The Arts

	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5	Level 6
Standards
Learning focus

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 1 standards in the Arts, they make performing and visual arts works that express and communicate experiences, observations, ideas and feelings about themselves and their world. With guidance, they make arts works in traditional and contemporary (including digital) arts forms in response to stimuli drawn from sources such as play, problem solving, imagination, observation, incursions and excursions. Students’ natural tendency to discovering possibilities and limitations is encouraged through exploring different ways of using performing and visual arts elements, principles and/or conventions, skills, techniques and processes, media, materials and technologies.

For example, students could:

• in Art, use a range of mark making tools to explore as many ways as possible to apply wet and dry media
• in Dance (after the safe dance practice of a warm up for the body), communicate the idea of a leaf in the wind by using movements to shift body weight in different ways
• in Drama, communicate a character’s feelings at different points in a story through facial expression, gesture and other non-vocal language
• in Media, make and record sound effects to accompany a story book they have created
• in Music, use body percussion, found and made percussion instruments and their voices to create a soundscape about changes in the weather.

As part of their arts making, students talk about ways in which the Arts are part of their personal experience, as well as cultural and social events in their community. They discuss and express opinions about arts ideas they are exploring and works they are creating and, with guidance, begin to use arts language to describe features of their own and others’ arts works. They learn about ways of making personal responses to arts works based on sensory perception, and consider ways that they and others can be both makers and audience.

Further examples of arts discipline-specific learning approaches for Level 1 will be published soon.

Standards

Creating and making

At Level 1, students make and share performing and visual arts works that communicate observations, personal ideas, feelings and experiences. They explore and, with guidance, use a variety of arts elements (on their own or in combination), skills, techniques and processes, media, materials, equipment and technologies in a range of arts forms. They talk about aspects of their own arts works, and arts works and events in their community.

In the Arts, standards for the Exploring and responding dimension are introduced at Level 3.

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 2 standards in the Arts, they learn about a range of ways arts elements can be used in the Performing and Visual Arts to communicate experiences, observations and things imagined. They begin to select, arrange and make choices about ways of using arts elements, principles and/or conventions from individual arts disciplines as they investigate the use of skills, techniques, processes, media, materials, equipment and technologies relevant to the arts disciplines in which they are working. They explore and, with guidance, maintain a record of ways of creating arts works that use a range of contemporary and traditional arts forms, media, materials, equipment and technologies; for example, they plan and explore ideas in a visual diary or keep an electronic journal with digital records of presentations. Using ideas and concepts taken from themes, scenarios, narratives and visual stimuli, they experiment with ways of expressing and communicating ideas and feelings to particular audiences or for particular purposes. Students could present arts works that combine arts disciplines such as a shadow puppet play featuring puppets and a soundtrack the students have designed and created or arts works from individual arts disciplines. For example, students could:

• in Art, hang a display on tree branches made up of three-dimensional, oddly shaped imaginary creatures, each with two sides to its personality, created to show skills in selecting and making choices about use of a range of media and materials
• in Dance, use the whole body or body parts to improvise movements matching sounds or the movement characteristics of particular animals
• explore Drama elements and conventions such as costumes and props to create a character based on their observation and perception of a character in a story
• in Media, create a storyboard depicting their alternative ending for a popular film then discussing these in class
• in Music, combine sounds made by a range of noise making toys with body percussion to accompany a learned song.

Students respond to arts works to gain experience in identifying personal preferences, reflecting on features that might influence their own arts works, and recognising similarities and differences between works from different cultures and times. In discussions about and responses to their own and other people’s arts works, they begin to use arts language to identify characteristics such as similarities and differences. They learn about places where arts works can be found and how arts works can be designed and made to fulfil particular individual and community needs.

Further examples of arts discipline-specific learning approaches for Level 2 will be published soon.

Standards

Creating and making

At Level 2, students create and present performing and visual arts works that show emerging arts knowledge and an ability to plan arts works that communicate ideas, concepts, observations feelings and/or experiences. They demonstrate an emerging ability to select, arrange and make choices about expressive ways of using arts elements, principles and/or conventions. They use skills, techniques, processes, media, materials, equipment and technologies in a range of arts forms. They identify, describe and discuss characteristics of their own and others’ arts works.

In the Arts, standards for the Exploring and responding dimension are introduced at Level 3.

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 3 standards in the Arts, they apply and develop their arts knowledge by exploring arts processes and ways to communicate concepts arising from their personal experiences and from the world around them. Through the arts disciplines of Dance, Drama, Media, Music and Visual Arts – Art (two-dimensional and three-dimensional), both individually and in combination, they communicate ideas, observations and feelings using a range of media, materials, equipment and technologies to make arts works; for example, a class presentation could feature the performance of a song from another culture in combination with a traditional dance and/or accompanied by a slide-show presentation featuring paintings and carvings which explore the theme of the song.

