Developing a river dance

Topics Year 2/3
This unit is part of Mountains, Rivers and Coasts The Journey of a River

Objectives

Geography

  • Understand and describe key aspects of physical geography including: rivers, mountains and the water cycle.

Music

  • Appreciate and understand a wide range of high quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians.

Lesson Planning

Listen to a piece of classical music that represents the journey of a river. Review your knowledge of the stages of a river and begin to use this to help develop a river journey dance.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To understand the nature of a river and how it changes on its journey.
  • To revise the key features of rivers and the geographical vocabulary.
  • To listen and respond (both graphically and in dance) to part of a symphonic poem by Smetana that represents the journey of a river (The Moldau).

Children will:

  • Listen and respond to a piece of music that represents the journey of a river.
  • Recall geographical concepts and vocabulary previously learnt on the stages of a river.
  • Begin to develop a dance that portrays the changing moods of the river on its journey.

You Will Need

  • CD The Moldau by Bedřich Smetana
  • A3 paper
  • A flipchart and marker pens
  • A large space