This learning module for year 3 and 4 students focuses on intercultural understanding and citizenship through a study of the picture book, 'Lin Yi's Lantern'. Students redesign the book as a drama that they act out, transferring the narrative from the written and visual modes into the spatial and gestural modes.
Intercultural Understanding, Drama, Gestural, Spatial, Audio, Studies of Asia.
Australian Curriculum
English
Year 3: Draw connections between personal experiences and the worlds of texts, and share responses with others (ACELT1596)
Year 4: Discuss literary experiences with others, sharing responses and expressing a point of view (ACELT1603)
Civics and Citizenship
Years 3 and 4
Reflect on their cultural identity and how it might be similar and different from others (ACHCS010) and (ACHCS021)
Explore the diversity of the Australian population
Year 3: Why people participate within communities and how students can actively participate and contribute (ACHCK003)
Year 4: How a person’s identity can be shaped by the different cultural, religious and/or social groups to which they may belong (ACHCK014)
Years 3 and 4
Explore ideas and narrative structures through roles and situations and use empathy in their own improvisations and devised drama (ACADRM031)
Use voice, body, movement and language to sustain role and relationships and create dramatic action with a sense of time and place (ACADRM032)
Shape and perform dramatic action using narrative structures and tension in devised and scripted drama (ACADRM033)
Identify intended purposes and meaning of drama, using the elements of drama to make comparisons (ACADRR034)
Music
Years 3 and 4
Develop aural skills by exploring, imitating and recognising elements of music including dynamics, pitch and rhythm patterns (ACAMUM084)
Practise singing, playing instruments and improvising music, using elements of music including rhythm, pitch, dynamics and form in a range of pieces, including in music from the local community (ACAMUM085)
Create, perform and record compositions by selecting and organising sounds, silence, tempo and volume (ACAMUM086)
Identify intended purposes and meanings as they listen to music using the elements of music to make comparisons, starting with Australian music, including music of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACAMUR087)
Visual Art
Years 3 and 4
Explore ideas and artworks from different cultures and times, including artwork by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, to use as inspiration for their own representations (ACAVAM110)
Use materials, techniques and processes to explore visual conventions when making artworks (ACAVAM111)
Present artworks and describe how they have used visual conventions to represent their ideas (ACAVAM112)
Identify intended purposes and meanings of artworks using visual arts terminology to compare artworks, starting with visual artworks in Australia including visual artworks of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACAVAR113)
Dance
Years 3 and 4
Improvise and structure movement ideas for dance sequences using the elements of dance and choreographic devices (ACADAM005)
Practise technical skills safely in fundamental movements (ACADAM006)
Perform dances using expressive skills to communicate ideas, including telling cultural or community stories (ACADAM007)
Identify how the elements of dance and production elements express ideas in dance they make, perform and experience as audience, including exploration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance (ACADAR008)
Media Arts
Years 3 and 4
Investigate and devise representations of people in their community, including themselves, through settings, ideas and story structure in images, sounds and text (ACAMAM058)
Use media technologies to create time and space through the manipulation of images, sounds and text to tell stories (ACAMAM059)
Plan, create and present media artworks for specific purposes with awareness of responsible media practice (ACAMAM060)
Identify intended purposes and meanings of media artworks, using media arts key concepts, starting with media artworks in Australia including media artworks of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACAMAR061)
Learning Intention: To draw on your prior knowledge to communicate ideas through mime.
Success Criteria
Join with your partner and sit on the floor facing each other. We are going to do some mimes. Mimes communicate without words. Instead they use facial expressions and gestures.
1. Firstly , you are going to show facial expressions. You will both being doing these mimes at the same time; it's a bit like you are a mirror for each other. As you do them, look at your partner's face. You can learn from each other as you each show your facial expressions. Show that you are:
2. Now stand up and face each other. This time use facial expressions and gestures (hand and body movements) to communicate the same ideas.
Think-Pair-Share: Which one communicates the ideas best? Facial expressions or facial expressions plus gestures? Why?
3. Still standing and facing each other, communicate these ideas.
Now work in pairs with one person being the parent and one person being the child. Remember you can't use words in mime - only facial expressions and gestures.
Swap roles and repeat.
Think-Pair-Share: Was it hard to communicate those ideas when you don't have words? Words in plays and mimes are called dialogue. Do facial expressions and gestures help you to communicate?
Comment: Look at the image below and describe what the gestures and facial expressions communicate. Read other students' comments and comment on one that you agree with, explaining why. Start with @Name so they know that you are commenting on their comment.
