The following is a summary of Specialist times per class :

4H - Mr Halford

Tuesday 9-30 to 11-00 am Art & PE

Wednesday 11-30 to 12-15pm Library

Thursday 2-00 to 3-30 pm Music & Chinese

4L - Mr Littlehales

Tuesday 9-30 to 11-00 am Music & Chinese Wednesday 10-15 to 11-00 am Library

Thursday 2-00 to 3-30 pm Art & PE

4Z - Mrs Capron / Mrs Hutchins

Tuesday 9-30 to 11-00 am PE & Art Tuesday 11-30 to 12-15pm Library

Thursday 2-00 to 3-30 pm Chinese & Music

4P - Miss Parkinson

Tuesday 9-30 to 11-00 am Chinese & Music Friday 10-15 to 11-00 am Library

Thursday 2-00 to 3-30 pm PE & Art

Please note there will be timetable changes that take place throughout the year due to school events such as camps, excursions & swimming programs. Students will be encouraged to record such changes in their diaries.

Performing Arts

The Performing Arts gives students a chance to display their flair for performance in solo, group or class settings. Taught in line with the Victorian Curriculum, it is a place for singing, dancing, acting, performing, playing and exploring the possibilities of the Performance Arts!

This year includes a focus on drama, which is taught every other year. This will be conducted through a variety of means including in Music sessions through performances including improvised formats, imaginative stories and scripted short plays. This is supported in some years by classroom activities such as reader’s theatre.

In Music, there is a focus on gradually building up melodic and rhythmic knowledge through singing, playing and reading music. All of the skills are acquired through the use of a wide range of folk songs that focus on rhythmic, melodic or other musical elements in a fun environment. This leads to a long term goal of increasingly complex performances, compositions and musical creations by students. The musical elements explored throughout school include tempo, dynamics, texture, tone colour, duration, melody and form. Students gradually become more accomplished in their understanding and use of relevant vocabulary to each of these elements. Students are exposed to a variety of music from modern era to music that dates 500 years or older in order to gain an appreciation and understanding of the evolution of music over time. 2020 will feature much of the incredible music of Beethoven, who would have turned 250 this year.

The Performing Arts program is conducted on a weekly basis. Performing Arts lessons are 45 minutes.

Students in Years 3-6 have the opportunity to audition for the school choir. There are weekly rehearsals on Mondays 1:15-1:45pm, with additional rehearsals called before major performances. Full attendance and participation is expected at every rehearsal from all choir members. Just as a sports team requires everyone at all training sessions in order to be prepared for the game, a choir cannot function without 100% commitment from its members. Parental reinforcement of the team element of the choir ensures the success and musical growth of the ensemble. Truly special bonds and friendships are formed between choir members through their mutual passion for singing music.

In Year 4, students are introduced to Boomwhackers, a tuned percussion instrument. These are used to support the use of reading and performing music on the stave. Students have the opportunity to join the senior choir, a place for lots of fun singing with like minded students and a terrific opportunity to delve into music that is not explored in classes. The expectations of music compositions increases to those with more than one part. Students learn to use words to describe the timbre, or unique sounds, of instruments, such as a shrill flute or a mellow xylophone.

Chinese

Modern Standard Chinese - Mandarin (Putonghua or Hanyu) is the standard form of the Chinese language being taught in line with the Victorian Curriculum at Black Rock Primary School.

The content structure of the Languages (formerly called LOTE) is organised through two interrelated strands:

. Communicating

. Understanding

COURSE CONTENT:

The Chinese program consists of a variety of topics which, where possible, will be integrated with the Black Rock Primary School Units of Inquiry.

Students learn Chinese characters and Pinyin Romanisation. The Pinyin is the spelling system used to represent the pronunciation of characters. The Pinyin system also assists students when creating texts in characters using digital media.

Revision of greetings, self- introduction, numbers, days and dates will occur in all lessons throughout the year. Other previously learnt phrases, e.g. like/dislike, colours, adjectives will be used as they are required.

Chinese cultural events will be explored and discussed as they occur throughout the year.

Students are encouraged to use Chinese as much as possible for classroom routines, social interactions, structured learning tasks, and language experimentation and practice. Students will also learn via digital technologies, with a greater emphasis in the upper levels.

The Chinese program is conducted on a weekly basis. Chinese lessons are 45 minutes.

Physical Education & Health

Health and Physical Education focuses on students enhancing their own and others’ health, safety, wellbeing and physical activity participation in varied and changing contexts. Health and Physical Education offers students an experiential curriculum that is contemporary, relevant, challenging, enjoyable and physically active.

Physical Education classes are focussed around students refining and expanding their range of skills, performing them with increasing precision, accuracy and control in more complex movements, sequences and games. Students begin to observe, and give constructive feedback on the skill performance of their peers. Students are required to achieve all these objectives in a range of different environments. Some of the sports taught throughout the year to improve student performance include Soccer, Australian Rules Football, Athletics, Gymnastics, Dance, Basketball, Netball, Volleyball, Rugby, Baseball, Softball, Lacrosse, Hockey, Cricket, Badminton and Tennis.

Students begin to complete in more advanced competitions and events. These competitions and events include House and District Swimming, House and District Cross Country, House and District Athletics.

Parental Requirements

In the case of injury or illness, students are required to come to school with a hand written note from their parents to excuse them from any Physical Education classes.

· Students need to be prepared for all weather conditions in their Physical Education classes. I.e. Hat, sunscreen, jumpers

· Classroom behaviour expectations are no different to the classroom.

Visual Arts

Visual Arts Teachers:

Cathy Linsdell-Edwards: Monday - Thursday

Lauren Bell : Friday

The Visual Arts gives students the opportunity to freely express, explore and experiment in a range of materials, tools and techniques, which will enrich their knowledge and understanding of the world around them.

At Black Rock Primary School, the Visual Arts Program is taught in line with the Victorian Curriculum and will be implemented at all levels. Students will have the opportunity to explore the art areas of drawing, collage, painting, printmaking, construction, modelling and threads and textiles. Students will develop and incorporate the art elements of, colour and value, line, space, form, texture and shape within the making of these art areas. The Visual Arts program will incorporate the study of various artists, art theory and link into topics and integrated studies of work throughout the school.

Visual art diaries will be used to plan, document and record observations of the students’ artworks.

The Visual Arts program is conducted on a weekly basis. Art lessons are 45 minutes.

Year 4 Parent Information 2020

Issue 1 · 02 Mar 2020

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