Snake Movement Storytelling
Dance
•Year 4
•6 Lessons
This unit develops Year 4 students' ability to communicate narrative and emotion through dance, using the snake as a compelling movement stimulus. By exploring qualities like slithering, hunting, and striking, students learn to translate natural movement into expressive choreography whilst developing group collaboration skills. The snake theme provides a rich framework for teaching choreographic devices, spatial awareness, and performance quality in an imaginative and engaging context.
Lessons in This Unit
6 lessons in this unit
Lesson 1
Big Question:
How can we use our bodies to tell the story of a snake through dance?
Key Objectives:
- • To watch professional dance work and describe how actions communicate the theme of a snake
- • To perform specific dance actions that effectively communicate snake characteristics
Lesson 2
Big Question:
How can we use our bodies to tell stories through movement quality and group shapes?
Key Objectives:
- • Perform movements with specific dynamic qualities to give meaning to dance and help tell a story
- • Create movement sequences using different dynamics to express character and narrative
Lesson 3
Big Question:
How can floor patterns and pathways help us tell the story of a hunting snake through movement?
Key Objectives:
- • To copy and rehearse travelling movements across space using floor patterns with control
- • To create travelling movements with floor patterns that help tell the story of a hunting snake
Lesson 4
Big Question:
How can we use devices to transform simple movements into powerful dance that tells the story of a snake?
Key Objectives:
- • To copy and perform actions that communicate how a snake moves using simple movement devices
- • To manipulate and develop given actions using dynamic devices (size, speed, level)
Lesson 5
Big Question:
How can we create expressive dance movements while staying safely connected as a group?
Key Objectives:
- • Work collaboratively in small groups to create contact movements safely and sensibly
- • Develop physical contact work that creates large, dynamic group movements
Lesson 6
Big Question:
How can we use feedback from others to create a powerful snake dance that truly communicates character and emotion?
Key Objectives:
- • To refine dance material for the snake-themed performance using peer evaluation
- • To identify strengths and areas for improvement in other groups' choreography