This document provides information about the Arts curriculum from years 1-10 according to the Essential Learning Framework. It outlines the key learning areas of dance, drama, media, music, and visual art. For each year level, it describes the learning focus, ways of working, time allocation, and expected outcomes for each arts strand. It also provides examples of visual art techniques and concepts students are expected to learn about like use of color, line, shape, and texture to express ideas considering audience and purpose. The document examines how to strengthen the visual arts program according to the Essential Learning Framework guidelines.

1. The Arts Essential Learning Framework

2. Foster creativity, imagination and the use of the senses to communicate, express ideas, experiences and feelings through the five strands :Dance, Drama, Music, Media and Visual Art. Recognise the place of The Arts in people’s work, leisure and community lives. Respect cultural diversity. Prompt responses , practice roles (audience, participant, leader, critic, creator) Develop practical skills& fine and gross motor development Why the Arts?......

3. Artistic flair and creativity are valued in many professions.

4. In an “Education and the Arts partnership Initiative” two NSW schools trialed the incorporation music, art, drama, dance and creative writing in all aspects of the school day. Findings : 75% of students improved mathematics 94.5% improved in literacy Enhanced teacher and student connectedness with each other, the environment and learning in general. Students report greater confidence Students are more active and engaged ( ‘Classroom’ issue 4 2004 Article Dr Anne Bamford ) What the arts can achieve in academic outcomes:

5. Curriculum Years 1-7: Students address outcomes in all five art strands. Years 8-10: Students address outcomes in one or more outcomes. Time Allocation: Years 1-3 : 300 hours across 3 years (for all 5 strands) Years 4-7: 400 hours across 4 years (for all 5 strands) Years 8-10: 180 hours per strand across 3 years Essential Learnings: Learning Outcomes and Delivery

6. Creating Developing Responding/Presenting DANCE: choreographing, performing, appreciating DRAMA: forming, presenting, responding MEDIA: constructing, producing, responding MUSIC: aurally and visually identifying and responding, singing & playing, reading & writing VISUAL ARTS: making, displaying, appraising The Arts Strands:

8. The Arts By the end of Year 3 Learning and assessment focus Students use their creativity, imagination and senses to express their ideas, experiences and feelings through Dance, Drama, Music, Media and Visual Art. They begin to develop their aesthetic understandings of arts elements and languages. They create their own arts works, and present and respond to their own and others’ arts works, considering particular audiences and particular purposes. They see the place of the arts in people’s work and community lives. Students gain awareness of the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, arts works and practices, and understand some of the protocols regarding Indigenous arts works. Students use the essential processes of Ways of working to develop and demonstrate their Knowledge and understanding. They develop their arts practice through active engagement, both individually and collaboratively, with arts elements, techniques, skills and processes, working creatively and imaginatively to relate the arts to their own experiences. They develop their interpretations of arts works and reflect on the creative process that has occurred, within one or across many arts disciplines. Students use tools and technologies, including information and communication technologies (ICTs). They explore the use of ICTs to inquire, to create and present arts works, and to communicate decisions about their own arts practice and that of others. Students demonstrate evidence of their learning over time in relation to the following assessable elements: knowledge and understanding creating presenting responding reflecting. Ways of working Students are able to: select ideas for arts works, considering particular audiences and particular purposes, using arts elements and languages create and shape arts works by combining arts elements to express personal ideas, feelings and experiences practise arts works, using interpretive and technical skills present arts works to familiar audiences, using arts techniques, skills and processes follow guidelines to apply safe practices respond to arts works and describe initial impressions and personal interpretations, using arts elements and languages reflect on learning to identify new understandings. Essential Learnings Framework

9. Visual Art Visual Art involves using visual arts elements, concepts, processes and forms (both 2D and 3D) to express ideas, considering particular audiences and particular purposes, through images and objects. Warm (red, orange, yellow) and cool (blue, green, purple) colour schemes, and mixed and complementary colours, are used to create tone and variation e.g. using cool colours to suggest calm in a paper and glue sculpture about dreams and sleep. Line is used to suggest movement and direction e.g. using heavy, straight lines to suggest the swiftness of a cheetah running or soft, squiggly lines to suggest the slowness of a flowing river. Regular, irregular, open, enclosed, overlapped and adjacent shapes are used to create categories and position e.g. using a variety of rectangular shapes together in a painting to represent buildings in a town. Texture is used to create variation and repetition e.g. using rough and smooth fabrics and paper to create different surfaces in a collage.

