Lesson 5 — A Movement Sequence

Summary

Learners create and repeat a short movement sequence — a few moves in order with a clear beginning and end. They discover that a sequence is movement you can say again, and that dances, games, and everyday tasks everywhere are built from sequences.

Objectives

• Create and repeat a short movement sequence with a clear beginning and end. (D07.S3.02.01)

Connection

Think of the steps you already do in order — washing your hands, getting ready for bed, greeting a friend. A sequence is steps that go in order, with a clear start and a clear finish. Everywhere in the world, people move in sequences — in dances, in games, in the way they welcome and say goodbye. Today you will make your own short sequence and repeat it the same way.

Materials

• Open floor space (with a seated option)
• A soft beat or clapped rhythm (optional)

Preparation

• Clear a space big enough to move, and keep a seated option for everyone.
• Decide on a simple beat to move along, or count aloud.

Facilitator note

This lesson is written to the learner (“you”) so it works in a classroom and for a self-directed learner. A sequence is a skill structure, so model it once — a start pose, two moves, an end pose — before learners make their own (Kirschner, Sweller & Clark, 2006). There is no correct sequence; a learner’s own order is their dance, and every body tells its own story. A learner who uses a wheelchair or moves with support does the whole sequence from where they are — a “start” can be hands on knees, a “move” a raised arm or a turn of the head, an “end” open hands, still. A learner who is blind or has low vision follows spoken counts (“one, reach up; two, turn”) or holds a partner’s elbow to feel the moves. A learner who is Deaf or hard of hearing follows a visible beat — a tap on a drum or the floor — and your modeled moves. A learner who does not speak shows the sequence with the body itself and tells the order by pointing. Watching and copying is full participation.

Procedure

1. Gather (5 min). Think of a little dance you could make with three or four moves. A sequence is those moves in order — with a clear beginning and a clear end.
2. Choose your moves (10 min). Pick three or four moves — reach up, twist, clap, sway, stomp softly, turn. Put them in an order you like. Add a beginning (a ready pose) and an end (a still, finished pose). The beginning says “start,” and the end says “done.”
3. Repeat it (15 min). Do your sequence the same way a second time — same moves, same order, same beginning and end. Does the second time match the first? If it drifts, that is okay — try again. Repeating is how a sequence becomes yours.
4. Show and share (10 min). Do your sequence for a friend while they watch. Then tell them (or point to) your beginning, your moves, and your end. Swap, and watch theirs.
5. Close (5 min). Remember: your body can make order out of movement. Every dance and every day is built from sequences — and now you have your own.

Differentiation

• Support: Give a two-move sequence with a clear start and finish (“hands on knees, reach up, hands on knees”) and let the learner copy, then repeat.
• Support (seated/adapted): Do the whole sequence from a chair — a start pose, raised arms, a turn of the head, and an end with open hands; that is full participation.
• Support (blind/low-vision): Follow spoken counts or hold a partner’s elbow to feel the moves.
• Support (Deaf/HH): Follow a visible beat on a drum or the floor and the modeled moves.
• Support (non-speaking): Show the sequence and tell the order by pointing.
• Extension: Invite learners to make a longer sequence that travels through the space, with a clear beginning and end, and repeat it without stopping.

Assessment

• Formative (observation): Does the learner create and repeat a short movement sequence with a clear beginning and end?
• Performance: The learner’s sequence, observed live (in any adapted form).

Home connection

Teach someone at home your movement sequence — beginning, moves, end — and do it together two times in a row. Then ask them to add one new move in the middle.