Students select, combine and experiment with ways of using a range of arts elements, principles and/or conventions, skills, techniques and processes, to explore arts ideas sourced from their imagination and from their own and other cultures. With guidance they record the development of ideas; for example, in a visual diary or a digital (audio or screen) journal with records of rehearsals and conversations about the ideas/work they are developing. Students consider the purpose and audience of their arts works as they experiment with various ways of presenting works in a range of arts forms, and begin to evaluate and refine their work in response to feedback. For example:

• in Art, students look at and talk about examples of weaving from various cultures, then explore the potential of weaving techniques and processes to create pattern, repetition and contrast using a range of media
• in Dance, students create a movement sequence based on ideas and feelings suggested by one or more images viewed in class, then modify their work in response to feedback from other students in the class
• in Drama, students discuss the possibilities of communicating without words then create tableaux based on image/s, to suggest what may have happened before and after what is depicted in the image/s
• in Media, students plan, record and edit an interview with someone of interest (or curiosity) to them, then present their work and discuss ideas about it in class
• in Music, with a journey to an imaginary world in mind, students create sound pictures that show variation in rhythmic patterns and contrasts in pitch and duration.

As they explore and respond to their own and others’ arts works, students develop skills, techniques and processes for expressing emotions and ideas, and signifying purpose. Using appropriate arts language they begin to identify and describe ways they and others use specific elements, principles and/or conventions, skills, techniques and processes and discuss how ideas, feelings and purpose are conveyed. They reflect on their own and other people’s arts works and ideas, identifying key features of works and performances from their own and other cultures, and discuss the function of the Arts in their community.

Further examples of arts discipline-specific learning approaches for Level 3 will be published soon.

Standards

Creating and making

At Level 3, students create and present works in a range of arts forms that communicate experiences, ideas, concepts, observations and feelings. They select and combine a range of arts elements, principles and/or conventions, and use a range of skills, techniques and processes, media, materials, equipment and technologies. They show evidence of arts knowledge when planning arts works for different purposes and audiences and identify techniques and features of other people’s works that inform their own arts making. They refine their work in response to feedback and self-evaluation.

Exploring and responding

At Level 3, students comment on the exploration, development and presentation of their arts works, including the use of specific arts elements, principles and/or conventions, skills, techniques and processes. They identify and describe key features of arts works from their own and other cultures, and use arts language to describe and discuss the communication of ideas, feelings and purpose in their own and other people’s arts works.

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 4 standards in the Arts, they investigate a range of traditional and contemporary arts forms, styles, media, materials, equipment and technologies in the arts disciplines of Dance, Drama, Media, Music and Visual Arts – Art (two-dimensional and three-dimensional) individually and in combination. They learn about ways to design, improvise, represent, interpret, make and present arts works that communicate feelings and their interests and understanding of themselves, their relationships and other people. For example:

• in Dance, students mirror the movements of a partner and then perform the same movements expressing contrasting emotions
• in Drama, students role-play situations and events, sustaining role/character throughout their group or solo performance.

They experiment with imaginative and innovative ways of generating ideas and manipulating arts elements, principles and/or conventions to explore the potential of ideas, gaining inspiration from a broad range of sources, including arts works from different cultures, styles and historical contexts. For example:

• in Art, students view and discuss examples of portraits by artists from different cultural contexts, then using mixed media, they create a work using techniques from a culture that is not their own
• in Music, students listen to and discuss the mood created in selected advertisement jingles or sound tracks for a cartoon or a theme for a movie character, then using a variety of sound sources and a range of sounds they create two arrangements of group-devised music to convey two different moods.

Students research, improvise, practise and rehearse skills, techniques and processes, using a range of media, materials, equipment and technologies. With some guidance, they maintain a record of their planning and development (for example, in a visual diary or multimedia journal) noting when they are achieving their aim. They also record the refining of specific aspects of the work when ideas or attempts are not realising their intended purpose. Students learn to evaluate their own and other people’s arts works showing some understanding of selected arts forms and their particular techniques and processes as well as an emerging understanding of the qualities of arts elements, principles and/or conventions. They independently and collaboratively explore and experiment with different ways of presenting arts works and consider appropriateness of presentation for intended audience. Through exploring and responding, students begin to develop a vocabulary of appropriate arts language they can use to describe and discuss the content and structural qualities of their own and other people’s arts works. They begin to research, and with guidance, analyse arts works to interpret and compare key features, symbols and cultural characteristics of arts works in a range of contemporary and traditional forms from different historic, social and cultural contexts. For example:

• in Media, students research media texts focusing on the use of a range of media technologies in the production and presentation of news in different historical contexts, and then create a real or imagined news item for their school community by working collaboratively from pre-production to post-production and presentation of the news item.

