Musical Movement Storytelling
Dance
•Year 1
•8 Lessons
This unit develops Year 1 students' ability to express stories and emotions through dance, progressing from simple counting actions to complex narrative choreography. The focus is on building creative confidence whilst developing fundamental movement skills including pathways, levels, and timing. Through engaging themes like nature, toys, pirates, and weather, students learn that their bodies are powerful tools for storytelling and self-expression.
Lessons in This Unit
8 lessons in this unit
Lesson 1
Big Question:
How can we use counting to help us move together in time with music?
Key Objectives:
- • To explore travelling actions with control and confidence
- • To use counts of 8 to move in time with music
Lesson 2
Big Question:
How can our bodies tell the story of nature through movement and dance?
Key Objectives:
- • To practise, remember and repeat dance actions with increasing control
- • To respond imaginatively to natural stimuli through creative movement
Lesson 3
Big Question:
How can we use our bodies to show feelings and bring toys to life through dance?
Key Objectives:
- • To use expression to show feelings through movement
- • To safely travel through space whilst maintaining character
Lesson 4
Big Question:
How can we use different pathways and levels to show emotions and tell stories through dance?
Key Objectives:
- • To explore pathways and expression in dance movements
- • To perform basic actions and choose appropriate movements for different dance ideas
Lesson 5
Big Question:
How can we use our bodies to tell the exciting story of pirates through dance?
Key Objectives:
- • To perform dance using simple movement patterns with pirate theme
- • To move confidently and safely around others in shared space
Lesson 6
Big Question:
How can we use our bodies to tell the exciting story of pirates through dance?
Key Objectives:
- • To perform dance using simple movement patterns with pirate theme
- • To create and remember short dance phrases with a partner
Lesson 7
Big Question:
How can we use our bodies to tell the story of rain and puddles through movement?
Key Objectives:
- • To show changes in shape and level through dance movements
- • To explore simple movements and actions and perform them with control
Lesson 8
Big Question:
How can we use our bodies to tell the story of puddles and raindrops through dance?
Key Objectives:
- • To show changes in expression, level and shape through movement
- • To move confidently and safely in their own and others' space