Movement skills

Practises movement skills

The students practise ngā tauira hīkoi (stepping patterns) as they play a cooperative tag game. They move around using only the stepping patterns takahi, whitiwhiti waewae, and peke tuwhanga.

The students practise the three stepping patterns in formation. As they move, they have to:

• maintain their balance
• keep their weight on the balls of their feet (remembering not to be flat-footed)
• keep their knees bent to allow springing to the next movement
• follow the pattern bend, spring, bend, spring.

The students also show that they can work cooperatively in pairs to practise the stepping patterns. This means that they have to:

• stay together in formation
• perform the steps at the same time.

Movement skills

Links movement skills in order to perform movement sequences

The students cooperate in pairs to create and plan movement sequences that link takahi, whitiwhiti waewae, and peke tuwhanga. As they create their movement sequences, they discuss and experiment with possible sequences, exploring how they can use the stepping patterns in forwards, backwards, and sideways directions. They then decide on a sequence and develop it for presentation to their classmates.

The students demonstrate in pairs their ability to link takahi, whitiwhiti waewae, and peke tuwhanga stepping patterns continuously. They show that they can:

• perform the steps in time
• make a smooth transition, linking one pattern to the next
• combine quick and slow movements
• use forwards, backwards, and sideways movements in a continuous sequence.