Machines & Forces Dance
Dance
•Year 3
•8 Lessons
This unit uses dance as a powerful vehicle for exploring Year 3 curriculum topics, from mechanical movements to seasonal changes, Roman history, and scientific forces. Students develop choreographic techniques whilst deepening understanding of cross-curricular concepts through embodied learning. The thematic variety maintains engagement whilst building transferable dance skills including synchronization, canon, formation work, and expressive dynamics.
Lessons in This Unit
8 lessons in this unit
Lesson 1
Big Question:
How can we use our bodies to represent different machine parts and work together like parts of one machine?
Key Objectives:
- • To work in unison with a partner using counts of 8
- • To create movement sequences that represent different machine parts
Lesson 2
Big Question:
How can we work together like the parts of a machine to create synchronized dance movements?
Key Objectives:
- • To adapt individual movements to include a partner and small group
- • To explore unison, canon, and question-and-answer movement patterns
Lesson 3
Big Question:
How can we use movement dynamics to tell the story of a machine breaking down?
Key Objectives:
- • To understand how dynamics affect the actions performed
- • To be able to select and use movements to represent an idea
Lesson 4
Big Question:
How can we use our bodies to tell the story of changing seasons through movement and dynamics?
Key Objectives:
- • To remember and repeat actions accurately in sequence
- • To use shapes and movements which relate to seasonal ideas
Lesson 5
Big Question:
How can we use our bodies to tell the story of different seasons through movement?
Key Objectives:
- • To express seasonal themes through creative movement using directions and levels
- • To understand and demonstrate canon and unison in partner work
Lesson 6
Big Question:
How can we use formations and poses to tell the story of powerful Roman soldiers?
Key Objectives:
- • To understand and use formations effectively in dance
- • To create poses which relate to the Roman soldier stimulus
Lesson 7
Big Question:
How can we use our bodies to tell the story of Roman architecture being built?
Key Objectives:
- • To use unison and canon to create dramatic effect in dance
- • To create smooth transitions into and out of architectural shapes
Lesson 8
Big Question:
How can we use our bodies to show the invisible forces of magnetism through dance?
Key Objectives:
- • To include dynamics in performance to represent magnetic forces
- • To use a range of travelling movements to show attraction and repulsion