Overview of Learning Module: Introduction for Teachers:
In this learning module we will be covering all five strands of The Arts curriculum. We will follow this overall structure:
-Drama: Lin Yi's Lantern
-Music: Lin Yi's Lantern
-Visual Art: (Visit to the National Gallery of Australia)- focus on "Blue Poles" by Jackson Pollock
-Dance: Traditional Indigenous Dance
-Media: "Nolan's Cheddar- Advertisement" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K8lrVjT6fM)
This learning module links to the "Waratah Works" learning module. There are consistent themes throughout both learning modules. These include social skilling, values based themes and a focus on audience and purpose.
Students have been introduced to the topic and concept of "Waratah Works". This focuses on what works to create a sense of belonging in a combined year 3/4 unit (4 classes- Waratah), what constitutes "Quality Work" (linked to the concepts and themes of the work of Dr William Glasser) and different types of works across the curriculum. In this learning module, the focus will be on the different types of works across the five areas of The Arts (Drama, Music, Visual Art, Dance and Media).
Introducing the unit to the students: during unit novel time each day (approximately 5-10 minutes of short intensive unit wide focused teaching), explore the themes covered in "Waratah Works". Then introduce the concept of Waratah Works: The Arts; focus on how quality work within the arts contributes to a sense of community.
Purpose: This update allows students to draw on their prior knowledge and experiences as they communicate ideas and emotions through mime.
Teaching Tips
If the students have not had much experience of mime, there is a range of mime activities at Mime Workshop for All Ages. These should precede the activities in this update which are designed as an introduction to the text, Lin Yi's Lantern by Brenda Williams.
Links to Waratah Works
Learning Intention: To read and respond to the story, Lin Yi's Lantern through talk and mime.
Success Criteria
Firstly, look at the cover of Lin Yi's Lantern by Brenda Williams and Benjamin Lacombe. In a Think-Pair-Share, predict what the story will be about.
Listen to the teacher read the story. Half way through, stop and discuss your predictions. Are they on the right track? You can make a new prediction to your partner if you like.
At the end, discuss your predictions. Were you right? What surprised you? Is it a good story? Why/why not?
Now with your partner, decide on your favourite part of the story. Together you will create a short mime about that part of the story. Plan it together first. Think about your facial expressions and gestures.
Then perform your mime to the class. See if they can guess what part of the story you are miming.
Comment: Comment on one mime that you thought was good. What made it good? What facial expressions and gestures did you observe? What did they communicate?
Purpose: This update introduces the focus text to the students and to have a go at mime.
Background
The text tells the story of a little boy living in China named Lin Yi whose mother sends him to the market to buy a list of items for their upcoming Moon Festival Celebration. His mother explains to him that he may purchase a red lantern (something he has always wanted) if he has enough money at the end.
Teaching Tips
Vocabulary
During and after the reading, discuss meanings, similar words, examples and non-examples. Some key vocabulary you may wish to highlight includes: bargain, reciting, trader, pounds, fragrant, lantern, resist. Encourage students to add words to a class word wall.
Links to Waratah Works
Learning Intention: To infer the deeper meaning of the story.
Success Criteria
Let's read the story again.
In a Think-Pair-Share, discuss:
Let's look at some of the main ideas in the story by inferring. Inferring is when you look at what the text says on the surface - this is the literal level. Then you infer what the author is saying at a deeper level.
As a class we will compete the first two lines of the Inferences Chart. Then with a partner, you can add 5 more images that you can analyse at the literal and inferential levels. You can sketch the drawing in the first column of the box.
Picture | What I see | What I infer |
. | Lin Yi is remembering what is on the list (he is counting them on his fingers) and his mother is straightening his collar. | His mother's expression shows that she loves and trusts Li Yin; Li Yin intends to remember and buy everything on the list. |
Li Yin is looking at the rabbit lantern and the shopkeeper is telling him how much it is. | Li Yin's expression shows that he really wants the lantern and he is tempted to buy it. The size of the shopkeeper shows he is older and more powerful and maybe he can persuade Li Yin. | |
Comment: Share some words to describe Li Yin. Keep adding words until you run out. Keep reading what other students add and try not to repeat any. You can look up a thesaurus to find more words too. We will have a long class list of words.
Purpose: This update focuses on identifying the main themes of the text. It enables students to practise the reading strategy of inferring as well as scaffolding the update that follows.
