S3/4 and S5 Art and Design work

We have been working on a few different projects in the S3/4 and S5 art classes - some pupils have been working on their fashion design projects and have been making up their designs to life size, some have been doing internet research for their critical study unit and some have been continuing their expressive work. We have been fortunate to have the help of Jane Fraser and Linda Mitchell for some of the textile work.

Here are some photos of what we have been getting up to:

S1 Art

In S1 art we have been looking at using different media - we have been working with acrylic paints this week. Compared to poster paints, acrylics give a brighter colour and a glossy finish. They give a similar effect to oil paints and are what we use in the intermediate level art classes.

Broader Curriculum! - Sculpture Project 2

Sculpture Project 2

Our Broader Curriculum series on sculpture is going great! After project 1 where we were making 'super-hero' sculptures using materials from the recycling bin we move on to clay!

Again, the theme was super-heroes. This time we were looking at faces and masks and made faces out of air-drying clay.

We made a thumb pot type shape to start and then added features with other pieces of clay.

Once these were dry we painted them and finally, glazed them using P.V.A glue.

Next... on to full figures using wire frames and mod-roc! What fun!

Mr J :)

An Inspector Calls...

We have just started work on unit 3 in S3/4 drama. This is a production unit where the class writes a short play, works through all the production stages, takes on backstage responsibitities and then finally performs it at the end. We are basing our production piece on a play called "An Inspector Calls" by J.B. Priestly. Today we revised the plot and began watching the DVD to help give us some ideas...

Snowshow!

S2 - 4 drama students took a trip to the Kings Theatre in Glasgow for a unique theatrical experience called Slava's Snowshow. Slava is a very talented clown from Russia who has created the extremely successful and long- running "Snowshow". He and his group of clowns use bubbles, cobwebs, dry ice and water to create bizarre, dramatic and exciting images and scenes. There was lots of audience interaction, including a giant beach ball game, before the show finished by engulfing us all in an indoor snow storm! 

Colours of Christmas

For the next few weeks S2 will be working with P1 - 6 to stage a Christmas production called Colours of Christmas. The production will be on Monday 22nd December at 7 pm. 

We have cast the play, begun rehearsals and have been busy trying on and measuring up for costumes. This is a great opportunity for the S2 drama students to see the whole production process and to be actively involved in all the backstage areas and organisation as well as acting.

 

Here are some photos of what we have been doing so far...

Reading the script


Measuring up



Trying on

Theatre Production

As part of our theatre production unit, S3/4 dramatists have been working on a short extract from "Hamlet". We looked at the set, props, costume, make up and sound effects. The hardest part was managing to erect the large castle backdrop we had made in the GP room - it worked eventually!

Putting on the make up!



Sorting the props.


Dressing the set.


Warming ourselves by the log fire...

You have been Nabbed!

This week, 3/4 Modern Studies class sat and PASSED their Crime and the Law in Society End of Module Exam. (Know as a NAB.)

The class have worked very hard over the last two weeks honing their source analysis skills, and their efforts paid off! Every pupil in the class has self assessed their work, and is confident that they have improved. The NAB results speak for themselves...

Here are the girls recovering from their labours!

Christmas with a Difference!

This term, 10 pupils have chosen to do the Christmas with a Difference option during our Broader Curriculum afternoons. Angela McNeal has organised a fabulous programme for us! Our first week involved a Cultural Awareness session at IBM- pupils LOVED this! Especially seeing all the different nationalities working at their stations, answering calls in French, SPanish, Norwegian, Dutch, German, Italian, English, ... we were also fascinated by the endless list of social faux pas it is possible to commit on the continent! (Never send a European a bunch of flowers with 13 flowers in it!) We also got a sneaky look in Angela's office, and met some really interesting people!

Each week, Angela is bringing one or two 'foreign workers' from IBM to tell us how they celebrate Christmas in their country. 

Last week were visited by Vittor from Portugal:

He managed not to be too taken aback by the far ranging questions James and Euan M. asked him!

This afternoon we learnt about Italian Christmas celebrations from Carolina, and about christmas in Poland from Pawell. Franek in Primary 1 got quite a surprise to see his dad coming down the stairs at the end of the day...!

Comments from the pupils:

Lauren and Lauren: This is so brilliant! I'm loving this topic!

Rhys: Well good man!

Euan: They do Christmas so different to us!

James: I'm liking learning the phrases in their language!

The P.7 class is full of keen readers!  Melissa has read several books since the beginning of the school year and here is her review of 'The Invisible Boy' by Hazel Townson:

"It is about a boy who has no friends and his parents have split up. He stays with his dad and when his dad is at work he has to stay with his next door neighbour and she is deaf and she can not talk, so he think he is invisible. Then he finds a key and it has a piece of string on it so he puts it on and it turns him invisible. Everyone is trying to find him and he goes away and then the police comes after him and he finds that everyone does see him before he was invisible so he throws the key away and he stays with his dad again and he lives happily ever after."

Not to be outdone by the Maths department, the English department also award a brick for each review!  

Broader Curriculum! - Sculpture

This term one of our broader curriculum choices is a block of sessions looking at sculpture. We will be working with a wide variety of materials and coming up with some exciting results!

The first day we brought in some 'junk' from the recycling bin and  modelled our own characters.

We also discussed and set our targets for the series of sessions:

At the end of the block we want to be able to say:

I can:

1. work with different materials.

2. use different ways of joining materials.

3. name some various sculptures.

4. name some modern sculptors.

It looks like we are going to have a great few weeks! Check out the blog to follow our progress!

Mr J :)