How We Express Ourselves
GRADE 3 - JANUARY 9TH - FEBRUARY 24TH
Central Idea:
People can discover and express different cultures
through the arts.
Transdisciplinary
Theme
How We Express Ourselves
An inquiry into:
-the ways in which we discover
and express ideas, feelings,
nature, culture, beliefs
and values;
-the ways in which we reflect on,
extend and enjoy our creativity;
-our appreciation of the
aesthetic
Lines of Inquiry
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How culture can be
expressed
What influences artistic
expression in different
cultures
How similarities and
differences in cultures
can be uncovered
Key Concepts
Learner Profile
Form - What is it like?
What beliefs are expressed
through the arts? In what ways is
culture expressed?
Perspective - What are the
points of view?
How does cultural perspective
influence the Arts?
Reflection - How do we know?
How do we know we are
expressing elements of a
culture?
Related Concepts
Culture -What is culture?
Artistic Expression - what does
it mean to express yourself
through art?
Identity - What makes a culture /
subculture unique?
Communicators
We will be communicating with
others and sharing our ideas
and feelings about how the art
forms from different cultures
reflect their uniqueness
Attitudes
Appreciation
We will be viewing a range of
cultural artworks and developing
and appreciation for both art and
culture
Creativity
We will be creating our own
pieces of art as we learn
different techniques and art
forms
Skills
Communication - Viewing
Viewing and discussing many
different art forms from a wide
range of cultures
Thinking - Analysis
Analysing different art forms by
discussing what the art tells us
about people and what the art
teaches us about different
cultures
Self-management - Fine
motor skills
Through creating our own art
we will be working on our fine
motor skills
Assessment
We want students
to understand:
* what art is
* that there are characteristics
associated in the art of
different cultures
* that there are beliefs
represented through the arts
* that cultural perspective
influences the interpretation
and creation of art
* that there are different
interpretations of culture
* that there are norms on what
is included and not included in
cultural art
* that they themselves can
identify with a culture
The assessment will be based
on:
* Understanding of the central
idea and lines of inquiry
* The understandings outlined in
the success criteria
* Understanding and use of unit
specific vocabulary
* Understanding of teacher
questions and student questions
that drive the inquiry
Vocabulary
Students will generate the list of
vocabulary words for this unit,
but there is a good chance that
many of the following words will
be used in class discussions
and learning engagements;
*culture
*interpretation
*beliefs
*expression
*technique * elements
*analyse
*appreciation
What can you do at home
to help with our inquiry?
• Use the internet or books to research different cultures and
their art forms
• Be artists together on the weekends: paper mache, painting,
create jewellery, masks, etc
• Visit museums to observe different art forms
• Discuss how we can learn about different cultures by
observing art from different places
• Discuss family holidays you have been on and the different
art you have seen around the world that expresses the
culture of a place
• Send in examples of artwork that reflect a culture
Transdisciplinary
Literacy
Throughout the unit of inquiry
the follow conceptual
understandings will be
developed:
Reading
• Applying a range of strategies
helps us to read and
understand new texts.
• Wondering about texts and
asking questions helps us to
understand the meaning.
Writing
• The structure of different
types of texts includes
identifiable features.
• Thinking about characters
and people in real life helps
us to develop our own stories.
Oral Language
• Spoken language varies
according to the purpose and
the audience.
• Taking the time to reflect on
what we hear and saw helps
us to make informed
judgements and form new
opinions.
Viewing and Presenting
• Visual texts provide
alternative means to develop
new levels of understanding.
• Different visual techniques
produce different effects and
are used to present different
types of information
Connections
Mathematics
Shape and Space Conceptual Understandings
Changing the position of a shape does not alter its properties
Shapes can be transformed in different ways
Geometric shapes and vocabulary are useful for representing and describing an object’s
position in space
Learning Outcomes
• understand that geometric shapes are useful for representing real-world situations
• recognise and explain simple symmetrical patterns, including tessellation in the
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environment
create and describe symmetrical and tessellating patterns
apply knowledge of symmetry to problem solving situations
identify and record order of rotational symmetry
understand angles as a measure of rotation
Stand-alone Maths
Number - Multiplication and Division
Conceptual Understandings
The operations of multiplication and division are related to each other and are used to
process information to solve problems.
Number operations can be modelled in a variety of ways.
There are many mental methods that can be applied for exact and approximate
computations.
• Understand situations that involve multiplication and division
• Model multiplication and division of whole numbers
• Describe mental and written strategies for multiplication and division
• Use the language of multiplication and division, for example, factor, multiple,
product, quotient, prime numbers, composite number
• Develop strategies for memorising multiplication and division number facts.
• Use mental and written strategies for multiplication and division in real-life
situations.
Pattern and Function
Conceptual Understandings
Whole numbers exhibit patterns and relationships that can be observed and
described.
Understand the inverse relationship between multiplication and division
• Understand that multiplication is repeated addition and that division is repeated
subtraction
• Represent patterns in a variety of ways
• Describe the rule for a pattern in words
• Select and use appropriate methods for representing patterns, eg. using words,
symbols and tables
• Use number patterns to represent and understand real-life situations