Pathways)? Students will explore shape most predominantly and will adapt their piece in future lessons to cater for use of different levels and transitions. 
·      Think about the use of body actions (Gesture, Locomotion, Elevation, Falling, Turning, Stillness) and physical skills being explored? How can I be inclusive of all abilities? For the second part of the lesson, students will be creating their own 'mini' dance using their name as their stimulus. This activity is inclusive of all abilities and will employ a range of body actions including locomotion, falling, elevation and turning. Students create movement they are comfortable and confident with. As for the modelling part of the lesson, I will ensure the movements are ability appropriate for all students, while considering motivation and engagement.
·      

Learning outcomes – the children will be able to….
Cognitive (Intellectual/artistic):
Psychomotor (Thinking/Physical): Students will feel comfortable using their body to create a dance using their name as their stimulus. They need to be able improvise, arrange and refine a piece that represents their name before sharing with a partner. 
Affective (Emotional/Social/Cultural): Work together in a partnership to create a piece that represents two of their names using a range of locomotion movement. 

Assessment
Explain how you will monitor their progress (safety, artistic)? I will be sure to give students plenty of time to create their pieces, provide support through motivation, ideas and conferencing. I will monitor their progress by floating and watching students, stopping to determine if more time is needed and how students are going. 
Explain where your lesson plan fits in with VELS or Early Years Framework progression point and/or level of kinesthetic ability?
VELS Level 4- Students select, combine and experiment with ways of using a range of arts elements, principles and/or conventions, skills, techniques and processes. In Dance, students create a movement sequence based on ideas and feelings.

WHAT - Lesson Structure (90 minutes)

Introduction

15 minutes- Students create their reflective journals in class before making their way to the staff room. Students need 3 pieces of coloured paper and must fold them over to create the journals. These journals will be filled in after each lesson. I will be giving the students a question to respond to in regard to the success and content of the lesson. 

15 minutes- Students move to staff room and take part in a warm up. 

Warm up – Kinesthetic tune-up- Game. Letter Freeze. An old game I used to play with my students at Bodies In Motion. Much like Freeze, when the music stops, students need to stop but must create a letter using their body. This game works well in today's theme. While the music is playing students need to dance (if students are not moving around enough to warm the body, I will step in with a range of movement that will engage a range of body parts. 

Students then participate in discussion about dance.
Questions posed...
What is dance? What's it all about?
What do you know about dance?

I want to brief the students on the content of the lesson to practice their voice, physical and social skills.

Why would be be looking at our name when creating a dance?
How can we move our body to do so? Which body parts could be used?

Body
30 minutes- Students break off and create their pieces by including locomotion and levels. Once they have created their own, they join with a partner (chosen by me to allow for students to collaborate and work with students they are not used to working with)

10 minutes- Before the lesson concludes I want to check the progress on each partnership and watch their final piece.

15 minutes- Back in the classroom, students fill in reflective journal and answer the following questions...

What does dancing mean to you? (This question is for students who dance, which is a large majority of the class) How did today's lesson make you feel? Was it is easy dancing your name? 

Management of children in the space safely
The students will have a large area to move in. Being inside, I am aware that weather would not be an issue. While there were tables in the room, I will have them moved to allow for more space for students to move. I offer students my support, encouragement and motivation although a lot of students have experience in dance and are quite confident in physical activity. 

Establishing rules and expectations of behaviour
My main indicator when students need to stop and listen has always been 'freeze'. When they hear the word they stop and prepare for the next instruction. This has always worked for me, especially when teaching younger students. Students will constantly be reminded of the time remaining, to stay on task and the behaviour they should be displaying. 

Safe dance practice of physical skills
When the students are dancing I will check for safe movement (no hand-stands, breaking dancing etc) to ensure the safety of all students. I will also ensure that anyone with an injury does not cause further harm and should be encouraged to take it easy. 

Music Used-

Some Nights- Fun
Pick Up the Pieces Jason Derulo
I'm All Yours (feat. Pitbull) Jay Sean
Black or White Michael Jackson
Where Have You Been Rihanna
Call Me Maybe Carly Rae Jepsen
Don't Wake Me Up Chris Brown
Brokenhearted Karmin
Boom Boom Justice Crew
The Way You Make Me Feel Michael Jackson
Don't Stop The Music Rihanna
Thriller Michael Jackson
Hello The Cat Empire
Fireworks Katy Perry
Party In The USA Miley Cyrus
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough Michael Jackson
Drive Shannon Noll
Everyone's Waiting Missy Higgins
Nothing's Real But Love  Rebecca Ferguson
I Gotta Feeling  Black Eyed Peas
The Time (The Dirty Bit) Black Eyed Peas
Yeah 3X  Chris Brown

Culminating Dance  - Presentation
How will you structure and present their movement phrases/scenes and bring it to a presentable form?
Because it is the first lesson and most students will still be collaborating with partner, the students are asked if they would like to perform in front of me (assessment purposes and progress check). If there is a pair that show exemplary work, I will ask them to present to the class if they feel comfortable. When they perform I will highlight what worked well and pose questions to the students about their own performance. I will congratulate the students not only at the end of the lesson but during the lesson. 


Topic: Lesson 2- Continuation of Name Activity

Context: (macro perspective)
Who- A group of 24 Grade 4 students from Laburnum Primary School (my practicum classroom)
When- The lessons have been planned for every Tuesday afternoon (my day in the classroom). This is the second of the unit and has been planned for the 5th of September. 
Where- At Laburnum Primary School. We have booked out the staff room, a big space large enough to cater for the students comfortably and indoors (in case of the weather).
What- As said previously, today's lesson is a continuation of last weeks lesson. Students will be continuing on with their name pieces but will be joining with another pair (groups of four), learning and rehearsing their dances. They will take part in a warm up/game and warm down before and after the main activity. 
Why- I wanted to do this unit initially to make links with dance and 'being healthy'. The theme for last term was 'Are you living a healthy lifestyle?'  and so I felt I use my dance teaching experience, incorporate performing arts into the curriculum while also further developing the students social skills.