Teaching Tips
As students complete the chart, work with pairs who might need help to infer. Promote further collaboration by pairs joining so a group of 4 compares and contrasts their inferences, adding more information to their charts.
Links to Waratah Works
Learning Intention: To understand the main ideas of the story through acting them out.
Success Criteria
You and your partner will be allocated a scene of the story to act out.
First of all, create a freeze frame of the scene.
Create that scene.
Then add words. You can use the words from the story or make up your own based on the story.
Present your scenes to the class.
Comment: What was your favourite? What made it successful? Read other students' comments and comment on one that you agreed with. Explain why.
Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to interpret the main ideas of the story through role plays. Ask students to identify the pages from the story as well as the main idea that they are acting out.
Teaching Tips
This activity will be repeated again after students have learned about dramatic structure and more about the gestural, audio and spatial modes.
The shopkeeper shows he is more powerful as he is taller and looking down while Li Yin is looking up. His hands on his hip also shows he is confident. Li Yin looks unsure - he is tempted to buy the lantern first.
Links to Waratah Works
Learning Intention: To understand how books and plays are the same and different.
Success Criteria
1. Let's read the story again. We will stop at certain times so that you can complete the table to find out how narratives in stories and in plays are the same and different.
Picture Books/Novels | Lin Yi's Lantern | Dramas/Plays |
Setting (time and place) |
Setting (time and place) The set with props on a stage |
|
Characters | Characters/actors | |
Event sequence with a problem or complication | Scenes with a problem or complication | |
Event sequence has a resolution | A scene where there is a resolution | |
Coda | Coda | |
Language in sentences and paragraphs; can include speech/dialogue | Language in dialogue with stage directions (script) | |
We read/listen to the story | Actors use facial expressions, gesture and voice to act out the story |
Add new words to our class Word Wall.
Now let's practise turning some speech from the picture book into a script.
Here is an excerpt from the picture book:
"Can I buy a red rabbit lantern for the moon festival - please?" begged Lin Yi.
"Well, that is up to you," said his mother. "I have no more money to spare but if you bargain well at the market you may have enough left for a red rabbit lantern."
This is what it would look like as a script:
Lin Yi (begging): Can I buy a red rabbit lantern for the moon festival - please?
Mother (calmly): Well, that is up to you. I have no more money to spare but if you bargain well at the market you may have enough left for a red rabbit lantern.
What did you notice? With your partner, find one more examples of speech and turn them into dialogue. Include stage directions.
Act it out.
Comment: Why are the stage directions important? How do they help the actors? Read other students' comments and comment on one that you agree with.
Purpose: In this update, students compare and contrast narratives in books/novels with narratives in plays/dramas. In doing so they develop a metalanguage for describing terms uses in drama.
Teaching Tips
Complete the table as a class, with students using examples from Li Yin's Lantern to complete the centre column.
Picture Books/Novels | Lin Yi's Lantern | Dramas/Plays/Performance |
Setting (time and place) | The narrative is set in China at the time of the Moon Festival. It is in the past as the characters are wearing traditional Chinese clothing. |
Setting (time and place) The set with props on a stage |
Characters | Lin Yi, mother, Uncle Hui, shopkeepers | Characters/actors |
Event sequence with a problem or complication | Li Yin wants a rabbit lantern but he does not have enough money to buy it. | Scenes with a problem or complication |
Event sequence has a resolution | Lin Yi cannot save enough money through bargaining to buy the rabbit lantern. however, his Uncle Hui surprises him by bring him one. | A scene where there is a resolution |
Coda | You will be rewarded for being honest and doing the right thing. | Coda |
Language in sentences and paragraphs; can include speech/dialogue |
"Can I buy a red rabbit lantern for the moon festival - please?" begged Lin Yi. "Well, that is up to you," said his mother. "I have no more money to spare but if you bargain well at the market you may have enough left for a red rabbit lantern." |
Language in dialogue with stage directions(script) |
We read/listen to the story | (Students could draw a picture here) | Actors use facial expressions, gesture and voice to act out the story |
If necessary, you may have to revise the structure of narratives - orientation, complication, resolution, and coda. You could use a Story Frames Strategy:
Similar to story maps, story frames are visual representations that focus students' attention on the structure of a story and on how the content of the story fits its structure.Students use story frames as a way to activate their background knowledge of the elements of story structure and thus to organize and learn new information from a story. Simple story frames require students to provide basic information about the sequence of events in a story:
The problem/complication in the story is ______.
