Lesson 2 - Animals and Movement

Whole Class > Reading Wolf Island

Read to the students "Wolf Island" by Celia Godkin. Discuss with students the significance of balance in the environment. Make connections to their study of habitats in science. Students should be able to evaluate the significance of the wolves in the story.

Pairs > Body storming

In partners, have students body storm movement that communicates the idea of harmony and balance in a habitat. The students should use symmetry and organic shape to represent this idea. Use instrumental music (see materials) to drive this movement.  

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

Students should collaboratively be able to use dance as a language to tell the story and convey the message of the story.
Students should be able to identify the effect of body through: 

• use of symmetry vs. asymmetry 
• use of organic versus geometric shape
• use of body zones in creative movement
• sudden vs sustained movement

What is the message being conveyed by the students narrative movement?

Assessment as Learning (AaL)

Student reflection and discussion.

Differentiation (DI)

In group exploration, students can also work independently if necessary. Students should be allowed to select their own animal for representation, and the exploration should be interpretive.

Quick Tip

"Circle of Life" from the Lion King Soundtrack is a great song for exploring organic shape and movement. Invite students to be "awakened" into their body as an animal at the beginning of the song.

One group could also be identified as the "devastation" group. This group would use movement to initiate the change in all of the animal groups' movement by "visiting" each group using creative movement. 

Link and Layer

The previously explored elements of energy should be integrated and applied in this lesson.

Whole Class > Sharing the Learning Goal

Share the learning goals with the students. You may want to write them on the board so students can see what they are working towards.

Whole Class > Reflection

Have students reflect on the parallels between their body and the body of animal. Ask them to consider parts of their body that can be used to explore the movement of an animal. Prompt: How do you express through movement the essence of a wolf without miming a wolf? As a class, create a few movements that might be used to convey a wolf. If students are struggling, ask them to think about the qualities of movement, levels, actions and then make abstract movements from those.

Whole Class > Discussion of Wolf Island

Discuss the message of Wolf Island with the students.  The students should identify that all animals in a habitat play a contributing role, and that by removing one of the parts of the food chain, it throws of the balance of the ecosystem or habitat. 

Small Group > Body storming

Have the students get into groups of four to represent one of the animal families (or an additional animal family) from Wolf Island:

• deer
• wolves
• rabbits
• mice
• foxes
• owl

Direct the students to begin by milling to music. Individually students should begin to explore the elements of energy through sudden and sustained movement in this exploration. Next, ask the students to consider the opposite movement to their current movement. Students need to consider the relationship between each of the animal families in Wolf Island. Prompt: What type of movement can be used to represent the disappearance of the wolves?

Note: If students were initially exploring a sustained movement (i.e. as an eagle) they should consider the effect of a sudden movement to represent the disappearance of the wolves and the resulting lack of balance on wolf island. Individually, students should continue to explore the use of body in this investigation. Prompt: How can asymmetric movement demonstrate the devastation on the island? How can geometric shape linked to sudden movement represent death in the food chain?  

Whole Class > Food Chain

In order to show the devastation, the groups should be together, creating one large "circle of life" or "food chain" with the other groups of animal families. The groups of 4 should present in the order of the food chain. First, the wolves should show movement that indicates that they are leaving the island. Next, the deer group should use organic movement to show that they have become over populated and are eating all of the plants. Next, the foxes should create movement that shows them searching for food (the mice and rabbits have died because there are no plants to eat due to the overpopulation of deer), and ultimately dying off. The mice and rabbits should follow creating a movement that highlights their hunger and ultimately their death. This should happen one group at a time, each group creating a movement that indicates that animals family has been affected by the imbalance in the ecosystem. This could also be a slow an sustained movement that shows the struggle for survival as a "losing battle." This will ultimately connect to the consolidation piece that has the students retell the story showing the balance/imbalance/balance on the island. Students should be encouraged to use their body as a storytelling tool.  

Small Group > Narrative Dance

The students will remain in animal family groups and create a dance narrative that tells the story of "Wolf Island." The focus for this presentation should be on the relationship between animal families in the dance narrative, as well as demonstrating their understanding of body.