The Arts

In this unit you will build on what you learned in Grade 4. In dance, you will translate ideas from other subjects (like changes of state in science or a painting) into movement sequences, use dance as a language to explore and interpret literature with motifs and personal connections, create dances in the choreographic form call and response, and use the element of relationship (mirroring, shadowing, near and far, over and under, counterbalance) to communicate an idea. You will reflect on your strengths and areas for growth, describe dances that reflect the beliefs and traditions of different communities, and explore how dance, especially hip hop, influences popular culture.

In music, you will feel and read 6/8 time and dotted rhythms, mix eighth and sixteenth notes in ostinatos to compose music with a message, read the bass clef, new key signatures (D major and B♭ major) and guitar tablature, and play the recorder with good technique. You will perform with more dynamic levels and articulation marks, build a rondo, sing rounds in parts, listen closely to brass, steel bands and Vivaldi's Baroque music, give helpful feedback, and discover how music shapes film, advertising and trends, and how drums are used in traditions around the world.

You will need a little open space, paper and pencils, and some kitchen instruments (a pot, a wooden spoon, a sealed container of rice). A free keyboard app and a recorder are very helpful. Every lesson has hands-on activities, practice questions and a short quiz.

Curriculum expectations covered: Dance A1.1–A1.4, A2.1–A2.3, A3.1–A3.2; Music C1.1–C1.5, C2.1–C2.3, C3.1–C3.2 (The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8: The Arts, 2009).

In this unit you will act and make art! In drama, you will explore issues and themes from fiction and non-fiction, build characters with an inner and outer life, shape a drama together using new perspectives, flashbacks, flash-forwards and rewind and replay, build suspense with audio, visual and technological aids and stage effects for a specific audience, and reflect as a creator, performer and audience member. You will also discover drama forms from around the world, such as wayang kulit shadow puppets, griot storytelling, Ramlila, pantomime and Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee winter storytelling, and meet the people behind a play, from the playwright to the stage manager. A story about Heron Marsh in the made-up town of Birch Bay runs through the drama lessons.

In visual arts, you will shade with hatching and cross-hatching, catch action with gesture drawings and wire figures, create the illusion of depth with gradation, cast shadows and atmospheric perspective, and explore complementary colours and intensity. This year's principle of design is proportion. You will design a poster using symmetrical and asymmetrical lettering and images, negative shapes, texture and pattern, read signs and symbols, and interpret art with a message from many times and cultures, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit art traditions that are living today.

You will need paper, pencils (a soft 2B or 4B pencil helps), a flashlight, washable paint (including a complementary pair such as red and green or blue and orange), chenille stems (pipe cleaners), playdough, cardboard, string, a few everyday objects for props and texture tools (a sponge, a fork, bubble wrap). Every lesson has hands-on activities, practice questions and a short quiz.

Curriculum expectations covered: Drama B1.1–B1.4, B2.1–B2.3, B3.1–B3.2; Visual Arts D1.1–D1.4, D2.1–D2.4, D3.1–D3.2 (The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8: The Arts, 2009).