Units and Sequences

Clay Sculpture - Relationships

A unit plan related to the Ministry of Education's resource series Exploring the Visual Arts Years 1-6. (level 2)

Creating a Soundscape

The unit and learning outcomes are based around the first teaching example - entitled 'A Soundscape' - in the 'Creating and Representing' chapter of Into Music 2. The lesson sequence is written to ensure that students develop the skills, knowledge and understanding required to ensure the learning outcomes are met in a sequential manner. (level 3)

Creating Rangoli

This unit explores Indian Rangoli designs. Rangoli is a popular floor art form from India in which designs are created using variously coloured powders. Traditional patterns are often symmetrical and geometric and usually created by Indian women on the ground in front of their houses for Hindu festivals. (levels 1 - 2)

Dance Across the Curriculum

These 3 dance units, written and taught by Julie Cadzow, are specifically designed for the 2007 curriculum level 1, years 2 - 3 students. They each support learning in another curriculum area. The first lessons, Pairs and Prepositions, support literacy and English; the second, The Caterpillar's Day, science; and the third, Moving Maths teaches Mathematics concepts through movement. Video clips of face-to-face and distance learning sessions support the teaching materials. Further video clips of these lessons, taught by video conference, can be viewed in the Student Gallery.

Dance Starters

The twelve activities and ideas presented in this resource can be used as starter activities at the beginning of dance lessons, as a way of reviewing previously explored material and as learning activities within dance lessons related to the exploration of the elements of dance. (levels 1-8)

Dancing the Key Competencies

This versatile dance resource for levels 1-5 of the New Zealand Curriculum (2007), contains ten units of work, each addressing a key competency.

Elements of Dance Chart (PDF 12KB)

This wall chart describes the elements of dance by listing movements related to body awareness, space, time, energy, and relationships. (levels 1-8)

Into Music 1 - Classroom Music in Years 1-3

This Ministry of Education music resource is an adaptation of the original book and CD Into Music 1, Classroom Music in Years 1 - 3, Learning Media (2001). In this downloadable resource, teaching and assessment approaches are detailed, with sound files, resources and links to materials that reflect the New Zealand Curriculum (2007). It is a cross-curricular resource written for all teachers of children in years 1 to 3 and may also be useful to adapt for other age groups.

Investigating and Responding to Artworks

A lesson planner template related to investigating and responding to artworks. Teacher questioning plays a central role in the planning process around the CI and UC strands of the curriculum. (levels 1-8)

Learning in Action

This contextually varied drama resource, for levels 1-4 of the New Zealand Curriculum (2007), contains eight units of work that support curriculum implementation through a focus on the structure of planning in process drama.

Making Links between Language/s and Music

This resource is intended to help teachers integrate music learning with approaches to literacy. In this way, the socially enjoyable, artistic, cognitive and aesthetic aspects of music learning can support language development. (Curriculum levels 2 - 4)

Moving Landscapes

In this level 2 unit, written by Julie Cadzow, students become part of the scenery for three innovative New Zealand landscapes. Through a variety of learning experiences, the students learn about five New Zealand landscape art works, create dances about the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and their changing local landscape, and consider the concept of citizenship. NB: To access the digital content on Digistore you are required to login as a registered user.

Blame it on the Boogie

This is an example of a music planning process. The dance-related unit is based on listening, singing and jiving to disco music. (levels 2 - 3)

Clay Sculpture - Relationships

A unit plan related to the Ministry of Education's resource series Exploring the Visual Arts Years 1-6. (level 2)

Dance Starters

The twelve activities and ideas presented in this resource can be used as starter activities at the beginning of dance lessons, as a way of reviewing previously explored material and as learning activities within dance lessons related to the exploration of the elements of dance. (levels 1-8)

Dancing the Key Competencies

This versatile dance resource for levels 1-5 of the New Zealand Curriculum (2007), contains ten units of work, each addressing a key competency.

Elements of Dance Chart (PDF 12KB)

This wall chart describes the elements of dance by listing movements related to body awareness, space, time, energy, and relationships. (levels 1-8)

Faces: Self Portrait Block Prints

Billie Sturgiss - Freemans Bay School
A printing unit focused on self-portraits. Students make prints which are then photocopied onto coloured paper, cut and put together again to make Andy Warhol-like pictures. The black and white prints can be scanned and manipulated in Paint and Art Rage to create the similar effects digitally.

Improvisation Circle in Music

The planning material in this resource outlines how to set up an improvisation circle, describes a music improvisation circle and offers suggestions on extending the activity to include wider sound arts and compositional learning. (levels 3 - 4)

Investigating and Responding to Artworks

A lesson planner template related to investigating and responding to artworks. Teacher questioning plays a central role in the planning process around the CI and UC strands of the curriculum. (levels 1-8)

Learning in Action

This contextually varied drama resource, for levels 1-4 of the New Zealand Curriculum (2007), contains eight units of work that support curriculum implementation through a focus on the structure of planning in process drama.

Looking Ahead for Our Native Animals

These new curriculum (2007) level 3 units, written by Maria Winder and Julie Cadzow, use Digistore resources and focus on the sustainability of threatened native animals in New Zealand. The units enable students to express their knowledge, ideas and feelings towards the endangerment, extinction, or future survival of New Zealand animals through music and/or dance practices and knowledge bases.

