Grade 8 Creative Arts (CA) Summaries Term 2 (Top Class)

This document provides a summary and overview of the Grade 8 Creative Arts Term 2 Top Class, which includes Dance, Drama, Music, and Visual Arts.

Dance (Unit 4-6)

• Unit 4: Dance performance focuses on developing strength, flexibility, coordination, and rhythm through exercises, jumps, and locomotor movements. It also explores social and popular dances.
• Unit 5: Improvisation and composition covers the elements of time (slow motion, double time, syncopation, polyrhythms) and relationships (leading, following, unison movement).
• Unit 6: Dance theory and literacy emphasizes safe and informed practice and explains the physical and mental benefits of warm-ups and cool-downs.

Drama (Unit 4-6)

• Unit 4: Dramatic skills development includes vocal skills (pitch, pace, tone, emphasis, relaxation, breathing) and body expression (gestures, movement, focus).
• Unit 5: South African poetry explores Indigenous and praise poetry, focusing on performance, vocal variation, gesture, and audience connection.
• Unit 6: Appreciation and reflection involves the critical analysis of performances, giving feedback, and applying performance techniques such as vocal development and the use of symbols.

Music (Unit 4-6)

• Unit 4: Music literacy covers duration, the triplet, song form/structure (Intro, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Solo, Coda), blues (12-bar structure), and major scale construction.
• Unit 5: Music listening develops awareness of beats, dynamics, tempo, texture, and lyrics in live or recorded music.
• Unit 6: Performing and creating music involves breathing and vocal warm-ups, technical exercises, drumming exercises, and composing a melody and lyrics based on a social issue.

Visual Arts (Unit 6-9)

• Unit 6: Visual literacy: Fashion and the role of fashion in society examines fashion trends, the influence of artists (e.g., Velazquez, Hockney), fashion careers, and fashion as a reflection of values.
• Unit 7: Create in 3D: A garment for a social event involves designing and making a hat or fascinator, considering shape, balance, theme, colour, texture, and using recyclable materials.
• Unit 8: Visual literacy: Art and social issues explores how artists (e.g., Mthethwa, Sebidi) communicate on issues like poverty, abuse, and racism using symbols and imagery.
• Unit 9: Create in 2D: A mural as a social comment focuses on creating a class mural using drawings from collages to comment on social issues, emphasizing art elements and design principles.