Topic: Animal Adaptations

Context:
Who: Level 2
When: Incorporated within an integrated study of Science
Where: School hall for space
What: Studying different animal movements
Why: To make links to why they move the way they do
Theme:
Student focus on different animal movements
High paced movements vs low paced movements
Exploring different levels
Learning outcomes the children will be able to.
Cognitive (Intellectual/artistic):
Make links between similar animals and their movements
Make links between different sounds used in creating these movements.
Create appropriate dance based on animal movements
Psychomotor (Thinking/Physical):
High paced movements
Low paced movements
Use of whole body vs specific body parts
Affective (Emotional/Social/Cultural):

Working cooperatively with other students.

Reflect their emotions through the dance (ie. Bird flying- feeling free and weightless)
Understand the belief that mother earth is the creator

Assessment
Students will be assessed on how they demonstrate an understanding of how specific animals makes adaptations to
their environments through in class activity.
AusVELS Level 2
The Arts:
in Dance, use the whole body or body parts to improvise movements matching sounds or the movement
characteristics of particular animals.
Science:
A push or a pull affects how an object moves or changes shape (ACSSU033)

WHAT - content

HOW strategies and approaches

Warm up Kinesthetic tune-up

COMPLETE THE GUIDELINES FOR EACH ACTIVITY

Introduction of the concept/theme

Pace and length of each activity?

Walk around the room randomly

Begin galloping like a horse
Jump around like a kangaroo

Management of children in the space safely for each

activity?
Students will move around in the large
space provided.
Teacher to move around with students
also, monitoring students are at safe
distances from each other.
Establishing rules and expectations of behavior in each
activity?
Students to be aware of space around them.
Students to refrain from touching anyone else,
the walls or steps.
When music stops- students freeze.

Development - Exploration
Explain to students how animals are very different from
humans. From their physical features, to their habitats ie.
Some live in water, desert or high tree tops.
Introduce the 8 posters around the room with different
animals on them (faced away from students). Giraffes,
Coral snake, Sting ray, clown fish, sea horse, koala and
owls.
One poster at a time is chosen, as a class, students study
the different adaptations using dance.
Examples of information on posters
Giraffes
Giraffes have very long necks. Why do you think their
necks are so long? In the African
Sahara, where giraffes live, there is not a lot of vegetation,
so giraffes have long necks to reach the highest food on
the tree that no other animals can reach. When the music
starts, everyone try reaching. Reaching for the very tops
of the trees! Can you reach with your head? toes?
elbows? How else can you reach?
(Remember: I.S.A.R.E creating process: guide them
through Improvisation, Selection of movement,
Arrangement of movement, Refinement of movement,
Evaluation of movement. This is done holistically)
Culminating Dance/Play - Presentation
Students to choose their 2 favourite animals from todays
lesson. Students to create an ABA choreographic pattern,
doing one animals movement and then another animals

Monitoring safe movement practice of physical skills in

each activity
Body forms are appropriate- no danger of
injury can be caused.
Monitor student spaces, avoiding any
collisions.
Aesthetic Awareness
Clear instruction with what is expected.
Terminology such as curvy, straight, bent
(simple terms)
Guide students through movements.
Students to create their own movement
response.

movement and moving back to the original animal ie

Giraffe to snake then back to giraffe.

Discussion Memory integration

Open ended questions:
Why do each of these animals have its specific
adaption?
Think about predators, hunting for food, protection
Closure
Students to lie on the ground in a circle. Very important to
stretch as vigorous exercise has just taken place.
Calming music will be played. Possible idea is for children
to imagine they are seaweed in the ocean, swaying arms
softly by their sides.
Lecturer in Primary Arts Education (Dance/Drama): Jacqui Dreessens
jacqui.dreessens@deakin.edu.au
Tel: (03) 5227 2231 ext: 72231