IB Subjects

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Film | Music | Theatre Arts | Visual Arts | Sport | CAS

Areas of study

Students at the Queensland Academy for Creative Industries typically study the following subjects for an International Baccalaureate Diploma:

  • Group 1: English
  • Group 2: Second language : Mandarin , Spanish or French
  • Group 3: Business and Management, Environmental Systems and Societies
  • Group 4: Design Technology , Biology, Chemistry or second Group 6 subject (must do Environmental Systems and Societies in Group 3)
  • Group 5: Mathematics
  • Group 6: Visual Arts or Film or Theatre Arts or Music.  

To download the Nov 2013 Session QACI IB Subject Selection Handbook click on the image. (PDF 809KB)

 

Click on link below to go to

    IBO Diploma Website

 

Subjects can be undertaken at higher or standard level allowing for increasing specialisation and up to two standard level subjects (excepting second language) can be accelerated.

Achievements in arts areas are equivalent to other disciplines such as mathematics and science.

Students also need to complete Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) and an Extended Essay (EE).
They may also undertake university subjects and industry placement.

Film

Click here to view Year 10 Parent Night 2013 - Film Presentation  (PDF 3MB)

Film Studies at the Queensland Academy for Creative Industries challenges students by developing an enhanced appreciation of film text as art, the technology used to create this art, and storytelling mechanisms that allow this process to happen effectively.

Students are immersed in film as an evolving art form. Through a range of processes they will become both literate in interpreting and skilled in expressing themselves within. This acquired knowledge of film language is used by students to critically analyse and deconstruct studied film texts at a sophisticated level of understanding. Students are asked to apply the acquired practical skills of storyboarding and pre-production, filming and editing to create original film works of their own.

As part of the holistic educational approach within the Academy, the course places importance on the humanistic elements contained in the arts. As such, students will develop a broad appreciation of different socio-cultural influences to film content and style across history and nationalities.

As a course that requires sophisticated imagery to be created, technological emphasis in the course is high. Students use MacBook laptops as a personal daily tool, HD digital video cameras and such programs as Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Photoshop, Apple Garage Band, Macromedia and Shake for compositing blue room imagery. The course strives to have the student see the possibilities of creative thought come to fruition.

Assessment

Internal assessment for Film Studies in IB can be considered in the dimensions of:

  • Part 1: Textual analysis: the detailed study of film sequence
  • Part 2: Film theory and history: the study of films and film-making traditions from more than one country
  • Part 3: Creative process: techniques and organisation of production

Projects

During a unit of study, students may be asked to:

  • Design and workshop moving picture sequences as a member of a group or solo.
  • Critically analyse and deconstruct images and meaning contained in film segments or a genre as a whole.
  • Develop an awareness through self-discovery of historical, social and cultural aspects of a particular film or film movement.
  • Film, light and compose an accompanying soundtrack and edit a piece of film they have created.\
  • Discuss work or ideas in verbal or written forms.

Music

Click here to view Year 10 2013 Parent Night - Music Presentation   (PDF 9MB)

The Music program of study at the Queensland Academy for Creative Industries has been designed to provide opportunities for students to gain a lifelong positive engagement with music, to engage confidently in music-making whether at home or in the wider community and to communicate and express ideas about music.

The program

  • Students undertaking the course will also develop higher-order thinking skills and apply audiation through an exploration of the musical elements to analyse repertoire, compose and perform.
  • The vibrant and diverse music program creates an environment in which students can critically evaluate music across a wide variety of contexts, genres, styles and cultures.
  • As well as developing capabilities in traditional forms of musical expression, students are encouraged to become adept in using various music-related technologies (such as instruments, computer software, turntables) and applying their broad music knowledge, skills and insights to express themselves in a rapidly changing music-making environment.

Dimensions

Throughout the music program, students will explore the musical elements in a variety of contexts, genres and styles through three dimensions: Musical Perception and Analysis, Solo Performance and Composition.

  • Musical Perception and Analysis
    involves deconstructing music as a way of evaluating repertoire from a variety of social and cultural contexts. It also serves as a tool to enhance performing and a model to assist composing.
  • Composition
    involves the creation of music in a variety of genres and styles by combining musical elements and compositional devices. Students are encouraged to move towards developing their own creative style.
  • Solo Performance
    involves interpreting musical repertoire by playing an instrument or singing.

QUT experience

Links to QUT also offer valuable opportunity for students to engage in “real” industry practices, including sound production, ensemble experiences and masterclasses. The QUT experience also provides opportunities for students to be exposed to other sets of skills, processes and techniques, many of which can be applied in a wider variety of occupations such as entertainment law, arts administration and marketing.
Opportunities

Attending a varied array of live performances and participating in arts-in-residence programs provides a rich environment for students to express their creativity and individuality beyond the curriculum.

