SPECIALIST PROGRAMS
PERFORMING ARTS
Aim: To provide a comprehensive, challenging and developmental music program for all students from Prep to Grade 6.
Content of the Program: This program is a comprehensive and thorough sequential music program that answers the core ideals of the Victorian Curriculum. It covers both: Arts Practice - ideas, skills, techniques and processes. Responding to the arts - Criticism, aesthetics and context.
Yearly Program: Lesson Structure: The lesson normally starts with a warm up for 5 minutes followed by a revision of the previous lessons skills. The core part of the lesson which develops a particular skill or skills. The lesson ends with a reflection of the activity.
Yearly Program:
The arts program for P-2 is heavily based on “The Music Room” program. This “Music Room” is a thoroughly comprehensive and sequential music program that develops students’ skills in Musical Elements, Arts Practice and Responding to the Arts. It is straightforward, fully resourced and answers the core ideals of the Victorian Curriculum. It is also extremely enjoyable for the students. This program develops students’ listening, singing, moving, playing and creating skills.
It also develops students understanding of basic musical concepts such as, beat, rhythm, pitch, dynamics, tempo, tone, texture and style.
By the end of grade two students can read, recognise and play simple rhythm patterns on glockenspiels/xylophones and percussion instruments and are ready for grade 3 where they will begin recorder and further their ability to read music. As well as the “Music Room” program grade P-2 students have many opportunities to display the musical skills they have developed not only in the classroom but also to the wider school community.
In grade 3 and 4 the main focus of the music program is recorder along with the school production and choir. Learning the recorder develops students understanding of the importance of posture, correct breathing technique, articulation, fingering, elements of pulse, rhythm and pitch and how to read music. Differentiation is achieved by having different parts of varying difficulty in the one song. Students who excel at recorder may be chosen to perform solos while those who are experiencing difficulties may perform in groups for support.
All children in years 3 and 4 participate in choir where they improve their pitch, diction, vocal projection and tone. Children learn how to sing in rounds and to sing harmonies.
The teaching of the Ukulele at grade 5 and 6 level has been a very popular innovation, which has been recently instigated at the school. This has given students the access, opportunity and experience of playing a stringed instrument after 2 years of the recorder, a wind instrument. The students have received the ukulele very positively and have really enjoyed learning how to strum chords and develop a wide repertoire of songs on the instrument. Children are assessed by performing pieces on the Ukulele at the end of each semester. Children in Grade 5 and 6 also complete a unit of work on djembe drumming.
Every alternate year at Regency Park there is a school musical production. Grade 5 and 6 students audition and then are assigned a dramatic role in the production. Each class from grade 3 to 6 learns a song and dance routine that is part the show. During this process all students learn how to improve their vocal pitch and diction and improve their co-ordination in learning the choreography to their song. The experience of performing before a real audience is a fundamental part of the Performing Arts program.
Catering for Students with Special Abilities in the Performing Arts: Students are always challenged to develop their individual skills through the following activities:
School production
School Choir
Community night
Leadership ceremony
Grandparents days
Guitar group
Ukulele
Djembe drumming
Evaluation: This takes the form of checklists, anecdotal records, rubrics and participation in school events as mentioned above.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Aim: To provide a comprehensive and challenging PE program for all students from Prep to Year 6.
Content of the Program: The program covers the areas of Athletics, Gymnastics, Ball Handling, Dance, Swimming, etc…
Yearly Program: The program will cover these aspects during each term:
· Term 1 – Ball Handling, Athletics, Swimming 3-5
· Term 2 – Fundamental Motor Skills
· Term 3 – Gymnastics and Dance
· Term 4 – Swimming P-2 and Minor/Major Games
Lesson Structure: The lesson normally starts with a warm up for 10 minutes followed by the core part of the lesson which develops a particular skill or skills. The lesson finishes with a warm down or recapitulation of the activity. The emphasis for all lessons is maximum participation, ‘having a go’ and enjoyment.
In Years Prep to 2, the students develop their fundamental skills to prepare them for the middle and upper school years. Years 3/4 practise these skills in minor games while Years 5/6 develop them in major game activities.
