A series of thematic units curated and published by Bushfire Press. Contributors: Michele Bickley, David Billings, Helen Briggs, Scott Browne, Rob Fairbairn, Mark Leehy, Jock Macneish, Mary Moore, Kevin O’Mara, Kate Perkins, Shirley Sydenham, Jude Wigley.
Suitable for use with students in their first year of primary school.
This resource is a fantastic way to encourage or expand the Performing Arts culture in your school. There are 10 themed units available, and each unit includes music, dance, drama, media and visual art.
Save preparation time: Everything you need to teach The Arts is in one kit – songs and music (including backing tracks), lyrics, activities, templates, illustrations!
Each thematic unit is available to purchase via immediate download and includes everything you need to use it in the classroom straight away.
Also available to purchase are instrumental arrangements for tuned and untuned percussion for some of the songs from each unit. Printable PDFs provide easy arrangements of songs- a great way to extend your use of the program, and perfect for concerts and performances!
Unit Topics:
Me & My Family
A thematic unit on the topic of Families, integrating activities in music, dance, drama, media and visual art. Learning outcomes included. Featuring human families, animal families, instrument families, fairytale families, family trees, age groups. Includes songs, easy instrumental arrangement, greetings in different languages, imaginative play, partner work, group work, movement, choreography, storyboards, simple clay modelling.
To compliment this unit, also available is the instrumental arrangements for the song ‘We are a Family’. Simple untuned percussion arrangement. 4/4 time. Tambourines and shakers. Includes graphic notation score for students and standard notation score for teacher. Audio files of song and recorded example of percussion score accompaniment. Includes simple rests and repeat signs.
Celebrations & Special Events
A thematic unit on the topic of Celebrations and Special Events, integrating activities in music, dance, drama, media and visual art. Learning outcomes included. Performance items and opportunities. Featuring birthdays, school fete, sporting celebrations, weddings, births. Includes songs, story, adding musical sound effects to a story, easy instrumental arrangement, ‘happy birthday’ in different languages, greetings in different languages, movement, circle dance, simple ballet, imaginative play, partner work, group work, mask-making, classified newspaper ads, hat making.
To compliment this unit, also available is the instrumental arrangements for the song ‘Happy Birthday ‘Round the World’. Simple untuned percussion arrangement of the song, great for multicultural studies. 4/4 time. Tambourines, shakers, sticks and drums. Includes graphic notation score for students and standard notation score for teacher. Audio files of song and recorded example of percussion score accompaniment. Includes simple rests and repeat signs.
The Seasons
A thematic unit on the topic of The Seasons, integrating activities in music, dance, drama, media and visual art. Learning outcomes included. Performance items and opportunities. Includes song, musical suite, listening, easy instrumental arrangement, movement, choreography, simple ballet, sequencing, imaginative play, partner work, group work, catalogues, collage and simple clay modelling.
To compliment this unit, also available is the instrumental arrangements for the song ‘The Seasons’. Simple untuned percussion arrangement with 4 simple sections (representing 4 seasons). 4/4 and 3/4 time. Great introduction o the concept of a ‘suite’. Great atmospheric possibilities; simple dynamic ‘build’. Wonderful concert item. Tambourines, shakers, cymbals, bells, triangles. Includes graphic notation score for students and standard notation score for teacher. Audio files of song cycle and recorded example of percussion score accompaniment. Includes simple rests and repeat signs.
The Zoo
A thematic unit on the topic of The Zoo, integrating activities in music, dance, drama, media and visual art. Learning outcomes included. Performance items and opportunities. Includes songs, listening, story, adding musical sound effects to a story, moving to a musical story, listening, themes, easy instrumental arrangement, simple dances and dance games, imaginative play, partner work, group work, grouping, torch work, drawing.
To compliment this unit, also available is the instrumental arrangements for the song ‘Breakfast with a Big Baboon’ Simple untuned percussion arrangement of the song in 4/4 time. Simple ostinato. Guiros, triangles, shakers and drums. Includes graphic notation score for students and standard notation score for teacher. Audio files of song and recorded example of percussion score accompaniment. Includes simple rests and repeat signs.
