Assessment item 1 - Planning & Observing in Creative Arts

Value: 50%

Due Date: 17-Aug-2021

Return Date: 07-Sep-2021

Length: 2200 words

 

PART A: Planning developmentally appropriate creative arts experiences (maximum 1200 words for both lesson plan, OR 2 pages per lesson plan)

N.B. Outcomes and indicators/descriptors from the syllabus are NOT included in the overall word count. These need to be written out in full - please do NOT just provide the codes.

A planning template (coversheet) will be provided that you need to use for the creative arts learning experiences.

1. Plan for TWO student-centred, age-appropriate Creative Arts experiences (minimum of 20 minutes for a group or class of children). Two of the four art forms (drama, music, dance, and visual arts) should be incorporated into your planning (i.e., one for each lesson plan). The selected art form will be a lead focus for individual learning experiences and cannot be the same for each art experience. Each lesson plan is a stand-alone one, but you might consider linking up certain skills, knowledge and understanding, attitudes and values, Creative Arts elements or learning outcomes (as appropriate) across the TWO Creative Arts lessons in order to enhance continuity in the children's learning. These learning experiences (lesson plans) need to be for children within the early childhood OR K-6 educational context. Relevant assessment strategies must be an integral part of the lesson design. Ensure that you refer to the online modules, resources on Interact2 and the rubric for what your lesson should contain. Importantly, you need to design learning experiences that are creativeand student-centred. This means that you, as the teacher, should not be leading each learning activity. Instead, you should be offering problem-solving possibilities and empowering students by taking the role of a learning facilitator.Our modules explain these important aspects – ensure you review these and apply your learning to this planning process. Do NOT plan for procedural activities such as everyone cutting out a template and colouring it in, or formulaic dances such as everyone learning the Nutbush, etc.
2. Each experience will be for a different age/stage group. Each activity must support the child to work towards a stage appropriate outcome from the syllabus. Follow the Assignment 1 template (coversheet) for further advice. For example, do not use more than 1-2 learning outcomes for each lesson plan, etc.

1. If you are completing a Primary Sector Degree - ONE of the activities will need to be designed for an early childhood setting (babies, toddlers, or preschool) and the remaining experience needs to be designed for a primary setting (ES1, S1, S2 or S3). The design of these learning experiences will be based on your personal learning in this subject and any previous Creative Arts subject(s) that you might have taken.
2. If you are completing a Primary/Secondary Sector Degree - BOTH experiences need to be designed for a primary setting (ES1, S1, S2 or S3: TWO different stages are required, e.g., one S1 AND one S3 lesson, OR one ES1 AND one S2 lesson). The design of these learning experiences will be based on your personal learning in this subject and any previous Creative Arts subject(s) that you might have taken.

 

3. Articulate a brief rationale for each of the planned activities. This is the purpose of your lesson (content, skills, and/or values).
4. Provide a list of materials you will need to implement each activity and include these on the planning template. Include links to pertinent curriculum/syllabus documents (e.g., NSW K-6 Creative Arts Syllabus or the Early Years Learning Framework), as well as a range of other resources that you have utilised to develop these activities (e.g., arts books, internet resources). N.B. You can use the Australian Curriculum or syllabuses from other states (e.g., Victoria) if this is where you are based or intend on teaching. Always reference the syllabus you choose.

5. Identify explicit opportunities (included on the planning template) for developing

• literacy in one of the creative arts learning experiences; and
• numeracy in the other creative arts learning experience.

Include ONE relevant learning outcome from Mathematics OR ONE from English in this section on each of your lesson plans, with some expansion on the syllabus details (examples will be shared with you in Resources on Interact2). Include the syllabus code and write out the specific indicator/descriptor in full. OR, include the outcome in the Outcomes section of the template and in the specific literacy/numeracy box explain how you are including these very briefly, e.g. Maths: Patterns form a significant part of the music lesson - patterns are determined in the rain sounds that contribute to nature’s musicality and patterns are evident and essential in the rain soundscape game and the creation of rain sticks - particularly with the insertion of toothpicks to alter and affect the sounds produced.

Appendix: You may wish to include an appendix with relevant resources for your lesson plans (e.g., stimulus images for a Visual Arts lesson). This is not a mandatory requirement, but it can help to enrich and extend your existing lesson plan content. N.B. An appendix is not included in your word count.

 

PART B: Undertake observation (300 words) and design an effective learning experience (400 words or two pages)

N.B. Part B is separate to Part A so this can focus on the same art form and age/stage as Part A.

 

Task (i): Select ONE of the case studies from the list below (that is relevant to your degree of study - Primary sector)

• Early Childhood Sector

• Tracyreb (2009, April 11) Observation Load [YouTube Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDMrAYhzOdg&list=PLdOxTVKElHScJxJK5JwcZldt3kn_zjoQX&index=3&nohtml5
• Brooks, L. (2012, May 15) Little Stars Creative Movement Dance Class [YouTube Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsJv9pE6bGk&nohtml5=False

• Primary Sector

• Oakhill Day School (2012, January 24) First Grade Art Lesson [YouTube Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqhKxzYpkMY
• Mediamerge Ltd (2014, November 24) Year 6 Music Classroom Observation – Topic: African Music [You Tube Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLsqhw2iDZs

Your observation should include

• A short description.
• Identification of ONE syllabus outcome (from your chosen syllabus) that the child(ren) achieved or is/are working towards; and
• A description of what the child (or selected child in a group situation, or the group as a whole) understand(s)/achieve(s) and what the child (or children) still need(s) to understand/achieve. Make it clear which child/children you are observing to the marker (e.g., blonde female with hair in bunches; boy with glasses wearing blue T-shirt, etc.).
• Explicit connection to relevant theories/processes of learning and assessment, as per the rubric requirements.

