PE, Art and Music
At the lower Primary levels, the main focus is on helping our students build strong fundamentals in Physical Education. Four modules have been developed to ensure that our students are exposed to varied experiences throughout the year to help them discover their own strengths and interest.
The four modules, namely the Fundamental Movement, Dance, Gymnastic and Outdoor Education follows a spiral progression, allowing students to develop and hone their skills. We believe that that the importance of Physical and Health Education encompasses more than just the benefit of physical activity. Hence, for each of the modules, activities are specially tailored to cater to the cognitive, affective and social development of our students.
For instance, in the teaching of fundamental movements, students are taught to assess their peers using simple checklists. This explicitly informs our students on the success criteria required for the lesson and helps them work towards achieving their personal goals pertaining to their physical development. Beyond teaching students creative dance moves, students are exposed to dances of different cultures and traditions for the dance module. This exposure helps students develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for the different cultures and traditions. In both the Gymnastics and Outdoor Education modules, students get to work together with their peers, experiencing a sense of cooperative success, as well as building upon their self-confidence and self-esteem as they overcome challenges.
Besides developing the various physical as well as socio-emotional skillsets in our students, we want our students to embrace the Olympic values and foster good sportsmanship. The 3A approach (Aware, Advocate, Action) is adopted for the teaching of the Olympic values. Students will be introduced to the various educational Olympic values year on year through a series of activities and thereafter, they will become advocates of the value by formulating their individual interpretations of the values and finally by demonstrating the value in their lessons.
In promoting an active lifestyle amongst our students and staff, the entire school community comes together every Wednesday for a 30-minute workout session after flag raising. This weekly routine, unique to Punggol Green Primary, also serves as a bonding activity where teachers work out alongside students, with everyone getting all pumped up for the day!
“ I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way--things I had no words for .” - Georgia O'Keeffe
Art is a language that transcends racial, cultural, social, educational and economic barriers. In fact, it enhances cultural appreciation and awareness. Art provides ample opportunities for students to express themselves freely regardless of their academic capabilities. Needless to say, Art cultivates creativity.
At Punggol Green Primary, we believe that all our students are artists in their own ways and we want to help them enjoy the Arts to its fullest. The customised Art curriculum at Punggol Green Primary can be broadly broken down into 3 segments – Fundamentals of Art (P1 and P2), Enrichment of Art (P3 and P4) and Appreciation of Art (P5 and P6).
FUNDAMENTALS OF ART (P1 – P2):
At the P1 and P2 level, the focus of Art is on helping our students develop an understanding of the elements of Art and Principles of Design. Simply put, we teach our students about colours, dots, lines, shapes and forms. They get to express their imagination using different Art media such as colour pencils, oil pastels and paints. Art lessons are exploratory in nature, where our students are given ample opportunities to observe, investigate and discover the wonders of Art.
Creativity @ work
Ever wondered what the world would look like if all colours except one went on strike? Our students had a chance to experience this by going on a trail around the school with their coloured lenses. Their conventional way of thinking about colours was challenged as they viewed the world around them in a single colour. As a post trail activity, they had to colour an ‘unusual scene’ where leaves were no longer green, the sea was no longer blue and every other object was no longer its conventional colour. What better way to promote creativity amongst our students?
Learning from the masters
Stories and masterpieces from famous artists are often shared during Art lessons to help our students gain a better understanding of the different Art forms and to deepen their appreciation for the Arts. Combining different disciplines of Art, our students are taught to ‘see music and hear colours’. In this unique lesson incorporating Art and Music, our students replicated Kandinsky’s concentric circles masterpiece while listening to a series of music pieces, ranging from sad to happy. At the end of the lesson, they had an informal sharing about the meaning behind their Artwork.
To build a vibrant Art culture in the school, our students’ Artwork are regularly being displayed during our termly Parent-Teacher-Child conferences. This provides a platform for our students to showcase their Artwork to their parents. In collaboration with the CCE department, a VIA (Values-In-Action) mural has also been specially set aside for our P1 students to portray what their hands are used for. This mural also serves as a form of gallery for the students to express how the school values can be exemplified. Lastly, students who have an aptitude in Art are selected and prepared for external competitions organized at cluster/zonal/national levels.