Specialists Programs
Specialist Programs Term 1
Visual Arts
‘Inspiration Everywhere’
To begin our school year all students will be exploring self-portraits.
We will be examining and discussing self-portraits of famous artists including Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo and Rembrant. We will analyse and interpret artworks as a critical audience and respond by creating our own self-portrait.
Foundation
Our Prep students will be introduced to the Art Room in Term 1 and there is much to learn in this creative space!
Students will learn about the safety and organisation of the Art Room and they will develop their art making skills by participating in many creative projects.This year in Art, we are using visual diaries to keep record of our experimenting and creating. The visual diaries will stay with the students each year, as a record of their work in the art room. At the end of Year 6, students will get to take them home for parents to see the amazing progress they have made over the years! Students will also create a self-portrait that introduces them to some of the elements of Art including line, shape and colour.
Year One/Two
Visual Art classes will focus on Painting and Drawing this term.
The students will be introduced to Secondary Colours and colour mixing. They will explore a variety of correct paint brush techniques. They will be painting on a variety of surfaces and textures using many painting methods (eg. sponging, splattering, dye application, resist methods). We will be exploring different types of lines (eg.thick,thin wavy, straight, diagonal) and drawing techniques using a variety of drawing implements (eg.ink, pastel, crayon, pencil).
Year Three/Four
Visual Art classes will focus on Painting and Drawing this term.
The students will be introduced to shade/tone, complementary and contrasting colours, colour wheels and monotone painting. This term the students will explore the three drawing techniques of mark making, rubbing and line, combined with a method of printmaking. They will experiment with mediums such as soft pastels, oil pastels and drawing blocks, and work towards creating their own block print drawing of a native Australian flower.
Year Five/Six
Visual Art classes will focus on Painting and Drawing this term.
The students will be introduced to Tertiary Colours and to techniques for creating shade, tone and tints. The students will be introduced to complementary and contrasting colour wheels and monotone painting. They will use a variety of drawing tools (eg. ink, pen, pastel) and explore different surfaces (eg.cardboard, paper, fabric, foil). We will be exploring a variety of painting techniques (eg. splattering, sponging, blowing, resist ) and investigating life, abstract and cartoon drawing and painting.
Deirdre Cosgrave dcosgrave@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au
Performing Arts
Prep
In Performing Arts this term, the Preps are learning to work together safely in the performing arts space and grow in confidence to participate and have a go. They will explore their bodies and movement to roleplay living and non-living things and learn what it is to be part of an audience, using their imaginations. By participating in games, listening to stories and singing songs, students will recognise that emotions can be shown through facial expressions and body language. They will practice using their own bodies and facial expressions to portray different feelings in real life scenarios and imaginary characters. Students will become familiar with a range of songs and begin to add actions and movement as they perform them.
Year 1/2
In Performing Arts this term, students will work together to create a safe, supportive environment where they feel comfortable and willing to take part in activities and experiences. They will explore the theme of ‘Courage’ through real and imagined scenarios and dramatic play, identifying how they can be courageous in different aspects of their life, with a particular focus on participating and performing in our lessons. Students will begin working with puppets to create and re-enact stories and focus on using their voice to take on different characters. They will continue to develop their ability to sing new and familiar songs, following cues when rehearsing to maintain correct tempo and rhythm.
Year 3/4
This term, students will explore the theme of ‘Courage’ through real and imagined scenarios and dramatic play, identifying how they can be courageous in different aspects of their life, with a particular focus on participation and performing in front of an audience. Students will be exposed to different types of puppets and have the opportunity to experiment with some of these to create their own plays, independently and in groups. There will be a particular focus on learning to change their voices by altering the pitch, volume and expression to make them sound interesting and different. Students will rehearse performances and perform in front of their peers, using simple criteria to self-evaluate providing feedback to each other to enhance skills.
Year 5/6
This term in Performing Arts, students will explore the theme of ‘Courage’ through real and imagined scenarios, using dramatic responses to illustrate how they can be courageous in all aspects of their lives. Students will develop their ability to work, rehearse and perform both independently and collaboratively, identifying key skills needed to participate in each of these situations successfully. They will observe and compare drama from different cultures and styles, using these to inspire their own performances. Students will experiment with tools including puppets, props and masks to develop their skills and techniques of voice and movement. They will work together to create a criteria used to evaluate their learning and provide feedback to peers to improve their performances.