Safety
A thematic unit on the topic of Safety, integrating activities in music, dance, drama, media and visual art. Learning outcomes included. Performance items and opportunities. Featuring sun safety, bike safety, car safety, road safety, home safety, safety signs. Includes song, listening, easy instrumental arrangement, music signs, movement, choreography, echoing and mirroring, imaginative play, partner work, group work, creating safety stickers, posters, radio and TV ads, paper construction and colour work.
To compliment this unit, also available is the instrumental arrangements for the song ‘Me and My Elephant’. Simple untuned percussion arrangement of the song in 6/8 time. Tambourines, shakers and tone blocks. Includes graphic notation score for students and standard notation score for teacher. Audio files of song and recorded example of percussion score accompaniment. Includes repeat signs.
The Jungle
A thematic unit on the topic of The Jungle, integrating activities in music, dance, drama, media and visual art. Learning outcomes included. Performance items and opportunities. Includes songs and chants, listening, poem and soundscape, easy instrumental arrangement, music signs, movement, choreography, imaginative play, partner work, group work, creating dioramas, mixed media. Disappearing habitat addressed.
To compliment this unit, also available is the instrumental arrangements for the song ‘In the Jungle’. Simple untuned percussion arrangement in 4/4 time. Shakers, sticks and drums. Includes graphic notation score for students and standard notation score for teacher. Audio files of song and recorded example of percussion score accompaniment. Includes simple rests and repeat signs.
Food
A thematic unit on the topic of Food, integrating activities in music, dance, drama, media and visual art. Learning outcomes included. Performance items and opportunities. Includes songs, sound pictures, listening, easy instrumental arrangement, movement, choreography, play songs, imaginative play, partner work, group work, memory games, creating safety stickers, posters, TV ads, potato prints.
To compliment this unit, also available is the instrumental arrangements for the song ‘I Like Pumpkin’. Simple untuned percussion arrangement in 4/4 time. Tambourines, and sticks. Includes graphic notation score for students and standard notation score for teacher. Audio files of song and recorded example of percussion score accompaniment. Includes simple rests and repeat signs.
Pets
A thematic unit on the topic of Pets, integrating activities in music, dance, drama, media and visual art. Learning outcomes included. Performance items and opportunities. Includes song, cultural context (jazz band), listening, movement, choreography, imaginative play, partner work, group work, creating a board game, making an audio book, drawing, cutting out, pastels.
To compliment this unit, also available is the instrumental arrangements for the song ‘Cool Cat’. Simple untuned percussion arrangement in 4/4 time. Tambourines and shakers. Includes graphic notation score for students and standard notation score for teacher. Audio files of song and recorded example of percussion score accompaniment. Includes simple rests and repeat signs.
Growing Things
A thematic unit on the topic of Growing Things, integrating activities in music, dance, drama, media and visual art. Learning outcomes included. Performance items and opportunities. Featuring seeds, plants, babies, people, fairy tales. Includes song, listening, sound story, musical sound effects, easy arrangement, scales, movement and mime, dance steps and choreography, imaginative play, partner work, group work, creating a flip book (animation), decorating with paint and coloured papers.
To compliment this unit, also available is the instrumental arrangements for the song ‘The Little Seed’. Simple untuned percussion arrangement in 4/4 time. Simple ostinato. Simple dynamics. Shakers, and cymbals. Includes graphic notation score for students and standard notation score for teacher. Audio files of song and recorded example of percussion score accompaniment. Includes simple dynamic build, simple rests and repeat signs.
Toys & Teddies
A thematic unit on the topic of Toys and Teddies, integrating activities in music, dance, drama, media and visual art. Learning outcomes included. Performance items and opportunities. Includes song, story, sound pictures, listening, musical sound effects, easy arrangement, scales, movement and mime, dance steps (line dance) and choreography, imaginative play, mirroring, partner work, group work, working with an overhead projector, shadow puppets, making a simple textile bear through printing and decorating using gluing.
To compliment this unit, also available is the instrumental arrangements for the song ‘Ten Little Teddy Bears’. Simple untuned percussion arrangement in 4/4 time. Great ‘sound effects’ piece. Guiros, triangles, cabassas, woodblocks, castanets, bells, cymbals, vibraslaps, shakers and drums. Includes graphic notation score for students and standard notation score for teacher. Audio files of song and recorded example of percussion score accompaniment. Includes simple rests and repeat signs.
Activity and Song sample from the thematic unit ‘The Zoo’
The Zoo sample
Breakfast With a Big Baboon sample