Theme: (micro perspective) – focus on specific movement/dance content
What elements will be explored and manipulated? The movement of the body is the main element explored today because it is still early in the unit. Time and Space will be explored in the following lessons once students have created their name pieces. I will introduce vocabulary like canons, transitions and positions but will try to Keep It Simple (KIS)
·      Think of the body parts being explored through movement, (Shape, movement Qualities, use of Levels, axial and locomotor Transitions, air/floor Pathways)? Students will explore shape, levels and positions (group dynamic) most predominantly after learning everyone's individual name piece. 
·      Think about the use of body actions (Gesture, Locomotion, Elevation, Falling, Turning, Stillness) and physical skills being explored? How can I be inclusive of all abilities? For the main part of the lesson, students will be continuing on with their partnered 'mini' dance but will, once rehearsed and confident, will be joining up with another pair to create a larger piece (4) . This activity is inclusive of all abilities and will employ a range of body actions including locomotion, falling, elevation and turning. Students create movement they are comfortable and confident with. As for the modelling part of the lesson, I will ensure the movements are ability appropriate for all students, while considering motivation and engagement.
·      

Learning outcomes – the children will be able to….
Cognitive (Intellectual/artistic):
Psychomotor (Thinking/Physical): Students will feel comfortable using their body to create a dance using their name as their stimulus. They need to be able to arrange and refine a piece that represents their name as well as 3 other names. 
Affective (Emotional/Social/Cultural): Work together in a partnership/group work to create a piece that represents four of their names using a range of locomotion movement. 

Assessment
Explain how you will monitor their progress (safety, artistic)? I will be sure to give students plenty of time to create their pieces, provide support through motivation, ideas and conferencing. I will monitor their progress by floating and watching students, stopping to determine if more time is needed and how students are going. 
Explain where your lesson plan fits in with VELS or Early Years Framework progression point and/or level of kinesthetic ability?
VELS Level 4- Students select, combine and experiment with ways of using a range of arts elements, principles and/or conventions, skills, techniques and processes. In Dance, students create a movement sequence based on ideas and feelings.

WHAT - Lesson Structure (90 minutes)

Introduction

15 minutes- Students move to staff room and take part in a warm up. 

Warm up – Kinesthetic tune-up- Game. Clumps-Integrated game (Mathematics)- Students are working on Division this term so wanted to play this game that requires students to pair/group up when the music stops. The children have played this game with me before so explanation of rules and aims are not needed today. 

Students then participate in discussion about dance and the content of the lesson to practice their voice, physical and social skills.
Questions posed...

Why would be be looking at our name when creating a dance? Why would be be creating dances in partners and then groups? 
How have some of you introduced levels and transitions in your pieces so far. 

Body
30 minutes- Students break off and create their pieces by including locomotion and levels. Once they have created their own, they join with a partner (chosen by me to allow for students to collaborate and work with students they are not used to working with)

10 minutes- Before the lesson concludes I want to check the progress on each partnership and watch their final piece.

15 minutes- Back in the classroom, students fill in reflective journal and answer the following questions...

What does dancing mean to you? (This question is for students who dance, which is a large majority of the class) How did today's lesson make you feel? Was it is easy dancing your name? 

Management of children in the space safely
The students will have a large area to move in. Being inside, I am aware that weather would not be an issue. While there were tables in the room, I will have them moved to allow for more space for students to move. I offer students my support, encouragement and motivation although a lot of students have experience in dance and are quite confident in physical activity. 

Establishing rules and expectations of behaviour
My main indicator when students need to stop and listen has always been 'freeze'. When they hear the word they stop and prepare for the next instruction. This has always worked for me, especially when teaching younger students. Students will constantly be reminded of the time remaining, to stay on task and the behaviour they should be displaying. 

Safe dance practice of physical skills
When the students are dancing I will check for safe movement (no hand-stands, breaking dancing etc) to ensure the safety of all students. I will also ensure that anyone with an injury does not cause further harm and should be encouraged to take it easy. 

Music Used- 
Some Nights- Fun
Pick Up the Pieces Jason Derulo
I'm All Yours (feat. Pitbull) Jay Sean
Black or White Michael Jackson
Where Have You Been Rihanna
Call Me Maybe Carly Rae Jepsen
Don't Wake Me Up Chris Brown
Brokenhearted Karmin
Boom Boom Justice Crew
The Way You Make Me Feel Michael Jackson
Don't Stop The Music Rihanna
Thriller Michael Jackson
Hello The Cat Empire
Fireworks Katy Perry
Party In The USA Miley Cyrus
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough Michael Jackson
Drive Shannon Noll
Everyone's Waiting Missy Higgins
Nothing's Real But Love  Rebecca Ferguson
I Gotta Feeling  Black Eyed Peas
The Time (The Dirty Bit) Black Eyed Peas
Yeah 3X Chris Brown

Culminating Dance  - Presentation
Again, students are still rehearsing their pieces but will have all students present in the next lesson. Although there is no official presentation of performances, I will still encourage students to show me their performance individually to check progress and ensure students will be ready to perform next week. 

Closure
Warm down- Nothing's Real But Love- Rebecca Ferguson
Students participate in stretching to relax and wind down after the lesson. 

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