Visual Art

Start Up Program In the Art Room!

Students in Newlands Primary School have been exploring the rights of a learner. For the last fortnight, students have unpacked the following two rights and how they may be shown and experienced across all other Specialist subjects: 'Everyone has the right to feel safe and comfortable' and 'Everyone has the right to do as much work as possible'. They have been involved in a variety of role plays to demonstrate their understanding of these rights, while also discussing them in relation to previous experiences. As part of these lessons, students followed up with an art activity in which they were to exemplify these rights. 

Foundation 

The focus for the Foundation students these past few weeks have been on comparing the physical differences between their classroom and the art room, as well as introducing them to the content and the structure of our art lessons. We have been examining how to make drawings based on our life experiences, using colour slicks. For one of these lessons, students listened to the story: 'The Bad Seed' by Jory John. Together we discussed people that make us feel safe and how important they are in our lives to help us make good choices. They drew and coloured in a picture of themselves with these people. During share time they discussed who they had chosen and explained why.

This week they have been learning about two important art elements; shape and colour. They learned the names of basic 2D shapes (both in Spanish and English) and created their own shape monsters. 

Here are some pictures below of some of our Foundation students with their magnificent Shape Monsters:

Grade 1/2

The Grade 1/2's have made name labels to attach to our rights of a learner display in the Art Room. This visual representation also demonstrates their willingness to abide to these rights during Specialist sessions. 

Students have also been learning to strengthen their mindset as artists, by trialling an 'Artist Mantra'. This mantra will be read out aloud in Spanish at the commencement of each lesson to cue students into their inner artist. So far they have been introduced to the mantra and have begun decorating it. Next week they will be taking it home, so that they can practise it. Based on their learning of the mindset of an artist, students have been making 'life size' representations of an artist. By tracing each other and filling in aspects of what makes an artist. 

Mantra de los pequeños artistas de Newlands

“Soy artista, crearé, dibujaré, pintaré, ¡Me encanta imaginar! Si me da miedo sigo igual, sigo creando, ¡Y no paro nunca! Hago arte brillante y genial. ¡Una obra maestra, mi gran final!

Grade 3/4

The Grade 3/4's participated in a game of 'Exquisite Corpse' with a group of friends, while demonstrating what a session of art should look like when following our rights as learners. They also created a name label to attach to our rights of a learner display in the Art Room. This display represents the students' agreement to abide by these rights during Specialist sessions.

Grade 5/6

This term the Grade 5/6's have been involved in reviewing the Rights of a Learner, while unpacking them alongside the values of Newlands Primary School. In small collaborative groups students have been making bilingual posters inspired by our values, which are:

Together they considered which icons or visual representations best illustrate their chosen value or values. In the coming weeks we will be working together to draft a Behaviour Agreement to implement across all Specialist classes. 

This term, the Grade 5/6 students will be exploring the theme of totem animals, while looking at their importance in Indigenous Cultures. Students will be researching and selecting an animal to draw, using their preferred medium and style of art.