This is an experiment for me. I’d really appreciate your feedback. I’ve put the stepping stones of a dance lesson for ks2 in the format of a powerpoint. (In the same way as I do in my written resources). So, as a teacher, you can either use the powerpoint for yourself or you could share it with the students so they use it to remind them what to do or become more independent. The benefits could include helping the students to stay on track less talk time by the teacher suitable for supply teachers to deliver help to support NQT’s as they develop their skills The music I would suggest using include… Storm 3000 by Leftfield (for y5 or 6) or Bubble & Slide by The Sabres of Paradise or Forbidden Colours by Sakamoto (for something gentle) or Black Sands by Bonobo (for y3 or 4). All of which should be available on iTunes, Spotify or You Tube. clairepringdance.com cpring@live.co.uk

For those of you who feel a little apprehensive about teaching dance I have tried something a little different. A power point that takes you through the lesson step by step by simply going from slide to slide & reading out the tasks for the children to do. (Alternatively you could project the tasks onto a whiteboard for them to work more independently). It is a creative lesson aimed at year 2, 3 or 4. The teacher just asks the children to ‘find a way…’ & it is up to them how they respond. I have suggested a piece of music to suit the lesson - but it would suit any gentle instrumental piece.

A single dance lesson plan what would be suitable for upper ks1 or lower ks2. The lesson introduces the animals involved in the traditional story & how they move - then it progresses to use ‘the race’ to identify which order the years appear in the Chinese calendar. The plan could be easily split into 2, if your lessons are short or your children are younger. Each section of the lesson comes with hints & suggestions to enable you to deliver it successfully as well as the key skill being developed at that stage. Further to this there is a recommended piece of music that should be easily accessible through platforms such as iTunes, Spotify or YouTube

A one-off dance lesson linked to the music ‘Dance Macabre’ by Saint Saens’. The dance is very closely linked to the structure of the music starting with the clock chiming 12 followed by footsteps & uses the typical ghoulish characters of skeletons, ghosts, witches, spiders and black cats. Each ghoulish character has a different movement quality, e.g. skeleton is stiff and angular, the ghost is light & floaty etc… As the music changes from one section to the next the children change from one character to another, thus all of the children are active all of the time. The teacher notes indicate when the sections change in minutes & seconds - most systems are able to show these as part of their display. The dance lasts approximately 2 minutes & it resolves itself by the children realising they are looking at a fancy dress party - thus hopefully not giving anyone nightmares!

Aimed at EYFS children. A simple rhyme covering travelling in a car, on a bike, on a train or in a plane. Each comes with an obvious associtated action, such as miming using a steering wheel for driving - but this is complemented with a different aspect, in ‘cars’ levels are incorporated. The rhyme can be used as a stand alone activity or ‘filler’; but with each of the 4 verses there are notes on how the actions can be explored and developed. This will suit a wide range of instrumental tracks such as ‘Walking With Elephants’ by Ten Walls; ‘Belfast’ by Orbital; ‘The Baby Elephant Walk’ by Henri Mancini; ‘Axel F’ by Harold Faltermyer.

A simple lesson plan based on the Traditional Tale of the ‘Little Red Hen’ focusing on the Hen’s activities - collecting and growing the seed, weeding and harvesting the crop, processing and baking the bread. It’s written as one lesson but it is easily adapted into 2 or even 3 sessions, depending on the age/level of experience of the children. The ideas are ‘task based’ meaning that the teacher does not need to demonstrate but simply ask questions for the children to respond to in their own way. The dance knowledge/terminology is in bold, thereby supporting the less experienced teacher to identify the skills related to each section. There is a link to a suggested piece of music that can be found on most platforms.

Suitable for y3 and above, these three lesson plans use the structure of castle buildings and how they were attacked and defended. The lessons are creative and allow the children to devise their own movement material (rather than learning any step pattern) as a solo and in groups. I would suggest that suitable music might be Phat Planet by Leftfield, Battle Without Honour or Humanity by Electric Samurai or Theme from the film The Matrix & these lessons could complement themes such as buildings, the middle ages or invaders. I have assumed that lessons run for approximately 45 minutes, so you may well find that you have more than 3 lessons here if you hall time is less or that your children have little prior experience of dance.

Suitable for y3 and above, these two detailed lesson plans use seed dispersal methods to encourage the children to travel using a range of dynamics. The lesson on life cycles of plants encourages the children to develop their sequencing skills and movement memory whilst embedding their understanding of the process. The lessons are creative and allow the children to devise their own movement material (rather than learning any step pattern). The lessons come with suggestions for suitable music & could complement themes such as our environment, life cycles, Spring, plants. I have assumed that lessons run for approximately 45 minutes, so you may well find that you have more than 2 lessons here if you hall time is less or that your children have little prior experience of dance.

