Years 3 and 4 boys have begun their third unit of inquiry with the transdisciplinary theme of “How we express ourselves” and are learning all about the arts. The three lines of inquiry are about expression through the Arts, the importance and relevance of the Arts and about its appreciation and personal reflection.

In this unit, the boys will come to understand that the performing arts are made up of acting, music, singing and dance and the visual arts represent paintings, images, sculptures and film making. Music can portray many feelings such as fear, suspense, happiness etc. Dance can tell a story through the choreography and costume choice and the interaction between the dancers. We have looked at the various ways and means whereby the performing arts portray meaning and narrative.

To facilitate the unit, the boys were placed in groups and were set the task of writing and creating a simple play with the theme of empathy and compassion. They were given some images to use that would encourage their ideas and stimulate their imagination. The boys immersed themselves in the creative process and they were really engaged with their writing which showed in the standard of their enthusiasm of their performances.  We have been very fortunate in this unit of work to have Marcus and Aiden Chan and Felix Lee’s grandmother to assist us in with her experience and ideas in supporting the boys with their learning.

Next in the unit we will be focusing on different forms of the visual arts where the boys will be shown a variety of painted images, sculptures and other forms of art and they will be asked for their response. We envisage the boys will continue their enthusiasm throughout the rest of the unit as their interest level has been excellent.

Mrs Leonie Russell – Year 4 Teacher