MS Bahasa Indonesia
Mau pergi kemana? Naik apa?
What do you think when you hear these questions? Yes, traveling! This semester, students have been learning about how they travel. Previously, they were introduced to and/or focused on their knowledge of transportation methods that they had used, including traditional Indonesian transportation equipment, such as becak.
In the next stage, they matched the image of the transportation tool with its name. They also started making simple sentences and practiced how to ask and answer questions with friends. Then they were introduced to reading train schedules in Indonesia. They practiced by asking and using questions like: Ke mana? Naik apa? Siapa pergi ke…? and Siapa naik…?
As the final task of this unit, students will make tourist brochures with attractive destinations in Indonesia. They will follow writing guidelines about what information they need to include in the brochure. They carried out research about these places, to ensure that the information in the tourist brochure is accurate. After this unit ends, students are expected to be able to find information about places in Indonesia independently and share information about Indonesia with others. In the next unit, they will learn about communication. Concepts studied will include how to send formal and non-formal text messages to teachers and friends, as well as social media usage.
In the advanced classes, students have been learning about jobs. They are doing research about different jobs, describing what their tasks are, what they do everyday, what challenges they face, how they feel, how long they have to work in a day, and how much they get paid. For example, house helpers and drivers have physically heavy tasks but their salaries are not high. At the end of this unit, students are expected to have deeper knowledge about the jobs around them and learn that hard work sometimes does not give them enough income.
HS Theatre
Theatre Arts 10-12
In the Senior Theatre Arts class, students delved into the work of famous theatre practitioners and explored the way their theories can highlight different elements of a theatrical piece, such as acting style, scene setting, use of props, lighting, sound and atmosphere. Students studied Stanislavski’s acting theories in more detail; focusing, in particular, on the theory of “experiencing the role”. This was explored through dramatic exercises and in acting work during the unit.
Students studied George Orwell’s classic tale, 1984. The use of setting, character development and plot were investigated in the play; together with the major concepts and themes of the text. The class explored characters through staged readings and experimented with the use of motivated blocking for a character in a scene. They were able to demonstrate their understanding of Stanislavski’s acting theories and focused upon the objective of the character within key moments of the text.
During the unit, students learned about the technical area of lighting and explored how this can affect the mood or atmosphere of a piece of theatre. It was also discovered how lighting is invariably part of the overall vision of the artistic director and must be considered, together with other technical areas in order to be effective. Through research, students also became knowledgeable about the many different types of lights used in both amateur and professional theatres. Students practically explored how lighting could define a particular scene in terms of the overall effect and reflected upon the way lighting can highlight different parts of the stage and can direct the attention of the audience in this way.
Our final assessment piece was the creation of a movie trailer for 1984. Students considered the genre and audience of the piece and successfully chose relevant scenes of the play, which would be included in the final edited work. The realism of the scenes was made apparent through believable acting from all members of the class. Students exhibited maturity and were open minded to receiving teacher and peer feedback throughout the filming process. The acting, the use of voice-over, images summarizing important concepts of the play and dramatic music were all collated and edited successfully to create the final dramatic movie trailer of 1984…..coming to cinemas in May 2020! This project enabled the Senior Theatre Arts class to collaborate as a team and ensured that all students had an opportunity to shine in their area of expertise during the production journey. The finished product was a testament to the strong work that the group could only have produced together. It has been a pleasure to see the class connecting so positively and successfully as a group in Theatre Arts.
Grade 9 Theatre Arts
Students have been exploring the fictional world of Willy Wonka, the Oompa-Loompas and the lucky Golden Ticket winners in Roald Dahl’s play version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The class has been revealing their knowledge and understanding of various acting techniques through scene work and in monologues. In the unit, the class considered the impact that different styles of monologues have on the actor’s presentation of the character’s inner most thoughts. Based on various parts of the text and from the perspective of different characters, students wrote and performed their own monologues and proved to be risk-takers in the process. With the performances during the unit, students contemplated the use of set and staging, in order to create interesting and vibrant theatre pieces on the stage.
During the unit, the technical area of costume and make-up design has been studied. This has allowed students the opportunity to inquire into the importance of costume and make-up in the theatre, and the way that this can assist an actor to truly “become” the character on the stage. The class has been learning about the skills needed to become a costume designer and the collaboration needed with other theatre technicians for the ultimate success of a production. Students have been required to bring much creativity and imagination to their Costume and Make-Up Design Projects. One of the objectives of the work is to reveal understanding of some of the well- known characters from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory through costume and make-up. The class has also reflected upon the process and upon their final products through written response. It is a joy to watch the group continue to flourish in the Theatre Arts classroom environment.
