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Lesson plan · Grades K-2 · 30 minutes

Animal Moves

I can hop, jump, gallop and balance with good form, and move fast or slow, big or small, high or low.

▶ Open the tool Download the tool
Standard
SHAPE.S1 SHAPE-PE-2024
Shape
Model, then make
Grouping
Whole class, each child in their own space.
You need
The tool on the big screen with sound on. Open floor space (the gym or outside is best for gallop, slide and bear walk). Optional: a chair for flamingo balance.
Tool
curioclass.org/tools/animal-moves/
  1. Hook4 min
  2. Model8 min
  3. Make12 min
  4. Share4 min
  5. Exit check2 min

Before class

  • Check the space. In a small classroom, use the in-place animals: frog, kangaroo, flamingo, elephant, eagle, snake, cheetah and cat.
  • Pick 10, 20 or 30 seconds for each move. Shorter is better at first.
  • Plan modifications: flamingo can hold a chair, bear walk can be on knees.

Hook 4 min

  1. Everyone finds their own space: arms out, no touching.
  2. "Animals move in all kinds of ways. Can you move like a frog? Like a flamingo? Today you learn their moves."

Model 8 min

  1. Open Move along and pick the frog. Read the three cues together and show them yourself: bend your knees, push off, land softly.
  2. Press Go! and everyone hops to the beat. The whistle means FREEZE.
  3. Do the same with the flamingo (balance) and the horse (gallop, same foot leads), modeling the cues first.

Make 12 min

  1. Press Surprise animal three or four times. Children read the cues with you, then move.
  2. Switch to Mix it up. Do the same animal fast and slow, then big and small, then high and low. Press Random mix for a challenge.
  3. Switch to the Freeze game. Eight animals in a row, and the music stops at a surprise moment. Everyone freezes like a statue.

Share 4 min

  1. Two or three children make up a new animal move. The class copies it.
  2. Ask: "Which animal moved at a low level? A high level? Which move was hardest to do slowly?"

Exit check 2 min

Call out a cue: "Land softly!" Children show a frog hop. "Same foot leads!" Children show a gallop. "Still as a statue!" Children balance like a flamingo. Watch for bent knees and soft landings.

Support and stretch

  • Support: hold a chair or a wall for flamingo, and do bear walk on knees.
  • Support: use only 10-second moves and the in-place animals.
  • Stretch: hold the flamingo balance on the other foot, or with eyes closed for three seconds.
  • Stretch: in Mix it up, combine two challenges: fast and low, slow and big.

Short on time

  • Three animals in Move along (6 min).
  • One round of the Freeze game (4 min).

How each button works is in the teacher notes. From Curio Class, free under CC BY 4.0: change it, print it, share it.