Making Links between Language/s and Music

This resource is intended to help teachers integrate music learning with approaches to literacy. In this way, the socially enjoyable, artistic, cognitive and aesthetic aspects of music learning can support language development. (Curriculum levels 2 - 4)

Dance Starters

The twelve activities and ideas presented in this resource can be used as starter activities at the beginning of dance lessons, as a way of reviewing previously explored material and as learning activities within dance lessons related to the exploration of the elements of dance. (levels 1-8)

Dancing the Key Competencies

This versatile dance resource for levels 1-5 of the New Zealand Curriculum (2007), contains ten units of work, each addressing a key competency.

Dancing Treasures

This resource contains five innovative dance units that use selected iconic digital resources. All units support the implementation of the vision, values, principles, key competencies and achievement objectives for levels 4 and 5 of the New Zealand Curriculum, 2007.

Eco Ads

Andrea Holmes from Glenn Eden Intermediate School wrote this advertising unit based on the environment combining drama and video. The unit combines the principles of drama for advertising with techniques of video-making and makes use of student self-reflection for assessment.

Elements of Dance Chart (PDF 12KB)

This wall chart describes the elements of dance by listing movements related to body awareness, space, time, energy, and relationships. (levels 1-8)

Environmental Canons

This unit teaches students to describe what a canon is and present a dance they have choreographed as a group based on the theme of an environmental image (for example, tornado, volcano). (level 4)

Friedrich Hundertwasser (Dye and Colourflow)

Rhonda Phynn - Kamo Intermediate
A Hundertwasser-inspired visual arts unit. Using typical Hundertwasser features, vivid colours and raised paint, students create their own interpretations. This unit allows for the use of Paint for experimentation and GIF Animator for bringing Hundertwasser imagery to life through animation.

Holes

A drama based on the book Holes by Louis Sachar. (level 4)

Improvisation Circle in Music

The planning material in this resource outlines how to set up an improvisation circle, describes a music improvisation circle and offers suggestions on extending the activity to include wider sound arts and compositional learning. (levels 3 - 4)

Investigating and Responding to Artworks

A lesson planner template related to investigating and responding to artworks. Teacher questioning plays a central role in the planning process around the CI and UC strands of the curriculum. (levels 1-8)

Learning in Action

This contextually varied drama resource, for levels 1-4 of the New Zealand Curriculum (2007), contains eight units of work that support curriculum implementation through a focus on the structure of planning in process drama.

Dance Starters

The twelve activities and ideas presented in this resource can be used as starter activities at the beginning of dance lessons, as a way of reviewing previously explored material and as learning activities within dance lessons related to the exploration of the elements of dance. (levels 1-8)

Dancing Towards Respect

The aim of this resource (written by Julie Cadzow) is to develop, through the art of dance, the ability of students to show respect for themselves, for others and for human rights. The resource is in three parts which are focused on Levels 6-8 of the New Zealand Curriculum. NCEA Achievement Standards are included in each part and suggestions are given for opportunities for further assessment.

Dancing Treasures

This resource contains five innovative dance units that use selected iconic digital resources. All units support the implementation of the vision, values, principles, key competencies and achievement objectives for levels 4 and 5 of the New Zealand Curriculum, 2007.

Elements of Dance Chart (PDF 12KB)

This wall chart describes the elements of dance by listing movements related to body awareness, space, time, energy, and relationships. (levels 1-8)

Iconic Drama

These year 9 - 10 drama resources are offered by the writer Trevor Sharp as exemplars of units that engage with the "front end" of The New Zealand Curriculum (2007). They focus on the values and key competencies expressed in the curriculum, as well as the achievement objectives.

Investigating and Responding to Artworks

A lesson planner template related to investigating and responding to artworks. Teacher questioning plays a central role in the planning process around the CI and UC strands of the curriculum. (levels 1-8)

Maui - Waka Rap

This unit begins with simple mirror imaging and graduates to the choreography of a short paddling dance sequence in small groups. These dances use student ideas plus ideas from the DVD of the show Maui. (levels 4 - 5)

Art in Aotearoa and the New Zealand Curriculum

These downloadable level 2 Art History tasks, for the Art in Aotearoa area of study, integrate aspects of the New Zealand Curriculum (2007) with internal assessment activities for AS 90231 and AS 90229.

Dance Starters

The twelve activities and ideas presented in this resource can be used as starter activities at the beginning of dance lessons, as a way of reviewing previously explored material and as learning activities within dance lessons related to the exploration of the elements of dance. (levels 1-8)

Dancing Towards Respect

The aim of this resource (written by Julie Cadzow) is to develop, through the art of dance, the ability of students to show respect for themselves, for others and for human rights. The resource is in three parts which are focused on Levels 6-8 of the New Zealand Curriculum. NCEA Achievement Standards are included in each part and suggestions are given for opportunities for further assessment.

Elements of Dance Chart (PDF 12KB)

This wall chart describes the elements of dance by listing movements related to body awareness, space, time, energy, and relationships. (levels 1-8)

Exploring Media and Processes in Contemporary New Zealand Art

This level 3 Art History internal assessment task for AS 90229 (3.3), Examine media and processes in art, is founded upon the values, principles and key competencies of the New Zealand Curriculum.

Investigating and Responding to Artworks

A lesson planner template related to investigating and responding to artworks. Teacher questioning plays a central role in the planning process around the CI and UC strands of the curriculum. (levels 1-8)