This is a problem because ______.
The problem is solved when ______.
In the end (resolution) ______.
More complex frames might involve having students supply more detailed information by summarizing sequences of actions or events, or providing factual information to explain problems or motivations.
The second part of this update focuses on transforming text into a script.
Links to Waratah Works
Learning Intention: To understand the effects of the gestural, spatial and audio modes.
Success Criteria
In pairs, repeat mimes from initial update using gesture and facial expressions. Choose one from the list below. Present your mime to the class.
Present your mime to the class. We will analyse each mime after it has been presented and add information to a class chart.
Group | Facial Expression/s | Effect/s | Gesture/s | Effect/s |
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14. |
Now work in pairs again and repeat your mime. This time you are going to add voice. Think about what you will say and how you will speak. Consider:
Also think about your staging: Consider:
Group | Volume, Pitch, Tone, Rate | Effect/s | Staging | Effect/s |
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Comment: Describe something you learned about performing. Read other students' comments and comment on one that you agree with, explaining why.
Purpose: In this update students deepen their understanding of the gestural, spatial and audio modes by analysing their effects in mimes and role plays. This will enable them to make deliberate choices in their own performances about some of the elements of drama - facial expressions, gesture and voice.
Teaching Tips
Students plan and present mimes and role plays. After each one is presented, the teacher analyses the effects on a whole class chart. Use Think-Pair-Shares for students to discuss ideas before adding them to the chart.
After a pair has performed, they could be asked to analyse the next pair of performers. That way everyone contributes to the analysis.
Background Notes on Voice
Pitch
To understand pitch, think of music. It has high and low notes as do people's voices. Everyone's voice has a natural pitch. Women's tend to be higher than men's, and everybody has a pitch range: the number of notes habitually used. When that range is very small, the effect is monotonous.
Tone
Tone refers to the emotional content carried by our voices. It is not the words themselves, but 'how' we say them. To speak expressively, is to fill or energize our words appropriately.
For example: a person who puts very little energy into their speech, no matter what they are saying, is often described as being 'flat'. By contrast someone who fills their speech to overflowing with energy is described as being 'exuberant' or 'enthusiastic'.
Volume
How loudly or quietly you speak is called volume. Some people are habitually loud and others quiet, regardless of their speech content.
Rate
The term 'rate' refers to speaking pace.
Links to Waratah Works
Learning Intention: To apply what you know about the gestural, audio and spatial modes to a performance.
Success Criteria
As a class, we are going to perform the story of Lin Yi's Lantern.
Each pair will be allocated a page from the story. Your job is to write the script, decide on staging (where you will stand), props (keep them simple).
Rehearse your scene. Start with a freeze frame. Then think about your gestures, facial expressions, and how you will use your voice. End with a freeze frame.
Present your scene in the order of the story.
Comment: Write a self-evaluation of your performance. What elements of drama did you do well? What elements could you improve? Read other students' self-evaluations and comment on one that you liked.
Purpose: Students apply what they have learned about multimodality - the gestural, audio and spatial modes - by presenting a scene from Li Yin's Lantern.
Teaching Tips
Allocate a scene to each pair of students. If necessary the same scene can be allocated to more than one pair.
Students perform their scenes, following the event sequence of the picture book.
Their comment provides an opportunity for metacognition about their performance.
Links to Waratah Works
Learning Intention: To respond to different pieces of music, identifying volume, pitch, tone and rhythm.
Success Criteria
Listen to the following pieces. After each one, discuss what you have heard in a Think-Pair-Share with your partner. Discuss:
Happy by Pharrell (4.0)
The William Tell Overture by Rossini (3.24)
The Trout by Franz Schubert (1.07)
Yhuko pappora by Ash Dargan: an Indigenous Australian didgeridoo player whe is a member of the Larrakia people but did not find out about his aboriginality until he was 21. He teaches and performs all over the world. (4.32)
In the Hall of the Mountain from Peer Gynt by Edvard Grieg (2.39)
Sad Piano Music - Hurt by Lucas King (2014) (3.31)
Comment: Which was your favourite piece? Explain why by referring to its volume, pitch, tone and rhythm. Read other students' comments and comment on any that you thoutht were interesting, explaining why. It could be because you thought the same thing or because they made you think about a different idea. Start with @Name so they know you are commenting on their comment.
The music section builds on the drama section, leading to students finding a clip to set to a reading of Li Yin's Lantern or another favourite story.