The discipline and commitment of music-making builds students’ self-esteem, personal motivation and independence as well as the refinement of collaborative teamwork skills.

Music is a powerful tool that contributes to the holistic development of the individual.

Theatre Arts

Click here to view Year 10 Parent Night 2013 - Theatre Arts Presentation   (PDF 1MB)

The Theatre Arts program of study at the Queensland Academy for Creative Industries has been designed to encourage students who show excellence in drama and to allow their creativity and talents to come to the fore.

The course

  • The course is positioned as a journey of discovery through an aesthetic paradigm of four interconnected layers: self-awareness, home enculturation, world custodianship and metaphysical speculation.
  • The student's path is one of empathetic growth from egocentric individuality to active global awareness.
  • Theatre Arts exists as a practical medium for motivation, empowerment and liberation within our culture.
  • Students learn to appreciate theatre by making and performing it, as well as by reflecting, analysing and evaluating its applications.
  • They are led to understand it not only with their minds but also with their senses, their bodies and their emotions.
  • Students study the forms that theatre takes in cultures other than their own both globally and historically, and through this come to know themselves, their society and their world.
  • The use of media technology is integrated as a significant component of the course.

Unit offerings

Unit offerings cover a broad range of theatrical traditions and practices including contemporary performance, process drama, Australian drama, 20 th century realism, Shakespeare, Ancient Greek theatre and modern political theatre.

QUT and La Boite Theatre Company

Links with the Queensland University of Technology and La Boite Theatre Company allow Theatre Arts students unprecedented access to advanced placement opportunities and professional pathways.

Students will have the option of attending a variety of live performance events, each selected to demonstrate the real-life applications of the course.
Materclasses, artists-in-residence, extension programs

Masterclasses, artists-in-residence programs and extension workshops complement the course, providing a rich environment for students to explore and extrapolate beyond the curriculum.

Through creative exploration, research and performance, students engage the "extraordinary" within the Theatre Arts program.

Visual Arts

Click here to view Year 10 Parent Night 2013 - Visual Arts Presentation   (PDF 6MB)

The Visual Arts course at the Queensland Academy for Creative Industries encompasses a wide variety of art-making approaches, providing students with the opportunity to develop a critical and intensely personal view of themselves in relation to the world.

The course

The study of Visual Arts enables students to specialise in either a Fine Arts or Design strand.

Over the full three years of the Pre-IB and IB courses, it is expected that students will demonstrate growth and commitment through the study of art using an inquiring and integrative approach.

The Pre-IB course prepares students for the rigours and organisation of the IB Diploma Program.

The pursuit of quality through experimentation and purposeful studio work in a variety of expressive media is integral to the course.

Stimulating, challenging and relevant visual arts experiences allow students to develop to their full potential.

The IB Visual Arts course/s consist/s of two linked compulsory parts, with many activities integrating work in the studio with workbook research.

  • Core elements include an introduction to art concepts, criticism and analysis, the acquisition of studio technical and media skills, and the relation of art to socio-cultural and historical contexts.
  • Studio work involves practical exploration and artistic production whilst research workbooks demonstrate independent critical research and analysis across cultures, reflecting the global focus of the International Baccalaureate.
  • Visual Arts courses merge traditional art areas of drawing, painting, printmaking, design and sculpture with those of digital imaging, video and film, sound, light and installation, and encourage creative problem solving and individuality of approach to studio practice.

A complex investigation of meaningful concepts prepares students for the transition into university level study.

Information and Communication Technologies

Information and Communication Technologies are essential tools for the research, development and resolution of visual artworks, connecting students with knowledges and skills necessary for success in a highly competitive and technologically rich future.

Partnerships

Significant partnerships with QUT and the broader creative community enhance this evolution.

Study of the visual arts allows for and encourages considerable crossing of traditional boundaries within the arts.

 

Design Technology

Click here to view Year 10 Parent Night 2013 - Design Technology Presentation   (PDF 641KB)

Design Technology

Through studying design technology, students should become aware of how designers work and communicate with each other.  In all group 4 subjects (Experimental Sciences) there is an emphasis on a practical approach through experimental work.  The group 4 project (which all science students must undertake), mirrors the work of real scientists by encouraging collaboration between schools across the regions.

A design technology students’ approach to study should be characterized by the specific IB learner profile attributes – inquirers, thinkers and communicators.

The design technology course is organized by topics, Standard Level students study seven topics and Higher Level students study a further five, with some of these taking the first seven topics to greater depth.  In addition to this, both SL and HL students study one out of a choice of five options. These options are:

  • Food science and technology
  • Electronic product design
  • CAD/CAM
  • Textiles
  • Human factors design

At QACI we study Human Factors Design, as it is an integral part of all design solutions.  