Amanda Hill
ahill@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au
Chinese
Prep Overview:
In Term One, students will be exploring the basic concepts of Chinese by learning greetings and instructions in Chinese. They will learn frequently used words and phrases to use in everyday conversations, such as classroom instructions and greetings. The practice of structured and repeated sentences will enable the students to practice basic communication with their peers and adults. Moreover, students will be provided with opportunities to use Chinese knowledge and skills in real-life contexts such as greeting and responding in Chinese when marking class rolls, singing and dancing along to Chinese songs, and taking part in various games by using Chinese. This will greatly increase the students’ interests towards learning the language.
Year 1/2 Overview:
In Term One, students will be exploring animals in Chinese. They will learn Chinese names of animals and use structured sentences to describe features of various animals. Students will identify the distinctive Chinese language systems of writing and speaking. They will learn to recognise the tonal nature of Chinese and understand that characters are formed by strokes. They will learn the word order of simple Chinese sentences and develop their own sentences by following particular structures.
Year 3/4 Overview:
In Chinese this term, students will be exploring animals in Chinese. They will learn names of animals and use structured sentences to describe features of various animals. Students will further discover life cycles and living habits of different animals living in China. Students will learn to understand that pinyin provides access to the sounds of the spoken Chinese language. They will use pinyin to read new words. In terms of writing, students will follow strokes and sequences to write Chinese characters. They will also follow the subject–verb–object structure to make their own Chinese sentences.
Year 5/6 Overview:
In Chinese this term, students will be engaged in exploration of the environment. Students will explore the environment by learning the names of things included in different environments. They will design their own diorama environment that is good for human health. Students learnt to pronounce new words with pinyin, focusing on the nature of tone-syllables. They will also produce short informative and imaginative texts by using characters and structured sentences with details.
Elina Li
LOTE Teacher
Email: eli@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au
Physical Education
Welcome back to all families! I am looking forward to working with your children to develop their skills and prepare them for the Twilight School Athletics Evening on Monday, March 4, as well as the upcoming District Sport Gala Days (Years 3-6). Incorporated in these lessons, I will also be teaching them the fundamental skills required to support their overall health and fitness.
During Term One, all year levels will begin with the setting out of expectations for our Physical Education sessions with a strong focus on what it means to be a “good sport”. This includes setting clear understandings of how students should regulate their emotions during team games and show respect to others to ensure enjoyment for all participants.
Prep
Prep students will begin by being introduced to a number of games that focus on how to cooperate with others and how to work as a team player. We will then focus on practicing some of the skills that we will be using on the Twilight Sports evening including running, hurdles, bean bag throw and using a vortex. Students will then focus on locomotor skills, particularly running, skipping, hopping, jumping, sliding, walking backwards and leaping as well as throwing and catching skills.
Year 1/2
Year 1/2 students will begin the year participating in co-operative games. The aim of these games are to reduce emphasis on competition and increase emphasis on the social aspects of play and be a team player. We will then focus on practicing some of the skills that we will be using on the Twilight Sports evening including running, hurdles, bean bag throw and using a vortex. Students will then participate in sessions that will focus on their throwing and catching skills, with specific coaching on using an effective technique.
Year 3/4
Students in Year 3/4 will be learning about the fundamental skills of jumping, throwing, running, hurdles, baton relays and improving their overall fitness in the lead up to the Twilight Sports. Students will then participate in a number of sports in the lead up to their Summer Sports Gala Day including Newcombe, Rounders and European Handball. This will include learning the rules and expectations of the games as well as practicing the required skills.
Year 5/6
Year 5/6 students will begin the term participating in skill sessions such as specific running coaching, jumping, hurdles and relays in preparation for the Twilight Sports. Students will then participate in a number of sports in the lead up to the Summer Sports Gala Day including Volleyball, Tee Ball and European Handball. This will include learning the rules and expectations of the games as well as practicing the required skills.
Emma Pattison - PE Specialist