10. The Arts By the end of Year 5 Learning and assessment focus Students use their creativity, imagination and senses to express their observations, values and beliefs in personal and community contexts through Dance, Drama, Music, Media and Visual Art. They develop their aesthetic understandings of arts elements and languages. They create their own arts works and present and respond to their own and others’ arts works, considering different audiences and different purposes. They are aware that people of all ages and backgrounds choose to work in arts or arts-related careers. Students recognise that past and present experiences of artists influence the ways in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges, peoples, histories, cultures, protocols and relationships are represented and valued in Indigenous arts works. Students use the essential processes of Ways of working to develop and demonstrate their Knowledge and understanding. They develop their arts practice through active engagement, both individually and collaboratively, with arts elements, techniques, skills and processes, working creatively and imaginatively to take risks and to interpret the arts from their own experiences and those of other artists. They develop their interpretations of arts works and reflect on the creative process that has occurred within one or across many arts disciplines. Students select and use tools and technologies, including information and communication technologies (ICTs), in purposeful ways. They use ICTs as an integral component of their learning, to inquire and solve artistic problems, to create and present arts works, and to interpret and communicate within arts contexts. Students demonstrate evidence of their learning over time in relation to the following assessable elements: • knowledge and understanding • creating • presenting • responding • reflecting. Ways of working Students are able to: • select and develop ideas for arts works, considering different audiences and different purposes, using arts elements and languages • create and shape arts works by organising arts elements to express personal and community values, beliefs and observations • rehearse and rework arts works, using interpretive and technical skills • present arts works to informal and formal audiences, using arts techniques, skills and processes • identify and apply safe practices • respond to arts works by identifying and interpreting the influences of social, cultural and historical contexts, using arts elements and languages • reflect on learning to identify new understandings and future applications.

11. Visual Art Visual Art involves selecting visual arts elements, concepts, processes and forms (both 2D and 3D) to express ideas, considering different audiences and different purposes, through images and objects. • Colour shades (adding black to a colour) and tints (adding colour to white) are used to create balance, contrast and patterns e.g. using light colours to bring objects forward in a painting, while using dark colours to make objects recede. • Continuous, broken and hatched lines are used to create balance, contrast, space and patterns e.g. using broken and hatched marks to show contrast of light and dark. • Curved, angular, symmetrical, asymmetrical and overlapping shapes are used to create balance, contrast and patterns e.g. using repeated shapes in a wax-resist painting to create a visual pattern. • Texture creates contrast and patterns using lines, rubbings and markings e.g. using feathery marks that contrast with smooth rubbings in clay sculptures; a pencil drawing of a tree showing smooth leaves and rough bark.

12. The Arts By the end of Year 7 Learning and assessment focus Students use their creativity, imagination and senses to express ideas about social, cultural, historical and spiritual contexts through Dance, Drama, Music, Media and Visual Art. They extend their aesthetic understandings of arts elements and languages. They create their own arts works and present and respond to their own and others’ arts works, considering intended audiences and intended purposes. They recognise that there are many different arts disciplines and that people may choose to work as artists or use their expressive capabilities in other areas of their recreational and working lives. Students understand that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts works are expressions of knowledge, complex relationships and diverse perspectives. They use protocols relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts works. Students use the essential processes of Ways of working to develop and demonstrate their Knowledge and understanding. They extend their understanding of arts practice through active engagement, both individually and collaboratively, with arts elements, techniques, skills and processes, working creatively and imaginatively to take risks and consider purpose and context of the arts from their own experiences and those of other artists. They develop their ability to analyse meaning and they reflect on the creative process that has occurred within one or across many arts disciplines. Students select and use tools and technologies, including information and communication technologies (ICTs), in purposeful ways. They make use of the potential that ICTs provide to inquire and solve artistic problems, to create and present arts works, and to communicate their own arts practice and that of others. Students demonstrate evidence of their learning over time in relation to the following assessable elements: • knowledge and understanding • creating • presenting • responding • reflecting. Ways of working Students are able to: • select and develop ideas for arts works, considering intended audiences and intended purposes, and make decisions about arts elements and languages • create and shape arts works by modifying arts elements to express purpose and to include influences from their own and other cultures and times • modify and polish arts works, using interpretive and technical skills • present arts works to informal and formal audiences for intended purposes, using arts techniques, skills and processes • identify, apply and justify safe practices • respond by analysing and evaluating arts works in social, cultural, historical and spiritual contexts, using arts elements and languages • reflect on learning, apply new understandings and identify future applications.

13. Visual Art Visual Art involves modifying visual arts elements, concepts, processes and forms (both 2D and 3D) to express ideas, considering intended audiences and intended purposes, through images and objects. • Blended, controlled and symbolic colour is used to create depth, representation and symbolism e.g. using mixed and blended colour to add depth in abstract paintings. • Descriptive and emotive lines are used to create abstraction, proportion and symbolism e.g. using fluid lines to show an emotional response to a stimulus. • Negative space and positive shape are used to create abstraction, non-representation and proportion e.g. using photographs of natural shapes in their environments to focus on negative spaces and positive shapes and thus show effects of light and dark. • Actual, invented and simulated textures are used to create depth, representation and non-representation e.g. using texture in a collograph print to express ideas about water without using representational imagery.

15. Look at the Visual Arts activities and practice currently in our programmes. Ask ourselves if we are developing the children’s skills, experience and knowledge. Familiarise ourselves with the concepts detailed in the Essential Learnings Framework. Identify areas we feel we need to further develop within our Year level programmes . Developing, as teachers, our own personal art skills and, knowledge and understanding. Become acquainted with resources available within the school and list other resources required. Manage resources effectively. Develop a TGS Junior School art curriculum and add to existing resource folders. So where to next?