Purpose: In this update, students revisit the conventions of drama that are applicable to music. These include volume, pitch, tone and rate/rhythm. The focus is on listening with concentration and identifying what they hear.
Teaching Tip: After each clip, stop and allow time for students to respond through Think-Pair-Shares. You could make a card with the focus questions so that students can work through each one after listening to a piece. Alternatively, prompt students with each question.
Learning Intention: To think about what makes you.
Think Pair Share: what factors influence and make up who people are? (e.g. where they live, their parents, cultural background, language, accent, religion, gender, clothing, education, opportunities, lifestyle etc).
Brainstorm what makes you? What things have influenced you identity - who you are?
Create a passport with a picture of yourself and draw/write about the factors that have shaped your identity.
Comment: How are we the same? How are we different?
The activity allows students to draw on their prior knowledge and experiences and share their ideas and understandings with others.
Learning Intention: To apply what you have learned about mood in music to a reading of a story.
Success Criteria
I can select and read a story aloud with other students.
I can select music as background to create a mood that fits in with the reading of the story.
I can collaborate with other students.
Working with a partner or small group to:
Comment: What were some of the difficulties you faced in this activity? What were some of the successes?
Purpose: To apply what students have learned about music to a reading of a narrative.
Teaching Tips: Provide a range of texts for students to select from, including LinYi's Lantern.
Stand in a circle with your cup of water. Your goal is to splash the water into the middle of our circle to create a splash artwork.
Consider how you can change what the water will look like on the concrete.
We will then sit in a circle around the splash artwork and discuss what we created and how we created it.
This is an optional activity in Experiencing the Known. If attending the National Gallery of Australia excurion, this activity may be covered by this experience.
Students stand in a circle with a plastic cup of water for each student on a clean concrete surface. Teacher explains to students that we are going to "throw" the water into the circle to create water splash patterns.
Teacher will review expectations of where the water will land, the importance of showing responsibility when completing this activity to achieve the best learning possible.
Students will examine the water patters that are created and then contribute to a circle time around the water splash work to discuss:
-how is the water creating a splash pattern?
-could the owner of each cup choose what types of marks would be made?
-how could the actions used to place the water on the concrete contribute to the overall end product?
-what would happen if you did this with paint?
Teaching Tip:
To ensure this is a controlled and successful activity, the following scffolds are suggested:
-explain to students (when in the classroom) what the activity is prior to going outside
-prepare a bucket of water (with at least enough water to fill a full cup for each student in your class)
-have students stand in the circle with an empty cup
-using a jug, fill each student's cup one at a time, having them "throw" the water from their cup and make the contribution to the work one at a time
-prompt students to look at the actions used by other students and the result of the splatter patterns
-take photographs throughout the process, before the circle is completely wet
-when complete, take a photograph of the splatter pattern work to review with the class at a later date (or if it dries before you finish the circle time).
We are going to visit the National Gallery of Australia (NGA). During this visit, you will get to see a range of works that we will refer to throughout this learning module. We will spend some time looking at "Blue Poles" by Jackson Pollock. He created this artwork using oil based paint on canvas. He used the same techniques we did in creating our water splash patterns. We will learn more about how artists create works for a variety of purposes (to engage, to entertain, to prompt thinking, to be controversial) using a variety of techniques.
We are going on an excursion to the National Gallery of Australia. We are going to view some of the key artworks that are referenced in this unit (see Visual Art Retrieval Chart) in real life to engage students in experiential learning.
When coordinating this excursion, you may be able to have the NGA staff orient students to the artwork "Blue Poles, by Jackson Pollock) and discuss the audience and purpose of the piece. This links directly with the next sequence of teaching episodes focusing on Visual Arts. If this is the case, you may not need the previous activity (VA1: Splatter Patterns).
See the gallery website for more details:
We are going to work on this Visual Arts Retrieval Chart to review and respond to a range of artworks. We will work together to complete the different sections of the chart.
Retrieval Chart:
Students work through the retrieval chart with the teacher. Use a gradual release of responsibility model to guide and support students through this learning experience. Explain this to students:
-I do, you watch
-I do, you help
-You do, I help
-You do, I watch
For Artworks 1 and 2 on the retrieval chart, the teacher models each component of the activity:
-Artwork (view the work)
-When (when was this work created?)
-How (how was this artwork created?)
-Artist / Culture (who created the work? What cultural influences are present?)
-Audience (who is the audience for the work?)
