Some suggestions on how to use this title in the classroom and where it fits in to the curriculum.

PSHE / Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (Year 3-6)

Dance Lexie Dance gently explores many important issues and could be used to stimulate discussion in PSHE sessions to develop key social and emotional aspects of learning such as empathy, motivation and managing feelings.

The main premise of the film is the exploration of how the death of Laura's mother affects Laura and Lexie and how they move on from that. Dance Lexie Dance can therefore stimulate discussion within the following SEAL themes:

• Relationships: How did the death of Laura's mum affect Laura and Lexie's relationship?
• Changes: In what other ways do you think it might have changed their lives?
• New beginnings: Referring to the final sequence of the film, can you describe Laura and Lexie's new beginning and how this is shown?

Dance Lexie Dance also focuses on Laura, her identity and her aspirations and discussion of these aspects could contribute to learning under the SEAL theme 'Going for goals!' Ask the children what motivated Laura to become a Riverdancer and talk about how she achieved this goal. Share ideas about how Laura felt when she walked onto the stage at the Feis. You could encourage the class to take on the role of either Laura or Lexie to write a first person diary entry about they felt at that moment.

Art and design / Maths

QCA Units 3B: Investigating pattern (Year 3/4)

For Section 1: Exploring and developing ideas (1) children have to compare shapes and patterns in designs from different times and cultures and Laura's Irish dancing dress with its intricate symmetrical pattern provides an ideal resource for this; you could use the image search facility on an internet search engine to find more photos of Irish dancing dresses. The patterns can also provide a useful stimulus for symmetry work in Maths.

Curriculum links

• NC Art and Design objectives: 1b, 4a, 5a, 5d

Primary Framework for Numeracy: Understanding shape

Yr 3
Draw and complete shapes with reflective symmetry; draw the reflection of a shape in a mirror line along one side

Yr 5
Complete patterns with up to two lines of symmetry; draw the position of a shape after a reflection or translation.