(May 2009)  This unit is relevant to students as machines are part of our everyday lives.   Students may also have studied mechanisms as a technology topic and this learning can be reinforced in the dance class.  Dance and drama teachers often include making machines as a group exercise but often do not include any real learning about machine parts or the movement involved in a working machine. There are multiple opportunities for teamwork in this unit.  Because of the way it is structured, the students are forced to work in pairs and groups possibly outside friendship groups. The dance-making is structured in a way that involves pairs supporting each other in some dance-making and bringing their own movement material to contribute to the group process. Author: Patrice O’Brien

(May 2009)  Ideas about how to use the Curriculum Support Day resources for the Visual Arts.    There is a morning session on Junior Visual Arts, and an afternoon session on Senior Visual Arts.   You will probably have the same people in both, and be able to work across the whole day, but be aware that some new people could arrive for the afternoon session, having been doing another subject in the morning, or vice versa.   Check out at the start what levels of Visual Arts your group teaches, so you know whether to run junior and senior together or to separate them.    The main emphasis should be placed on encouraging individual teachers to reflect on their own pedagogical approach to teaching. The important messages in the new curriculum are in the front end. The subject-specific content of the Visual Arts in the new curriculum is virtually unchanged.   Authors: Kirsten Price and Evan Jones

(May 2009)  Part of the Visual Arts facilitators resource.

(May 2009)  Part of the Visual Arts Facilitators resource.

(May 2009) Part of the Visual Arts Facilitators resource.

(May 2009)  The decision to select this unit of work for close scrutiny is based on a desire to realise the considerable potential of the NZ Curriculum to make learning for students exciting, authentic and engaging.   This “Contemporary approaches to drawing” unit draws on current practice in Visual Arts classrooms. The original learning activity described provides a range of tasks for students to complete and an assessment schedule and is intended to meet the requirements of AS 90019. The revised activity/unit however shows how a wider context can be considered and links made to the Vision, Principles and Values of the NZC. Specific Key Competencies have been identified and decisions made about which teaching strategies will be used to enable the students to experiment with materials and use processes and conventions to develop their visual enquiries.   However, the revision of the unit is by no means complete and it could be further developed as part of coherent and cohesive NCEA programme. This unit can also be adapted and modified to fit many different contexts and student needs.  Authors: Kirsten Price and Evan Jones

(May 2009)  The decision to select this unit of work for close scrutiny was based on a desire to realise the considerable potential of the NZ Curriculum document to make learning for students exciting, authentic and engaging. This “political stickers” unit references contemporary artist models and develops the student’s ability to communicate ideas about social and political issues. The street art genre chosen is intended to engage a range of students from diverse cultural and social backgrounds.  Throughout this unit students are invited to build on their own experiences and perspectives and to share their responses with others. Students are able to investigate the street art genre and are able to investigate how such works are made viewed and valued. The unit is however not dependent on the specified context and genre but could instead be adapted and modified to meet the needs of any students in any classroom.  Authors:  Kirsten Price, Evan Jones

(May 2009)  This unit is relevant to students as problems associated with P use are constantly highlighted in the media.  It is intended to follow on from a Health Studies unit about drug use.  Resources are readily available from Mike Sabin of Methcon.  See resource information below for information on how to acquire the resources.  There are multiple opportunities for team work and inclusion in this unit.  Because of the way it is structured, the students are forced to work in a variety of groups and pairs outside friendship groups.  This structure also allows for those who have been absent to rejoin groups or partner work to be adapted for solos when one of the pair is away.  The dance-making is structured in a way that involves individual students bringing their own movement material to contribute to a pair or group process.  Authors:  Leone Neal and Patrice O’Brien

(May 2009)  Students enjoy this unit, I find it easy to facilitate and I have had some good results from it.   One area I would like to develop/improve, though, is the fact that whilst students are engaged with their monologues, they are not ‘serious’ enough .  I’m keen to slow things down more and spend time on building and reflecting on our community as emerging characters as we work.  It’s still not there. It’s work in progress.Rather than interrogate the existing unit, we have provided here a revised unit, with comments about the changes we have made and why we have made them, in terms of the ‘front end’ of the new curriculum.  Author: Originally Ministry of Education but adapted by Rachel Steele and Jane Donald

(May 2009)  This unit could be a suitable one to begin the year. It does not require a great deal of prior knowledge, yet can be adapted for students with more developed skills and abilities.   (Note:  Rather than interrogate an existing unit, I have provided a new unit which I believe interweaves the ‘front end’ and ‘back end’ of the new curriculum.)  A group composition task incorporates all of the Key Competencies:Thinking:    Decisions about elements and features to include and how to manipulate them; elating to others: Both in the construction of the composition and in performance; Managing self: Finding a balance between leading and following; Making meaning: Using musical elements and features to  compose coherently; Participating and contributing: Opportunities may be able to be found for performance of compositions in the school or wider community.  Author:  Margaret Williams

(May 2009)  In doing this unit, students consider how artistic diversity can enrich their understanding of music through listening to, discussing and analyzing a selection of songs that ‘communicate layered meanings’ (NZC, The Arts, p.20).   The unit was written in 2008 in the spirit of the revised curriculum, however I have highlighted where and how the ‘front end’ of the document can be given verve.   The unit integrates NCEA Level 1 music works (AS), NZ music (US) and aural (US) assessment foci.    Author:  Chris Archer

(April 2009)  We have written a completely new unit and annotated it.  We would normally adapt the task and use a range of teaching & learning experiences around that.   We wanted to bring all of our current teaching ideas together and relate them to our understanding of the values, principles & key competencies in the new curriculum.  Authors: Kathleen Westhead and Rachel Steele