-Purpose (what is the intended purpose of the work? Examples: to entertain, prompt thinking, to engage, to be controversial)
-Meaning (what is the meaning of the artwork?)
-Effect (what are the effects of the work?)
For Artworks 3 and 4, the teacher supports students to use a Think-Pair-Share structure to review and respond to the artworks.
For Artworks 5 and 6, students work in cooperative groups to review and respond to the artworks.
For Artworks 7 and 8, students can work in pairs or individually to review and respond to the artworks.
For Artworks 9 and 10, they are intended as extension activities for the more capable students to review and respond to.
Learning Intention: To understand the effects of technique, colour, line, and texture in a painting.
Success Criteria
Watch the video of Jackson Pollock painting. With a partner describe how Jackson Pollock created his painting. Think about:
With your teacher complete the first part of this retrieval chart about painting technique.
What do you see? | What is the effect? | |
Painting technique | ||
Use of line | ||
Use of colour | ||
Use of texture |
Examine the Blue Poles painting by Jackson Pollock. With a partner describe how Jackson Pollock created his art work. Think about:
With your teacher complete the second part of the retrieval chart about the use of line.
Now think about how Jackson Pollock used colours and textures and finish the rest of the retrieval chart either with a partner or by yourself.
Jackson Pollock used repetition and direction to organise the lines, colours and textures in his painting. With a partner, take turns to describe how he did this and where you can see this in his painting.
In this update students deepen their understanding of Jackson Pollock's Blue Poles through investigation of the materials, techniques, processes and visual conventions.
Teaching Tip
It is worth viewing the YouTube clip several times to focus on different things:
Where necessary define and explain terminology such as texture. There are opportunities in this activity for teachers to further develop and broaden student vocabulary and to add new vocabulary and terminology to the word wall.
Use the gradual release of responsibility described in the previous activity to scaffold the retrieval chart component of this activity.
For background information about Abstract Expressionism:
https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/abstract-expressionism
Learning Intention: To create a painting that expresses my feelings.
Success Criteria:
Make a painting in the style of Jackson Pollock. Think about how you will use lines, colour and texture to express how you are feeling.
Share your painting with others and explain how you organised your painting.
In this activity students use what they have learned about the materials, techniques and composition of action painting to create their own works.
Teaching Tips
Prepare pots of diluted (runny) paint and provide alternatives to paintbrushes.
These works could be compiled into a single large array that emulates the scale of Pollock's works.
It may be valuable to revisit the YouTube clip of Jackson Pollock prior to students sharing and discussing their artwork, as this provides a model for describing their artwork.
Learning Intention: To view and respond to some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dances.
Success Criteria
Have you ever seen a brolga? It is a bird that lives in wetlands in Australia. It is a tall bird and has a small head, long beak, neck, and legs. It has grey feathers with black wing tips, and an orange-red band of colour on its head. It is well known for its courtship dance. Watch two video of brolgas dancing.
Think-Pair-Share: What was your favourite clip? What did the movements of the brolga make you think of?
Stand in the circle and let's try out some of the movements.
Now stand next to a partner and move with another person. Change position so that you move around, side-by-side and in front and behind each other as you try out some of the movements of the brolga dance.
The brolga is a type of bird called a crane. Now watch a dance that has been created to imitate the crane/brolga's courtship dance.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island dances tell stories about animals, fishing, hunting and welcome ceremonies.
Think-Pair-Share:
Let's try out some new movements. Create three movements with your partner. They can be based on the movement of the brolga/crane, fishing, hunting or a welcome. Also you could use the foot stomp movement or the knee shaking that you can see in the videoclip. Practise your movements and then sit in a big circle and watch as each pair of students perform their movements.
Comment: What were some of the movements you saw performed by other students? Which ones were your favourites? Why? Why was sitting in a circle important?
Purpose: This update engages students in the dance section of the learning module and introduces students to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dances and their common themes.
Teaching Tips
Links to Waratah Works
Learning Intention: To understand the elements of dance.
Success Criteria:
The courtship dance of the brolga is based on a Dreamtime story. Listen to the Aboriginal Dreamtime story about the brolga, Brolga, the most beautiful dancing bird.
Aboriginal Dreamtime stories are also called creation stories. They explain Aboriginal culture, how the world was created, and how laws for living, treating each other, the land and animals, and surviving, came to be.