Catering for Students with Special Abilities in PE: Students are always challenged to develop their individual skills through the following activities:
· House Athletics
· Interschool Athletics
· House Cross Country
· Interschool Cross Country
· Interschool Swimming Sports
· Interschool Basketball
· Interschool Winter and Summer Sport.
All year levels will be involved in clinics conducted by various clubs and associations from the community. These will include hockey, racquetball, tennis, football, soccer and basketball.
Evaluation: This takes the form of checklists, anecdotal records and participation in school events as mentioned above.
LANGUAGES (FRENCH)
Aim: Learning a language is a natural process. Through the Accelerative Integrative Method, we use the natural way a child first developed language skills to introduce a new language and learn about communication.
Content of the Program: Language is taught in context. High frequency words and constructions are introduced through stories, songs, raps, pleasant repetition and TLSE (teacher led self-expression). Each year level has a different story to memorise, perform and complete written activities based on the story. Students are also introduced to cultural aspects of the language.
Yearly Program: The program will cover these aspects during each term:
Term 1 - Introductions, greetings, classroom instructions, general conversation, 141 high frequency words in context, introduce stories, class entry and exit routines to establish the French Only rule.
Term 2 – Expand conversation using likes and dislikes, recycle high frequency words through Teacher Led Self-Expression, numbers up to 100, introduce colours in context, some farm animals, talk about size and shapes in context in full sentences.
Term 3 – Tour de France activities, Bastille Day cultural awareness activities, continue to practice script in play groups in preparation for play performances. Years 3 to 6 begin practicing writing in French in full sentences.
Term 4 – Prepare for story performances, practice conversations with limited teacher support, engage in fun revision activities and using their new vocabulary in new sentences and in spontaneous class interaction in French.
Lesson Structure: The lesson starts with an entry routine which establishes the French Only rule. Each year level has a different routine which will be performed at assembly. We follow with Total Physical Response activities to revise 41 high frequency verbs or high frequency words through pleasant repetition. The class works in groups or pairs to practice their play or finish writing tasks always helping each other in French Only. Conversation rotations: students spend a few minutes with each other in quick rotations practicing their conversation skills in French. Each lesson we introduce a new topic to discuss and add to a growing flowing conversation. If we have a cultural awareness lesson we enhance the experience through Virtual Reality. Students spend a few seconds on the Eiffel Tower, well known landmarks around France, or visiting one of 52 French speaking countries.
Evaluation: We have a three levelled evaluation system: self-evaluation, teacher assessment, portfolio presentations at home at the end of the year with evaluation sheets for parents. Students are assessed based on the skills developed in class. Their overall class participation in French Only is essential. All year levels will be assessed on their ability to memorise and perform the plays we have introduced this year.
VISUAL ARTS
Aim: To provide a comprehensive and challenging Art program for all students from Prep to Year 6.
Content of the Program: The program covers the areas of Painting, Drawing, Constructing, Collage, Printing and Textiles.
Yearly Program: The program will cover these aspects during each term:
· Term 1 – Drawing, Collage, Painting and Clay
· Term 2 – Painting, Printing, Collage and Clay
· Term 3 – Constructing, Printing and Textiles
· Term 4 – Painting, Collage, Clay and Textiles
Lesson Structure: The lesson normally starts with a discussion of the topic and then a demonstration of how to do the task. The students then collect all the materials for the task and start designing and working on their work. Most tasks are ongoing, with many tasks taking three weeks/sessions to complete. After each session, the students will pack up their work station, clean their brushes, put paints/materials/their work away, wash hands and clean up the classroom. The following lesson, the introduction would be very brief. They will be reminded how to complete the task and the students will continue on with their work.
From Preps, the students are encouraged to work independently. Sequential learning is the basis of the curriculum and all tasks build upon acquired knowledge from previous exercises. Each year the skills, techniques and materials used challenge the student and extend their knowledge of Art.
Catering for Students with Special Abilities in Art: Students are always challenged to develop their individual skills through the following activities:
· Art Club
· Participating in Art competitions
· Additional art work /art journals
Evaluation: This takes the form of visual presentations, anecdotal records and participation in school activities and personal art journals.