Performing Arts News

Hi everyone,

Term 2 in Performing Arts has started with group project work for all year levels, as students prepare for in-class group performances for week 6. The creativity and excitement from so many students has been wonderful to see. I have enjoyed watching them solve creative problems in class, work together in teams, and develop characters and concepts through experimentation with skills that we began exploring in Term 1. Here’s a quick look at what each grade level will be learning about this term.

Preps 

This term, Prep students have been preparing to retell the Aboriginal Dreamtime story of The Rainbow Serpent as a puppet show with a changing backdrop to represent changes to the landscape over time, as the Rainbow Serpent travels around the land, carving out rivers and lakes and summoning frogs to release water, which allows plants to grow. Finally come the animals, and humans, who become the caretakers of the land. Please ask your prep students about their special job in their group; they will either have animal puppets, or will be in charge of adding elements to the backdrop during the puppet shows. We have begun practicing how to use the puppets and remembering our cues. After week 6, Prep will continue to focus on a variety of dramatic storytelling skills and work in groups to present short scenes regularly in class, building confidence and competence.

Grades 1 and 2

During Term 2, the Grade 1 students have been working in small groups towards presenting the traditional Aboriginal Dreaming story of The Cocky, The Crow and The Hawk as a short play with a narrator. Grade 2 have been preparing to present another Aboriginal Dreaming story; How the Birds Got Their Colours. Grades 1 and 2 will continue to explore the elements of drama for the rest of the term through a variety of games and exercises, presenting for each other regularly, and giving and receiving constructive peer feedback.

Grades 3 and 4

This term, the Grade 3 and 4 students have been diligently learning lines, and preparing to present the Aboriginal Dreaming story of Tiddalik The Frog. Students have been working with typical theatrical structures, such as the use of a script, narrator, stage directions and chorus, for dramatic storytelling. We will apply all of the dramatic techniques that we’ve been learning about this year, with a focus on voice, movement, staging and building tension. After week 6 presentations, students will continue to develop and present original group work, and learn about the elements of drama.

Grades 5 and 6

Grades 5 and 6 have been creating and preparing to present dramatic scenes for the purpose of communicating a message to a target audience of younger students. The message is to be about how we can create a safe and inclusive community that welcomes new members who might have previously had a hard time or come from a very different way of life. Students briefly explored stories of refugees and the Stolen Generation to understand some of the ways that people may find themselves in new communities that might feel confusing and strange, and have begun to use those understandings, along with prior knowledge of different ways to present scenes, to develop original works. There After this project, Grade 5 and 6 students will explore the use of stop motion as a mode of presenting ideas, and will continue to hone their established practical drama skills.

I look forward to seeing all of the wonderful creative work that FWPS students generate in Performing Arts this term, and love the enthusiasm that I’ve seen in class so far.

Thanks for reading,

Jess Russell-Davies