Visual Arts Curriculum Term Overview – Term Four, 2023
Exploration Learning Community
In Exploration this term, students will be connecting their learning with their History unit in Investigations. Students will be exploring a variety of portraits in a range of art forms and discuss what
the artist wants the audience to know about the person. They will reflect on how these portraits can be precious family heirlooms and how they can be shared throughout history to teach future generations about family members.
The students will select a family member and practise the technical skills of drawing and watercolour to create a portrait to keep in their family. Exploration students will then be continuing to link their learning to the ‘Farm to Plate’ learning in Investigations and use the art form of sculpture (paper mâché) to create their favourite fruit or vegetable. They will investigate the process of their selected produce item and steps that are undertaken from growing it on the farm from it arriving on our plate.
Discovery Learning Community
In Discovery this term, students will be connecting their learning with their Literacy learning of procedure text. Students will explore that some art may be open ended, but many artworks are created by following a procedure and a particular set of steps to achieve a desired outcome. The students will engage in the artform of sculpture this term and use a range of materials and
procedures to support them in creating sculptures using cardboard, wool, and clay. They will reflect on how artists can display their artworks in a range of ways and reflect on how they would like to display their sculptures.
Curiosity Learning Community
In Curiosity this term, students will be linking their learning in Visual Arts with Religious Education. Students will investigate the narrative of the birth of Jesus and the sequence, historical and cultural background of the story to inform their artwork. The students will view and discuss how other artists have portrayed the Birth of Jesus and determine the intentions for the audiences these artists hoped to reach. They will plan, reflect, provide feedback, and create a series of artworks to portray the Birth of Jesus and discuss how to display them in the school.
Challenge Learning Community
In Challenge this term, students will be continuing to refine their practise of black and white photography. Students will plan, reflect and evaluate a series of black and white photographs taken
from around the school. The students will ensure the images include elements of tone, line, texture, shadow and shape to create aesthetically pleasing and interesting images for an audience. They will consider how their series of artworks connect to each other and what they would like their audience to know. The students will then create an online gallery considering the layout, order, lighting and space of their gallery and how this influences how the audience interprets their artworks. In the second half of the term, students will be connecting their learning with Religious Education and
create a nativity set to be used by the school. They will be develop their construction and sculpture skills by using a variety of materials such as cardboard, wood and clay to create a nativity set reflective of the story of the birth of Jesus.
Shannon Nolan
Visual Arts Specialist Learning Community