They begin to reflect on their responses to other people’s works and consider other’s perspectives when discussing arts works.

Further examples of arts discipline-specific learning approaches for Level 4 will be published soon.

Standards

Creating and making

At Level 4, students independently and collaboratively experiment with and apply a range of skills, techniques and processes using a range of media, materials, equipment and technologies to plan, develop, refine, make and present arts works. They investigate a range of sources to generate ideas and manipulate arts elements, principles and/or conventions in a range of arts disciplines and forms as they explore the potential of ideas. In their arts works, they communicate ideas and understandings about themselves and others, incorporating influences from their own and other cultures and times. They evaluate the effectiveness of their arts works and make changes to realise intended aims. They consider purpose and suitability when they plan and prepare arts works for presentation to a variety of audiences.

Exploring and responding

At Level 4, students discuss traditional and contemporary arts works using appropriate arts language to describe the content, structure and expressive qualities of their own and other people’s works from a range of arts disciplines and forms. They interpret and compare key features of arts works made in a range of times, places and cultures. They identify and describe influences on their own works and discuss the purposes for which arts works are created in different historical and cultural contexts.

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 5 standards in the Arts, they use a range of starting points including observation, experience and research to represent, generate, develop and communicate real, imaginary and abstract ideas. For example:

• in Drama, students work as an ensemble to explore cultural diversity by sharing experiences and observations through improvisation and role-play about a familiar situation, maintaining a diary of personal reflections throughout their performance making
• in Art, following several lessons exploring line, tonal rendering, perspective and foreshortening as ways to represent and define form, students work from direct observation of people/places/objects and create the illusion of space and form on a two-dimensional surface.

Students explore different contemporary and traditional arts forms and styles to develop understanding of the concept of style. Students apply their arts knowledge and, with guidance, an understanding of style when experimenting with, selecting and using a range of contemporary and traditional media, materials, equipment and technologies to explore and expand their understanding and use of a range of skills, techniques and processes in the arts disciplines of Art (two-dimensional and three-dimensional), Dance, Drama, Media, Music, and Visual Communication. For example:

• in Dance, students learn and present dance sequences from different cultures and styles.

Students work both independently and collaboratively to develop creative and effective ways of combining and manipulating arts elements, principles and/or conventions when designing, making and presenting arts works for particular purposes and audiences. For example:

• in Media, students video or photograph two alternate interpretations of a short visual narrative, to present the story from the point of view of two characters, using variations in lighting, camera angle and shot types
• in Visual Communication, students explore the potential of symbols and cartoons and elements of shape, line and colour to fulfil a design brief.

Students use processes of rehearsal, reflection and evaluation to develop skills in refining and shaping their works to effectively communicate their intended aims, and experiment with imaginative ways of creating solutions to set tasks. They maintain a record of their exploration and development of ideas and problem solving processes; for example, in a visual diary, on video or in an electronic journal.

Students explore and respond to arts works from a range of styles, forms, times, traditions and cultures. They use research to inform their concept of style and apply their observation skills when describing, comparing and analysing arts works. Students use appropriate arts language when discussing their own and other artists’ intentions and expressive use of arts forms, elements, principles and/or conventions and when describing, analysing and interpreting the content and meaning of arts works. They develop skills in analysing, interpreting and evaluating specific expressive, technical and aesthetic qualities of their own and others’ works. For example:

• in Music, they listen to and discuss excerpts from music that explores the aural aesthetics of musical representations of air and earth.

Students develop their ability to listen to, reflect on and acknowledge others’ perspectives when discussing their own and others’ responses to arts works.

Further examples of arts discipline-specific learning approaches for Level 5 will be published soon.

Standards

Creating and making

At Level 5, students, independently and collaboratively, plan, design, improvise, interpret, evaluate, refine, make and present arts works that represent and communicate ideas and purpose. They experiment with, select and use appropriate skills, techniques, processes, media, materials, equipment and technologies across a range of arts forms and styles. They generate and develop ideas that explore particular concepts, techniques and issues when making arts works. They combine and manipulate arts elements, principles and/or conventions to represent and communicate ideas and develop imaginative solutions to set tasks. They maintain a record of the creating and making of their arts works and explain their decisions about how they present arts works for specific purposes and audiences.

