2024 Term 2 Class Overviews

Specialists Programs

Specialist Programs Term 3

Performing Arts

As you know this term we will be presenting the Whole School Production and students are learning about the steps involved in putting together a Production; learning the words to a song, practising the dance steps, adding in dialogue, organising costumes, thinking about where they will need to stand on the stage and working cooperatively as small groups and a class, in order to get tasks completed. Students learn the importance of persistence and if at first a task seems difficult, we can break it down into smaller steps and through practise and repetition we are able to master it. 

This year our topic for Production is 'Circus' and the theme is the idea of never giving up. We often will go to a circus and a particular trick or stunt may be performed and yet someone might drop the juggling balls, or fall to the safety net from the trapeze. But these artists don’t give up if they do make a mistake, they get up and keep going, they try again. These are important life skills. Our Finale for Production is Shakira’s song Try Everything and the words tell us “ I keep falling down, but I always get up now to see what’s next’  and ‘nobody learns without getting it wrong. I won’t give up, no I won’t give in till I reach the end and then I start again. No I won’t leave, I wanna try everything I wanna try even though I could fail” and  ‘Sometimes we come last but we did our best.’  

This notion of being resilient is another life skill and reiterating it to the students is a lesson in itself.

Classes will be studying and learning skills in the following class items:

 

PrepKR- Clowns and making people laugh and smile

 

1/2KR- Monkeys and Elephants and how we can make the shape of these animals with our body and act like them with movement and facial expression.

Tightrope Walkers- working together as a team to balance and show skills while pretending to be on a tightrope.

 

1/2CB- Lions and Horses and how we can make the shape of these animals with our body and act like them with movement and facial expression.

Hula Hoopers- working together as a group and showing the skills of timing and using the hula hoops.

 

3/4KC- Silks and how we can use material to show different movements and create special effects in small groups.

Ringmasters- using our voices to sing and our bodies to perform the dance steps.

 

3/4TJ- Ribbon Twirlers and Strong People, how we can use the ribbons to show skills and team work and balance and group work as Strong People to show our strength.

Ringmasters- using our voices to sing and our bodies to perform the dance steps.

 

5/6AB- Cirque Du Soleil, understanding the new age circus and how we can tell stories using different materials, miming and facial expressions.

Greatest Show- using our voices to sing and our bodies to perform the dance steps.

 

5/6AB- Magic and Illusions, how we can cooperate as a large group to perform magic and illusions

Greatest Show- using our voices to sing and our bodies to perform the dance steps.

 

Whole School Finale- All singing and dancing on stage together. Each class item will also be auditioning for class speaking parts which will give all students an opportunity to use their expressive voices and have a go at ‘getting into character’.  Hopefully we will be back onsite learning together as it very challenging doing this online.

 

Thursday 16 September is our date for Production, however, we will need to ensure we have some back up plans in place in case Covid lockdowns continue to occur. Thank you to the parents who have offered their help already. Staff will be in touch soon to give you some small jobs and to advise about costumes.

 

Ms Lou Devoy

ldevoy@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au

Italian

PREP

The students will revise the numbers from one to ten and extend their counting to twenty. The students will be encouraged to count beyond twenty as they begin to understand number patterns. The Prep children will also learn to say and write the main parts of the body such as; the head, the eyes, the mouth, the ears, the arms and the legs. They will engage in movement activities, songs, games and application work.

 

Year 1/2

The students will focus on the Italian story titled,

“Giacco e il Fagiolo.” After reading the story together, students will use the vocabulary and simple phrases derived from the story to form part of exciting dialogue and fun activities in Italian. Students will be given the opportunity to build on their new language and apply what they know to different situations.

 

Year 3/4

The students will finish off learning about Ancient Rome and the destruction of Pompeii. They will go on to learn about clothing, with an emphasis on colour descriptions, seasonal clothing, likes and dislikes, famous Italian fashion designers, how often different clothing is worn by individuals and describe what a friend is wearing in time for a fashion parade to be held later in the term.

 

Rosetta De Amicis

rdeamicis@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au

Chinese

In Chinese lessons this term students will be introduced to the following vocabulary and topics:

  • counting numbers from 1-100, expressing their age correctly
  • expressing how tones are presented in Pinyin syllables
  • identifying and quantifying their family siblings
  • asking and answering yes and no questions regarding their siblings
  • and using numbers to express their age and identify the family members they have.

In Culture, they will learn about:

  • Chinese school morning exercise drills
  • lucky and unlucky numbers in China
  • the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac
  • the Grandparents' role in a typical Chinese family
  • the One Child policy and its implications
  • the Chinese extended family tree.

Ange Crowe

acrowe@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au

Visual Arts

Prep

During Term Three the Prep students will participate in activities exploring both 2D and 3D art forms focusing on drawing, painting, constructing, decorating and collage. They will be encouraged to select, arrange and make choices about expressive ways of using the art elements (e.g. line, shape, texture and colour) in their work. The students will use and integrate a variety of tools and materials to create simple art works. 

The students will be given the opportunity to improve their fine motor skills through drawing, cutting, pasting and painting. The students will be encouraged to discuss and express their opinions  about the art ideas they are exploring and the artworks they are creating. The students will be encouraged to be inquirers, thinkers, communicators, build their knowledge and be reflective artists.

 

Year 1and 2

During Term Three there will be particular emphasis on the students being both artists and thinkers. The students will be encouraged to give thought to their artwork before they take action and weigh up the possible outcomes of the different opportunities that can be explored when developing their artwork. Students will use paint in a variety of ways including mixing colours, sponge painting and the effects made by thin and thick brushes. The students will also use the artwork seen in picture story books from Book Week as inspiration for their own works.

Term three artworks will link 2D and 3D art with the upcoming school production. Students will experiment with ways of expressing and communicating ideas and feelings to particular audiences for a particular purpose.

 

Year 3 and 4

During Term Three, students will make 2D and 3D in the art forms of drawing, painting, printing, constructing and collage. They will be encouraged to select, arrange and make choices about expressive ways of using the art elements (e.g.line, shape, texture and colour )in their work. There will be an emphasis on the use of recycled materials and the many ways they can be incorporated into construction pieces. Construction will provide further opportunity to develop cutting, joining and decorating skills. 

As they explore and respond to their  own and others art works, students will be involved in designing various props for the upcoming  school production. Using appropriate arts language they will begin to identify and describe ways they and others use specific elements, principles and conventions, skills, techniques and processes and discuss how ideas and feelings are conveyed.

 

Year 5 and 6

Term Three will provide opportunities for students to assume greater responsibility for their learning and assessment in the art room. They will plan, create and assess their own artwork and that of their peers using descriptive rubrics. Through exploring and responding, students will further develop vocabulary of appropriate arts language that they can use to describe and discuss the content and structural qualities of their own and other people’s art works. 

The construction component will further define their ability to manipulate a variety of materials to design and create their individual constructions. Through their involvement with the upcoming school production, students will be involved  with designing props and decorations.

 

Deirdre Cosgrave 

dcosgrave@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au