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This week, our main goal was to combine geography and the visual arts. The assignment was to gather objects from the backyard and assemble them.

What now?
Finding time in a busy schedule to appreciate the little things, like the scents, colours, and sounds of nature, can be incredibly grounding for me. I love going outside in nature because it helps me be present in the moment. I was able to truly concentrate on all the different kinds of plants that are primarily just naturally occuring in my neighbourhood by doing this project.

Now what?
This project would be a fantastic approach to get students thinking and creative about the value of nature and the different roles that plants play in our natural environment. In my opinion as a pre-service teacher, this task is something I would like to include in the curriculum so that all children can learn about their surroundings and develop a genuine connection to their country.

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What?
For the landscape, I used toilet paper rolls, a permanent marker, a lolly wrapper, and an old towel. Demonstrating the value of sustainability through the use of repurposed materials. With the help of this project, students can experiment with recycled materials to make art.

So what?
Since my partner and I almost stepped on one while walking to the beach a few weekends ago, I thought immediately of making a snake. This activity could be related to snake safety and the significance of always being aware, especially to brown snakes in brown sand (brown towel). Fortunately, toilet rolls are always accessible where I live in a sharehouse with four other friends.

Now what?
This is a project that might be used in the classroom, and it would be fascinating to see the ideas that the students have. As we go into next week's media art exploration, I'll start thinking about how I might use the items I've made with stop-motion animation. By doing this, I'll establish a connection between the two art forms and demonstrate how to successfully integrate them.

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What?
This week's assignment required us to use recycled items to develop our visual arts and incorporate the visual arts into a stop-motion film.

So what?
Despite the simplicity of my stop motion, I had fun setting up the camera and can see how children might find this type of media art to be quite engaging. While it does need perseverance and patience to do small movements repeatedly, students may find that the end result is quite fulfilling and pleasant. Photographing the scene and putting the story in stop motion is just half the job; the other half is using digital technology to make the motion come to life. Fortunately for me, I have some prior expertise in this field.

Now what?
Using the same skill set that kids would need, I was able to effectively complete my stop-motion project, even though I now realise it could have benefited from more polish. This is a really adaptable activity that works well for students of all ages. It supports varying degrees of sophistication, from imitating a basic stop-motion like mine to imposing more difficult specifications on those needing extending. In addition to taking length and detail into account, some examples of possible extensions are adding music, creating a story, and advancing the plot. In the current digital era, the majority of students frequently have ICT competence levels higher than those of their teachers. Because of this, I think an exercise such as this is quite suitable for exhibiting their digital skills through authentic art.

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What?
Today, we looked at how to connect meaningfully to emotions through the integration of visual art and music. The assignment was to respond to a one-minute instrumental piece of music by creating an abstract visual artwork and drawing parallels to various movements.
Line, shape, colour, texture, value, rhythm, pitch, dynamics, structure, timbre, and texture were the skills needed for this work that we reviewed.
We also talked about the similarities between expressing our emotions and feelings via art and the aspects of art.

So what?
Following the completion of the visual art, we were asked to respond to the musical movement by describing the feelings it produced, what we initially saw it to depict, and what images or emotions immediately came to mind. I created a line that was constantly curved and travelled up and down in response to the music's increasing pitch. I started with the colour yellow since that's how I pictured the sun shining and flickering through the trees as you drive along the road at sunset. As the sunsets the colours gets darker, I gradually altered the colour to orange and red.

Now what?
Since students can take the initiative and proceed in any path they desire, this activity is very authentic and unique, which is why I would like to implement it in the classroom going forwards.

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What?
Scenery of a storm, I've used noises that stimulate loneliness and isolation to build a soundscape. The artwork shows what looks to be a barren, windswept, dry, and isolated countryside. The noises are a synthesised together as wind, creaking tree and crows.

So what?
This music and visual art integration exercise caught my attention. I find it fascinating how various people see certain works of art. The colour, lines, and shapes, in my opinion, evoke feelings of fear and loneliness. This is further enhanced by the shadows and dark tones.

Now what?
This exercise, in my opinion, particularly encourages students to express their feelings and opinions on art. Because it is realistic and enables the smooth integration of several forms of art, I can imagine using this task in my classroom.

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What?
The objective for this week combined science with dance, with an emphasis on a brief movement sequence that portrayed the characteristics and movements of a native bird of Australia. I immediately thought of the emu because I have witnessed them in the wild many times and have always been in awe of their quickness and agility. Their ability to maintain a straight stance and maintain head motion at full speed are their main features, and I didn't have to study their movements too much.

So what?
I found the year 3 content descriptor, "Living things can be grouped based on observable feautures and can be distinguished from non-living things (ACSSU044)", in order to match the scientific curriculum with the emu and dance lesson. This activity is completely aligned when these features are observed and the movement sequence is executed.

Now what?
I could assign this task to my future students in my course. It creates a friendly atmosphere that supports confidence, creativity, and nurturing. With the use of motions inspired by animals, which they have been doing since they were little toddlers, it can help them express themselves.

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What?
This week, we gained knowledge on the effective integration of drama, an arts discipline, with HaSS. Learning about, through, and in the arts, including historical events and times, taught us how to engage children in a variety of disciplines. We discovered how this increases the authenticity, significance, and student relevance of the lessons.

Drama activity:
Voyage to a New Land
Objective: To engage students in a dramatic reenactment of the First Fleet's journey, fostering empathy and understanding of the challenges faced by early settlers.

Setting the Scene:
Begin by providing a brief overview of the First Fleet's journey and its significance in Australian history. Discuss the challenges faced by the early settlers, such as the long sea voyage, unfamiliar environment, and limited resources.

Group Division:
Divide the class into small groups, with each group representing a different ship in the First Fleet. Assign roles to each student, such as settlers, sailors, or officers. Encourage students to think about their character's background and emotions.

Boarding the Ships:
Have each group stand in a designated area, representing their respective ships. Instruct them to mime the actions of boarding the ship, carrying their imaginary supplies, and finding their designated areas.

The Voyage:
Guide the groups through different stages of the voyage, narrating key events and challenges faced by the settlers. Encourage students to express their characters' emotions and reactions through facial expressions, gestures, and interactions.

Simulated Challenges:
Introduce simulated challenges, such as storms, sickness, or food shortages, by providing prompts or acting them out. Encourage students to work together to overcome these obstacles, showcasing resilience and teamwork.

Arrival at Botany Bay:
Describe the arrival at Botany Bay and the initial interactions with the local environment. Ask students to express their characters' feelings of anticipation, curiosity, or uncertainty.

Reflection and Discussion:
Bring the activity to a close by gathering the students together for a reflection and discussion. Ask questions about what they learned through the activity, how it felt to portray characters from the First Fleet, and what challenges they think early settlers faced.

Assessment:
The teacher would use formative assessment during the course of the lesson. Checklists, observations, and self-, peer-, and teacher feedback sheets are utilised to evaluate students' participation. Dramatic elements that students incorporate into their characters are also monitored.