Lesson 5 - Actions Inspired by Rainforest
Space to Synchronisation
•Year 2
•Dance
•Start Planning Better PE Lessons
Sign up free to access 3 complete units per month, unlimited activity library, and your personal locker.
What's included
- Complete activity instructions & timing
- Teaching tips & differentiation strategies
- Assessment guidance & success criteria
- Downloadable lessons & units
How can we use our bodies to tell the story of a rainforest through movement and rhythm?
Learning Objectives
- To create actions in response to a stimulus
- To use different speeds and directions in movement
- To copy and repeat dance phrases with accuracy
Key Outcomes
- Students will perform controlled body actions representing rainforest elements
- Students will demonstrate understanding of tempo changes in dance
- Students will accurately copy and perform set dance phrases
Equipment & Resources Required
Test audio levels before lesson, have backup speakers ready
Alternative: Nature sounds playlist, jungle sound effects
Position screen where all students can see clearly
Alternative: Printed movement cards, teacher demonstration
Separate track ready for warm-up section
Alternative: Rhythmic backing track, percussion instruments
Key Vocabulary
Something that inspires or triggers a movement response
Stretching body parts outward or upward to create shape
When dancers perform the same movements at different times
When all dancers perform movements at exactly the same time
The beats used to keep time in dance, usually counted in groups of 8
A sequence of movements that fit together like a sentence
Skill Progression Pathway
Understanding where pupils are coming from and where they're going
Prior Learning
- Basic travelling movements like walking and skipping
- Understanding of high, medium, and low body levels
- Simple copying of teacher movements
Current Skills
- Creating actions in response to stimuli
- Using different speeds and directions deliberately
- Copying and remembering longer movement sequences
Next Steps
- Creating own dance phrases with clear structure
- Working collaboratively to create group dances
- Using dynamics and expression in dance performance
Milestone Indicators
Key Teaching Points
- Emphasise safe landing technique with bent knees throughout all jumping activities
- Use counting aloud to help students maintain timing and stay together during sequences
- Connect all movements to rainforest imagery to enhance understanding and engagement
- Encourage personal creativity within the structured framework of the dance
- Maintain clear spatial awareness and personal space throughout lesson
- Build confidence through positive reinforcement and celebrating all efforts
- Ensure smooth transitions between sections to maintain flow of complete dance
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think faster always means better - emphasise control over speed
- Some may believe extensions should be forced - teach gradual, comfortable reaching
- Students might rush through counts - reinforce that timing is more important than finishing first
- May assume all jumps should be high - focus on control and direction rather than height
- Could think performance means perfect - celebrate effort and expression over perfection
SEN Adaptations
ADHD
- Break activities into shorter segments, provide movement breaks between sections, use clear visual and verbal boundaries
dyspraxia
- Simplify sequences to shorter phrases, provide additional practice time, allow modified versions of complex movements
autism spectrum
- Provide visual sequence cards, allow practice time before performance, create quiet space available if needed
visual impairment
- Use verbal descriptions of all movements, provide tactile guidance for positions, ensure audio cues are clear and consistent
hearing impairment
- Demonstrate all movements clearly, use visual counting with fingers, provide written sequence cards with pictures
physical disability
- Adapt jumping to stepping or reaching movements, allow seated versions of extensions, modify according to individual mobility
Cross-Curricular Links
English
Vocabulary development with new terms like extending and stimulus, descriptive language for movement qualities
Science
Plant growth and life cycles, weather patterns and rainfall, habitats and ecosystems in rainforests
Geography
Location of world's rainforests, climate patterns in tropical regions, environmental awareness
Mathematics
Counting in 8s and 4s for timing, directional language (forwards, backwards, sideways), pattern recognition in sequences
PSHE
Confidence building through performance, supporting and encouraging others, teamwork during group activities
Teacher Guidance
Positioning
Central position during demonstrations, circulate during individual work, corner position for performance observation
Observation Focus
Monitor landing technique in jumping, check timing accuracy in sequences, watch for spatial awareness
Intervention Points
Step in if students struggling with sequence memory, correct unsafe landing technique immediately, support students who lack confidence
Demonstration Notes
Always demonstrate with clear, slow movements during teaching phase, exaggerate key techniques like bent-knee landings, use facial expressions to enhance storytelling through movement
Verbal Cues
- •'Soft landings with bent knees!'
- •'Count with me - 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8'
- •'Find your own space, arms wide apart'
- •'Slow and controlled like real plants growing'
Safety Considerations
Space & Surface Requirements
Space Requirements
Large indoor space minimum 8m x 8m, clear of obstacles, suitable for jumping activities
Surface Check
Non-slip floor surface essential for jumping activities, check for any wet areas or debris
Equipment Safety
Safety Checks
- •Test audio equipment volume levels appropriate for space
- •Ensure electrical cables are safely positioned away from movement area
- •Check any visual displays are securely mounted
Risk Management
Key Risks
- •Falls during jumping activities
- •Collisions during travelling movements
- •Overstretching during extension work
- •Fatigue from extended physical activity
Risk Mitigation
- •Emphasise bent-knee landing technique throughout
- •Establish clear spatial boundaries and personal space rules
- •Demonstrate safe extension limits
- •Monitor students for signs of fatigue, provide rest breaks as needed
Supervision & Emergency Procedures
Supervision Points
- •Position to observe all students during jumping sections
- •Circulate during individual exploration phases
- •Monitor technique closely during set phrase learning
Emergency Procedures
Stop activity immediately if injury occurs, assess and provide appropriate first aid, have emergency contact procedures readily available