There were many different communities or tribes of Aboriginal people, with their own languages and cultures. They all believed in the Dreaming or the Dreamtime, but they had many different Dreamtime stories. Different communities and tribes still tell their own Dreamtime stories, including stories about how things came to be – the land, water, and stars in the sky, people, animals, trees and plants. We call these creation stories. Aboriginal people hand down their culture to future generations through their stories, music, dance, art and crafts.
After listening to the story, discuss:
Now watch the Bangarra Dance company's dance about the brolga.
Think-Pair Share: What is this dance about? How is the same or different to the story that we read first?
Now let's try out some of the movements that you saw and learn about the elements of dance.
Watch the video again and as you watch it try to copy the movements.
Then discuss what you tried out, using the elements of dance.
Element of dance | Example |
Space: Level | High (standing and stretching with hands like a beak) and medium (on knees pecking the ground and bobbing neck) |
Space: Direction |
Circles, Forward, backwards, sideways, bending |
Space: Size |
Stretching high spreading wings - one wing and two wings |
Space: Shape |
Stretching high with hands like a beak spreading wings - one wing and two wings curved body |
Time: Rhythm | Regular |
Dynamics (steps) |
Large steps with stomps Shaking leg |
Also watch the shaking leg movement in the Corroboree dance video of Aboriginal children in St Kilda, Melbourne.
Imagine you are the brolga. Remember this part of the story:
But Brolga didn't just do the old dances. She liked to make up new ones about the trees and the wind, dances about the Spirits and the animals. Soon brolga's dances became so good that other tribes would come from far away just to watch Brolga dance her beautiful dances.
With a partner, try out 3-5 dance movements, showing the elements of dance. You can make them about the trees or animals and nature. Rehearse them and then perform them in a circle for other members of the class.
Comment: What did you learn about the elements of dance?
Purpose: Students learn more about Dreamtime stories and their connections to culture, especially dance. They also look at movements in the brolga dance performed by Bangarra to identify elements of dance. This is the important conceptual learning of the dance section.
Teaching Tips
Links to Waratah Works
Learning Intention: To understand the effects of space, time, dynamics and relationships in dance sequences.
Success Criteria
As a class, let's complete part of the chart about the elements of dance. Think about the dance movements in our last lesson as well as the dance videoclips you watched. Then with a partner, in a Think-Pair-Share, discuss an example of space that you used or you saw someone else use. We will record that in the "Example" column. Now think about "What happened when you varied the space element or repeated it or made it more abstract? Record that in the "Effects" column.
Dance Element | Examples | Effects |
Space (level, direction, size and shape) | ||
Space | ||
Space | ||
Time (rhythm - fast slow, regular, irregular, choppy) | ||
Time | ||
Time | ||
Dynamics (energy - side steps or stomps) | ||
Dynamics | ||
Dynamics |
After completing the chart, in an Inner-Outer Circle, discuss:
Comment: Share one important idea from your discussion in the Inner-Outer Circle activity. Explain why you think it is important. Read other students' comments and comment on 1-2 that you thought were interesting, explaining why. Start with @Name so they know that you are commenting on their comment.
Purpose: In this update, students deepen their understanding of the elements of dance through analysing the effects of using the elements and reflecting on their own dance movements. The focus is on metacognition as students develop their understandings of the elements of dance so they can apply them when they create their own dance sequences. It also includes prompts about the relevance of their learning.
Teaching Tips
Use Think-Pair-Shares to ensure each student is involved in thinking about the dance elements and their effects. This is the "Analysing Functionally" activity. Show the chart on the whiteboard/SmartBoard/paper to model and scaffold for students as they complete their own charts. Students copy this onto the worksheet that they are given and then work in pairs to add 2 more examples from the videoclips and/or from their own movement sequences in the previous activity. Follow this process for each of the elements.
Effects might include: there was more variety or the dance became more interesting, entertaining, showed specific emotions, funnier, harder/easier and communicated a particular idea/theme etc.
The Inner-Outer Circle (see description below) is the "Analysing Critically" activity. You can add more questions.
In the Inner Outer Circle activity, students can move right or left upon the teacher's direction. Vary who goes first and allow 30 seconds for thinking and then 1 minute for each person to respond to the question. Keep it moving and make it fun.
Links to Waratah Works
Ask students to thank each person before moving to the next person. Give a little more time to the last 4 questions as they are essential to understanding the relevance of this learning to students' own lives and an appreciation of diversity and tolerance.
Inner/Outer Circles
Students form two circles – one circle within the other - with students facing each other.