Exploring and responding

At Level 5, students research, observe and reflect on their explorations to develop, discuss, express and support opinions about their own and others’ use of arts elements, principles and/or conventions, skills, techniques, processes, media, materials, equipment and technologies. They compare, analyse, evaluate, and interpret the content, meaning and qualities in arts works created in different social, cultural and historical contexts, offering informed responses and opinions and using appropriate arts language. They describe aspects and requirements of different forms, audiences and traditions, and identify ways that contemporary arts works, including their own, are influenced by cultural and historical contexts. They use appropriate arts language.

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 6 standards in the Arts, they design, make and present arts works. In doing so, they develop skills in making decisions about creative ways of generating and implementing ideas. They reflect on their experiences and observations, consider what they have learned about styles and forms and explore issues and concrete and abstract concepts to generate ideas. They keep their intended aesthetic qualities in mind when they experiment with, select, vary combinations of and manipulate arts elements, principles and/or conventions to effectively realise their ideas, represent their observations and communicate their interpretations of issues and concepts. For example:

• in Music, in response to learning and performing songs, that reflect the ‘human spirit’ students, individually or collaboratively, compose and using conventional or unconventional notation, write down, then present their musical response to an issue holding personal interest for them.

Students consider others’ perspectives when seeking solutions and contributing to collaborative arts tasks. For example:

• in Art, students research installation artists who use natural settings as their gallery, then collaboratively design and present an Installation art work that uses found forms and works in harmony with the selected site.

Students begin to develop a personal style and become more independent in their approach to exploring, developing and refining arts works. For example:

• in Dance, students individually develop their own dance sequence and teach it to others, then, working collaboratively, they combine the sequences and present as one work.

Within and across specific arts disciplines and arts forms, students experiment with imaginative and innovative ways of using traditional and contemporary skills, techniques and processes and a variety of media, materials, equipment and technologies drawn from a range of contexts. For example:

• in Visual Communication, students develop a website home page for a fictitious organisation.

Students consider the purpose and presentation context when they prepare and present arts works to different audiences. For example:

• in Drama, students devise, rehearse, and design an ensemble performance. They construct sets, costumes and props suitable for a selected performance space, and present the performances.

Students use evaluation and reflection on their arts experiences to improve the making and presenting of their arts works. They maintain a record of their exploration, development and refining of ideas, use of elements and principles and/or conventions and application of techniques and processes when making and presenting their arts works.

When exploring and responding, students focus on the development of knowledge and understanding of key concepts, techniques, processes and practices associated with particular arts forms. They develop aesthetic and critical awareness through observation, research, discussion and analysis of arts works from different social, historical and cultural contexts. They compare arts works to consider similarities and differences in the styles, themes, intentions and aesthetic qualities of works by particular artists and arts works made at a particular time within specific cultural contexts. They develop skills in presenting and justifying personal interpretations of, and opinions about, arts works using appropriate arts language. They investigate and discuss the contribution of the arts to society and other disciplines, such as Mathematics and History, focusing on ways contemporary, and traditional arts disciplines, forms and works reinforce and challenge social, cultural, personal and artistic practices and values. For example:

• in Media, students research issues related to ‘body image’ and the visual media’s role in the construction of the ‘ideal body form’, then they identify, analyse and discuss images found in popular magazines that contribute to ‘body image’ issues.

Further examples of arts discipline-specific learning approaches for Level 6 will be published soon.

Standards

Creating and making

At Level 6, within and across areas of specialisation, students apply decision making skills to find the most effective way to implement ideas, design, create and make arts works devised from a range of stimuli, demonstrating development of a personal style. They evaluate, reflect on, refine and justify their work’s content, design, development and their aesthetic choices. Students realise their ideas, represent observations and communicate their interpretations by effectively combining and manipulating selected arts elements, principles and/or conventions to create the desired aesthetic qualities. Independently and collaboratively, they apply their knowledge and understanding to design, create and produce arts works influenced by the style of particular artists or cultures. They vary the content, structure and form of their arts works to suit a range of purposes, contexts, audiences and/or the conventions of a specific style, and demonstrate technical competence in the use of skills, techniques and processes. They effectively use a range of traditional and contemporary media, materials, equipment and technologies. They maintain a record of how ideas develop in the creating, making and presenting of their arts works.

Exploring and responding

At Level 6, students observe, research and critically discuss a range of contemporary, traditional, stylistic, historical and cultural examples of arts works in the disciplines and forms in which they are working. They analyse, interpret, compare and evaluate the stylistic, technical, expressive and aesthetic features of arts works created by a range of artists and made in particular times and cultural contexts. They describe and discuss ways that their own and others’ arts works communicate and challenge ideas and meaning. They use appropriate arts language and, in the arts works they are exploring and responding to, refer to specific examples. They comment on the impact of arts works, forms and practices on other arts works and society in general.