I have delivered many, many dance cpd sessions over the years & the common question is ‘where do you find your music?’ So I have put together a list of my regular ‘go-to’ pieces, complete with the name of the artist, a direct link to that song on iTunes & themes that I think they could match with. This is obviously not a complete list but it is a really good start and I recommend building up your own library of 'music for dance - it makes finding suitable music so much quicker! But if I can give you one piece of advice when finding music for dance… don’t look for the perfect piece of music (it doesn’t exist!) - just look for a good match - then stop looking! Another tip - a good place to start are film scores - they’ve been written with a visual image in mind - doing The Romans? Then something on the score of ‘Gladiator’ will probably suit. This is mainly aimed at KS1 & 2, but a good piece of music doesn’t have age boundaries… I hope you enjoy them.

Aimed at pre-school and early years students. Simple rhymes to familiar tunes. Many of the rhymes focus on specific body parts and have clearly related actions, e.g. "Feet can take you for a walk & feet can make you hop; Feet can slide when on the ice or feet can make you stop..." There are 9 rhymes in total, so hopefully you'll find some to suit your needs.

Suitable for KS1 or lower KS2 this step by step dance lesson uses swings, roundabouts, slides & seesaws to get the children travelling, turning & raising/lowering. A highly creative lesson that allows all of the children to create their own actions & to keep moving for the duration of the lesson. The plan comes with a suggestion of suitable music.

An easy to follow dance lesson suitable for upper KS1 or lower KS2 that uses cave painting to help the children generate shapes and actions. Does require the teacher to print off some cave painting images for the children to look at & use. A very creative lesson that will allow the children to keep moving, be imaginative and develop their team working/choreographic skills. Comes with a suggestion for suitable music.

Aimed at the person in school with responsibility for writing the PE Policy. A simple prompt and guide to help you compile a useful document that covers the bases and ensures that you have considered the key points.

Suitable for y2 and above, these lesson plans use the shapes that candles are often in as well as melting & setting. The lessons are creative and allow the children to devise their own movement material (rather than learning any step pattern) as a solo and in groups. The lessons come with suggestions for suitable music & could complement themes such as Festival of Light, Changing States, 3D Shapes or Light & Dark. I have assumed that lessons run for approximately 45 minutes, so you may well find that you have more than 2 lessons here if you hall time is less or that your children have little prior experience of dance.

Suitable for upper KS1 or lower KS2 this dance lesson uses the London Underground map as a stimulus to get the children travelling & stopping, passing through each other, following, connecting and separating. A highly creative lesson that will have the children busy and stimulate their imagination. Includes a suggestion for suitable music.

Looking at pre-war dances such as the waltz & the factors that influenced this dance style, then how & why this rapidly changed during the war years to move towards dances like the Lindy Hop & Jive. The pack combines research tasks, practical tasks & information. Would suit upper key stage 3 or 4 students & the written/research tasks might be useful as a way of including students who are injured & unable to participate.

For anyone teaching the Ancient Greeks or Greek Myths here are 3 easy to deliver, creative dance lessons that will have your students active, fire their imaginations and develop their creative skills and team working. The first lesson uses the sailing ship crashing onto the island of Crete; the second explores the maze and the third lesson uses the theme of the battle. These could be developed further by being linked together to creative the narrative & then further still by being repeated in reverse order to show Theseus leaving the maze and returning home. The lessons come with suggestions for instrumental music that can be accessed through itunes or YouTube. If you require any further help or support I deliver inset to help your school devise and deliver high quality dance lessons linked to curriculum themes.

This pack includes 4 easy to follow dance lessons that cover cave paintings hunter gatherers moving from caves to simple houses into the Iron Age with the creation of weapons (battles). Each lesson comes with a link to suitable music as well as hints and tips along the way to help you to keep the children on task and challenged. There is also a side column indicates the key skill for each section of the lesson. The lessons are in step-by-step form that require the teacher to simply ask questions & set tasks - this allows the children to be very creative & it is also a very inclusive way of working. If you require any further support please feel free to contact me at cpring@live.co.uk

A step by step guide to enable those who lack confidence in delivering dance. The lesson is clearly structured but allows the children to be fully active throughout the lesson, creating their own movement in response to ideas from the story. The plan includes a guide of what you hope to see for each element of the lesson to help you assess the children and develop their skills. There is a short list of suggested music that would suit this lesson for you to select from. The lesson would fit with themes such as Traditional Tales or Food.

Suitable for lower KS2 these step by step dance lessons use themes from the story - the first looks at the Iron Man on the farm & eating machinery, the second is the arrival of the Space-Bat-Angel-Dragon & the final uses the battle. All are highly creative lessons that requires the teacher to simply ask questions & set tasks, which in turn allows the children to create their own actions & to keep moving for the duration of the lesson. The plans comes with a suggestion of suitable music.