Pose a question to the students or make a statement and ask student what they think about it. Allow them some thinking time. One student shares his/her thinking and then the other student build on his/her ideas. Students in one of the circles then move one or more steps to the right or left. The teacher then poses the next question or statement, allowing time for thinking and sharing, before asking one of the circles to move again. Vary the activity by asking students to move and then share what they discussed in the previous rotation with their new partner.
Learning Intention: To represent ideas of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Dreamtime stories using the elements of dance.
Success Criteria
Watch the Dreamtime story about Mirram The Kangaroo and Warreen The Wombat. This animation was created by students from the Wiradjuri people in Griffith, NSW.
Now let's make a list of some of the movements of Wareen and Mirram in the story.
Think about gestures and facial expressions to tell story too.
Let's create movements to tell the story.
Work in a group of three to find your own Dreamtime story in the library or on the internet. It could be about:
When you find your story, work out 3-5 movements that tell the story. Include the elements of dance.
Perform your movements in the class circle. You can use clapping sticks or didgeridoo music as you perform.
Comment: What was my favourite dance? What elements of dance did you see? Read through other students' comments and comment on 1-2 that you agree with.
Purpose: Students have focused on one Dreamtime story and now apply what they have learnt to other stories.
Teaching Tips
Links to Waratah Works
We are going to watch an interesting advertisement. Whe watching this ad, know that the mouse is not going to die.
View it a second time and consider the music and the affect it has on the ad. What if we watched it on mute? Is it the same? What changes?
Repeat this process looking at the humour perspective of the ad, empathy and colours. How has the author intentionally positioned the audience using these components? Share your thoughts with others.
Students view the following advertisement on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcSBO8YAnTQ
This activity links to the teaching of Persuasive Writing (see Persuasive Writing Planning Documents).
Students view the advertisement from the following perspectives:'
-music
-humour and empathy
-colours
-actions of the mouse
Students post their understandings of the affect of these perspectives on the Waratah Works Community.
Who do you think is the intended audience for this ad? What is the ad trying to convince you to do? Why? How do you know?
We are going to write our thoughts on a think board and share with the class.
LI: I can identify the audience and purpose of an advertisement.
Students examine the intended audience for the ad. What is the purpose of the ad? Students complete an "All Write Round Robin" to share their thoughts and opinions.
All Write Round Robin: Students all write at the same time on an A3 piece of paper split into 4 quadrants, all answering the same question at the same time.
Make links to the audience and purpose of other advertisements (as covered in the Persuasive Writing Planning Documents).
Using a device, find an approriate advertisement to analyse the following:
-who is the audience?
-what is the purpose?
-what techniques have publisher used to create the ad and make it successful (eg music, light, humour, empathy, colours, characters/actors etc).
Is the ad succcessful? Would you buy the product? Why? Why Not? What changes would you make if you were the publisher?
LI: I can analyse an advertisement, examining the features used to make it successful and explain this to someone else.
Students will analyse another advertisement. Using the same structures, they need to find an appropriate ad (and check it with the teacher).
Students will analyse the different components of the ad and the effect they have on the audience. Students share their work with their table group.
Learning Intention: To demonstrate what you have learned about the arts through a performance/presentation.
Success Criteria
Let's show what we have learned about the elements of drama, music, dance, visual arts and media through a passion project. It could be:
You could also combine one or more areas as a performance/presentation for an audience.
Reflect in a Think-Pair-Share:
Comment: Write a self-evaluation of your performance. What elements did you do well? What elements could you improve? Read other students' self-evaluations and comment on one that you liked.
This is the culminating project for the learning module.
Purpose: To demonstrate what students have learnt in one of more areas of the arts through an artwork/performance.
Teaching Tips
Allow students choice in the artworks at the same time as encouraging them to select an area where they can make positive contributions and experience success.
Students may work individually, in pairs or in small groups.
Students across the unit could combine so that teachers could focus one area..
Links to Waratah Works
Emphasise tolerance and respect in how students work collaboratively and in how they give feedback to each other.
The orignal version of this learning module was written by Marissa Owens, Lauren Hasler, and David Livingstone.
Title: (Source); Fig. 1: (Source); Fig. 2: (Source); Figs 3 and 4: (Source); Fig. 5: Stage (Source); Fig. 6: Red fist (Source); Fig. 7: Eggs (Source); Fig. VA2: National Gallery (Source); Fig. VA4: Blue Poles (Source); Fig. VA5: Paintbrushes (Source); Fig. Dance 3: (Source); Passion Project (Source);