Visual Arts Term 1 Overviews

Prep	This term promises to be a colorful and creative adventure for all Prep students! In Term 1, our focus is to foster the child’s inherent creativity and self-expression by exploring two (out of seven) elements of Visual Art: Line and Colour. Students will learn to recognize and name various types of lines, including straight, curved, zigzag, diagonal, looped, spiral, and so on. By identifying these lines in their peers' artworks, they will discover how different lines convey emotions and ideas. To showcase their knowledge, students will create original artworks using diverse media such as grey lead, oil pastels, crayons and watercolour. Students will think about their audience when making choices on how to present their work.
Year 1	In Term 1, Grade 1 students will focus on Patterns under the theme of Drawing. Throughout the term, they will continue to develop their understanding of two fundamental art elements: lines and shapes. By working with these elements, students will learn to recognize and create their unique patterns using various lines and shapes. As part of our exploration, students will focus on Kente cloth, a traditional Ghanaian textile. The vibrant colours and repeating geometric patterns in Kente cloth will serve as an inspiration for them to create their pattern-based artwork, an outcome for Term 1.
Year 2	In Term 1, students in Grade 2 will build upon their prior knowledge of line and texture. They will be exposed to a variety of artworks (peers and artists) to understand the impact that texture rubbings impact on an artwork and the world around us. Exploring mechanical and natural elements that illustrate lines and texture, we will then explore movement lines, balance and textured backgrounds. Their final artwork will be inspired by Australian bush backdrop and Australian iconic anti-hero Ned Kelly. Students will think about their audience when making choices on how to present their work.
Year 3	Throughout Term 1, students in Year 3 will develop their personal style of mark making in drawing through experimentation with a range of materials such as pencil, charcoal and oil pastel. Students will explore the Art Elements of Line, Shape and texture. They will learn to manipulate materials to create desired effects. Students will explore patterns from a variety of cultures and understand the meanings behind the symbols and colours used in these cultures.
Year 4	In Term 1, Grade 4 students will learn how patterns lead to textures. Students will explore how these repeated designs in nature (flora and fauna) and everyday objects create different textures that we can see and feel. Students will learn how patterns can be created using lines and shapes and will practice drawing different types of patterns using a variety of art materials. By the end of the term, students will create four different types of patterns, choosing one from each of the following categories: flora, fauna, everyday objects, and one of their choices, showcasing how pattern and texture are interconnected.
Year 5	In Term 1, Grade 5 students will explore still life as one of the genres in Visual Arts. They will focus on the art elements of Form and Shape. Students will be introduced to famous still-life artists such as Paul Cézanne, Caravaggio, and Georges Braque to learn how these artists created still-life art using everyday objects. Students will first practice drawing 3D forms to help them understand how objects look in three dimensions. They will then apply this knowledge to draw real-life objects. As part of this unit, students will be introduced to varied shading techniques such as hatching, cross-hatching, stippling, and smudging to understand depth and texture in their drawings. By the end of the term, students will create their still-life artwork using 3D objects and apply the shading techniques they have learned.
Year 6	Throughout Term 1, students in Year 6 will continue to develop their appreciation of art through viewing and analysing works from a variety of artists. They will explore their own preferences for mark-making through the use of a variety of materials such as pencils, charcoal, oil pastel and watercolour pencils. Students will manipulate elements within their works to create different meanings and learn how to write an artist statement about their final piece.