Task (ii): You then need to develop a follow-up learning experience/lesson plan (in the same creative art form as per your case study) that would effectively deepen the creative arts learning for children of the same age group as your case study. Use the provided planning template (this does not need to offer explicit opportunities for developing literacy and numeracy as in Part A; this is optional). N.B. You do not need to use the same syllabus outcome that you selected before; you can select an alternative outcome or outcomes, as appropriate.

Appendix: You may wish to include an appendix with relevant resources for your follow-up lesson plan (e.g., stimulus images for a Visual Arts lesson). This is not a mandatory requirement, but it can help to enrich and extend your existing lesson plan content. N.B. An appendix is not included in your word count.

PART C: Reflection (300 words)

You are to reflect (utilising theory and our modules in this subject) on the ways you have planned and observed (Parts A-B) opportunities for children to utilise ONE of the following from the list below across all three of your lesson plans. Use this as your reflection 'lens'. Tip: You may wish to choose this before designing your lesson plans so that they are constructed appropriately. You may also reflect on why the chosen lens does or does not promote relevant opportunities for children to use their imagination and curiosity, etc.

• Use their imagination and curiosity.
• Express their artistic ideas and discoveries.
• Demonstrate independent decision-making.
• Bring a new product into existence; or
• Become involved in experimentation, risk-taking and flexibility.

 N.B. Using first person is encouraged in this section.

 

Include your final reference list at the end of this assessment in our coversheet. Prioritise our subject's academic sources from our weekly and recommended readings, as well as our online modules.

 

RATIONALE

This assessment task will assess the following learning outcome/s:

• be able to understand and reflect on learning and creative theories for the development of effective creative arts learning experiences.
• be able to plan developmentally appropriate creative arts learning experiences for children.
• be able to plan and develop sequential learning experiences with relevant assessment in the creative arts.

This assignment task requires you to observe and document children engaged in creative arts activities, and plan appropriate learning experiences in the arts for deeper learning. This cycle can be seen as perpetuating meaningful learning in the Creative Arts. You will have the opportunity to demonstrate your understandings of various theoretical perspectives that inform arts education, and to critically analyse what you observe.

 

MARKING CRITERIA AND STANDARDS

• PART A - Planning of the two art experiences (20 marks)
• PART B, Task (i) - Evaluate a child's work sample to understand their learning (10 marks)
• PART B, Task (ii) - Plan one developmentally appropriate creative arts experience leading from your selected child's work sample (10 marks)
• PART C - Theory and development reflection in creation arts learning experiences (5 marks)
• PART A, B & C - Use of language and referencing (5 marks)

 

PRESENTATION

• Lines should be double spaced (when not in lesson plans).
• Please use 12-point font for the words outside the tables. Font size inside the lesson plan tables can be smaller but should be 10 point minimum.
• The assessment task should be within +/- 10% of the word limit. 
• Proof-read your work so that it is free of typos, spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes. Use language that is appropriate to academic and professional tasks. Ensure you use respectful and appropriate terminology. For assistance, see Academic Skills: https://www.csu.edu.au/current-students/learning-resources/build-your-skills/academic-skills-help.
• Your reference list should contain all source documents that you refer to, quote or paraphrase from. It must conform to the APA 7th ed. referencing style: https://cdn.csu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/3371843/Charles-Sturt-University-APA-7-Referencing-Summary.pdf N.B. References (in-text, lists) are NOT counted in the word count, nor are direct quotations.

Academic writing quality - please note and duly follow these points:

• Do not ever use conversational language such as 'great', 'fantastic' in your writing. Find more sophisticated and formal equivalents such as 'valuable', 'worthwhile', 'interesting', 'useful'.
• Do not use contractions such as can't, didn't, shouldn't.

 

Marking Rubric for High Distinction:

• PART A Planning of two creative arts experiences (20 marks): The two planned Creative Arts experiences are highly creative, logically structured, invigorating, student-centred and age appropriate. They are detailed and show a wide range of explicit links to pertinent curriculum/syllabus documents and other relevant resources as appropriate. Literacy and numeracy connections are authentic and exceptionally creative and engaging for students.
• PART B, Task (i) Evaluate a child’s work sample to understand their learning (10 marks): A skilfully constructed analysis that clearly evaluates the learning, teaching and assessment in the provided samples and makes explicit (using literature and further research) the relationship to relevant theories/processes of learning and assessment.
• PART B, Task (ii) Plan one developmentally appropriate creative arts learning experience leading from one of the provided samples (10 marks): The follow up Creative Arts experience is logically structured, invigorating, student-centred and appropriately supports the provided sample. They show a wide range of explicit links to their (student) evaluation of the provided sample, which are authentic, exceptionally creative and engaging for children. Further research is evident and engaging throughout.
• PART C Theory and development, reflection in creative arts learning experiences (5 marks): A robust theoretical base is presented, and this is effectively related to practice and reflected in the student's professional teaching philosophy. References and scholarly sources are synthesised throughout, helping to criticise and debate issues raised.
• PARTS A, B & C Use of language and referencing (5 marks): Fluent, formal, and confident use of written Australian English with no spelling or grammatical errors in the body of the text/diagrams. Paragraphs are clearly constructed throughout. An accurately referenced product using APA 7th ed. format.