Specialist Teachers Term 3 Overviews
Term 3 Specialist Remote Learning Curriculum Overviews
Our Specialist programs will cover the following during Term 3:
Physical Education
Although we may not be able to be together at school, we know it’s more important than ever that we remain physically active. Participation in exercise has positive impacts upon our brain health, heart and lung health and particularly our mental health and wellbeing. This term we are aiming for all students to find at least 30 minutes per day to participate in physical activities...stay tuned for more details and tips over the coming weeks on how you can ‘Find Your 30’ while learning from home!
In Physical Education lessons this term, students in Prep and Year 1 will begin by revising the fundamental movement skills of dodging and leaping.
Year 2 and 3 students will be introduced to the track and field events of Shot Put, Long Jump and Sprints. Later in the term we will be focusing on the skills required for Basketball and AFL.
Students in Years 4 to 6 will begin the term preparing for our St James Athletics Day which will hopefully be able to occur later in the term. We will focus on revising the skills of Shot Put, Discus, Long Jump and Triple Jump.
Visual Arts
“Art has the role in education of helping children become like themselves instead of more like everyone else.” Sydney Gurewitz Clemens.
Remote Learning has definitely mixed things up a bit for our school students again this term. However, Term Three still brings a new semester and therefore a new cohort of students to the Visual Arts classes. Years Prep to Two therefore change from Performing Arts classes in Semester One to Visual Arts classes for Semester Two. Students will now further develop their creativity in a new discipline of The Arts.
The good news is that during our weeks of Remote learning last term so many of our students produced some amazing artworks and definitely continued to grow their love of and their skill within the Visual Arts.
During this term the focus for the Prep, Year One and Year Two classes will be on our students experiencing both engagement and success within the Visual Arts Curriculum. Therefore my aim is to plan tasks that can be successfully completed at home without the need for too much input or assistance from others. I will use videos to alleviate the need for reading lots of instructions for the Visual Arts activities for these young students. I will also organise the necessary materials needed for the specific planned tasks for pick up from school. The various activities will primarily involve drawing, line and pattern, collage and construction. Unfortunately the watercolour and acrylic painting activities and artworks will need to be delayed until we are able to be back in the Art Room together.
Primarily, this term I will aim to continue to support our students’ creativity and assist them to enjoy being artists.
AUSLAN
2020 is certainly an unexpected year. Whilst it is easy to focus on what and who we are missing out on, I’m choosing to search for the positives. I am grateful for the flexibility, compassion and persistence that the SJV community continues to display during this time. Amidst the chaos of the pandemic, I am also pleased that Auslan is being frequently broadcast into lounge-rooms around the country. It’s wonderful to see the profile of sign language being raised and that many people are becoming increasingly interested in the Deaf Community.
Throughout Term 3 in Auslan, students will be focussing on developing students’ understanding of the parameters of sign language. Every Auslan sign is made up of 5 elements – handshape, orientation, location, movement and expression. We will commence the term by exploring handshapes. Preps will be growing their signed vocabulary, focussing on numbers and feelings. When we return to onsite learning, all students across the school will be developing their conversational sign skills.
It’s been lovely to hear how many families have been learning to sign some of our Auslan vocabulary from their children at home. As we re-enter remote learning, I hope that you are able to continue learning together and enjoying the beauty of Auslan!
Performing Arts
This term will be an unusual experience for us all as the children and I have not personally met each other. I’ll introduce myself in a video which will be accessed, as will all learning tasks, via the Performing Arts web page ~ https://www.risingminds.com.au/sjv
Each level will have their own page which will be accessed using a guest password.
There is a lot of visual content to inspire
and support. All questions are useful questions so I’m keen to hear from the children if they are looking for more information. I will be encouraging them to communicate with me and will set up a Google Classroom for each cohort to enable questions and ideas to be shared.
Year 3:
The students will engage with a range of song texts and use movements and actions to add expression and meaning. They will explore various rhythmic and melodic elements using found sound percussion instruments and movement patterns. They will explore pitch with the pentatonic scale and create a soundscape using an online digital platform. They will also engage with elements of drama (voice, body language) using improvisation and short monologues and skits.
Year 4:
The students will engage with a range of song texts and use movements and actions to add expression and meaning. They will explore various rhythmic and melodic elements using found sound percussion instruments and movement patterns. They will explore pitch with the pentatonic scale and experiment with these sounds using an online digital platform. They will also engage with elements of drama (voice, body language) using improvisation and short monologues and skits.
Year 5:
The students will engage with a range of song texts and use movements and actions to add expression and meaning. They will engage with elements of drama (voice, body language, presentation) using improvisation and short monologues and skits. They will explore a range of dance elements and performance skills (posture, extension, rhythm) and learn a movement sequence from memory. The students will also explore the voice in performance and will compose a St James Power Rap focusing on
style, rhythm and articulation.
Year 6
“Creative drama stimulates creativity and self-expression. It encourages children to get outside their own ‘selves’ and try something new.”
Term Three brings a new semester and therefore a new cohort of students to Performing Arts classes. The Year Six cohort will move from Visual Arts classes in Semester One to Performing Arts classes in Semester Two. Our move back to Remote Learning this term definitely changes the way in which this curriculum area will be delivered. Unfortunately, initially anyway, we will not be able to have partner and small group interactive tasks to practise skills, share proficiency and generally have some fun with the learning of drama skills.
The focus for Year Six Performing Arts for this Semester is Drama. The program includes Drama games and activities, Improvisation, Mime and finally Performance. I will be creating Google slides and will also be using video and YouTube clips to help model and share information about these areas of the Performing Arts. I will also be joining in on some Year Six Hang- outs to assist with the presentation of these concepts and the development of the techniques and skills. Hopefully we will be back at school later in the term and be able to interact and enjoy sharing in shared performance.
STEMMS
I’m feeling a little disappointed that we aren’t all at school, as this term was going to be full of robots and machines. That’s OK; hopefully we will be back in a month or so and we can get our hands on that great learning equipment! One good thing about Remote Learning is that everybody has the opportunity to see that technology provides us with wonderful opportunities to learn in different ways. We become more familiar with our Google accounts, some people might improve their typing skills and we have all become comfortable with online meetings.
The first few Remote Learning sessions will be all about Digital Rights and Responsibilities. Not just staying safe online, but being respectful, recognising problems and knowing what we should and shouldn’t be doing.
Prep and Year 1 students will use the Hector’s World program to learn about strong passwords, the dangers of pop-up boxes and cyberbullying.
Year 2 students will commence the eSmart Junior Digital License which covers caring for technology, safe use and balancing our daily activities.
Year 3 & 4 students will use the Budd:e program to expand their knowledge of appropriate online activities and protocols.
Year 5 students will complete the Cybersmart Challenge from the eSafety Commissioner website and Year 6 students will continue to work towards achieving their eSmart Senior Digital License.
Hopefully, we will be back at school for the 2nd part of term and we can all get our hands on those robots, electrical kits, machines and Lego sets!
Stay safe everybody!