To design with technology is to use human ingenuity in selected activities in order to meet needs and find solutions. This can be achieved through existing or new technologies. Design consists of gathering information about the problem or opportunity, processing that information, and planning for some kind of intervention either by modifying what is already there or by introducing something new. The designer is interested not just in the material environment but also in the social, technological, economic, environmental, political, legislative and ethical considerations that affect people’s priorities.

Diploma Programme design technology is based on a model of learning that incorporates knowledge, skills and design principles in problem-solving contexts, while at the same time maximizing the use of local and readily available resources. It assumes no previous experience in either technology or design. The intent is not solely the acquisition of knowledge about design and technology, which may change or become out-dated, but it is about learning how to adapt to new experiences and to approach problems with the appropriate skills and the relevant techniques to identify the important elements and, crucially, to develop the optimum solutions. The design cycle is at the core of the course, and it is expected that students will use this process in the practical investigative work as well as in the theory. Each element in the design cycle represents an aspect of design technology, which, when viewed together, constitutes a holistic approach. Any given element is therefore only to be seen in the context of the whole process.

Technology relies on the laws and properties of nature and the accumulated knowledge of technology to create new products, techniques and systems. Design technology sits comfortably in the Diploma Programme experimental sciences, because the design cycle involves inquiry, and students need to study scientific principles in order to understand advances made in society and to be able to speculate what might be achieved in the future.

The range of syllabus topics has been chosen to ensure a balance and interest for all students regardless of their gender and previous experience. It includes options that will be attractive to all students, not only those whose future studies will be in the field of science, technology or engineering, and it offers opportunities for in-depth studies of relevant technological issues for those who will study such subjects.

The formal pieces of assessment consist of;

Paper 1 – a multiple-choice exam which covers all of the topics studied at SL or HL

Paper 2 – short answers and an extended response on all of the topics covered

Paper 3 – Human factors design

These exams make up 64% of the final IB grade

 

The other assessment element is Internal Assessment, which are project and investigations;

Street Furniture

Lighting

Mobile phone investigation

In year 12, students complete their final major design project, where the students themselves decide on the focus for their project and then manufacture their final design solution.

 

Pursuit of excellence

At the Queensland Academy for Creative Industries we support our students in their pursuit of excellence in the sporting arena.

Students are eligible to trial for district teams and when successful go on to represent the district at regional and then state level.

The process to gain selection is:

  • Access information regarding District Trials on the Sports Noticeboard
  • See the Sports Coordinator to nominate to represent the Academy
  • Collect appropriate forms and signatures
  • Attend the North-West District Trials
  • If successful, ask the Sports Coordinator for Met North Regional Trials forms
  • Complete forms and collect signatures
  • Attend Met North Regional Trial
  • If successful, attend State Trials.

Our students have successfully represented our Academy in North-West District and Met North trials in swimming and volleyball.

Contribute

We value the contributions all our students make to their sporting teams, be it competitive or social.

Students are encouraged to continue to contribute to their local sporting clubs outside the Academy. Other sporting endeavours are also of great value to students. Yoga or dance classes, for example, are a great way to keep fit and healthy, release stress and maintain life balance.

CAS

CAS Information for Parents of Year 10 and Year 11 students

The Nature of CAS

CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) is a mandatory part of the IB Diploma Core together with TOK and the Extended Essay. CAS addresses eight outcomes based on experiential learning. The CAS program gives students the opportunity to explore activities and projects that sit outside the academic curriculum and to maintain a balanced life-style. As part of Creativity, students might choose to join a choir, host an art exhibition or take a course in creative writing. As part of Action, students might play in a football team, participate in Scout expeditions or join a gym. As part of Service, students could support the Leukaemia Foundation by organising the World’s Greatest Shave, tutor refugees as part of the Saint Vincent de Paul VoRTCS program, or support service at QACI by becoming an Apple Angel. The CAS portfolio should be balanced across all three strands of CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) with roughly equal amounts of each. A student may not include in their CAS portfolio anything which contributes to their academic performance. For example, involvement in a theatre production which counts towards results in Theatre as a subject cannot be counted as CAS. However, assisting with a theatre production as a member of the QACI Technical Team or involvement in a production outside of school may count towards CAS.

The CAS booklet

At the end of last term, Year 10 students were presented with an Introduction to CAS Program together with a booklet explaining all of the CAS requirements. During Term 4 they will be planning their CAS portfolios and starting activities which can be continued over the Christmas holidays into next year. Year 11 students received a copy of the booklet at the start of the year and it is also available on Managebac, an online system used for documenting CAS activities and uploading evidence, reflections and supervisor reports. Managebac also has examples of good reflections and evidence. QACI teachers use Managebac regularly to give feedback to students on their progress. Students should upload evidence and reflections to Managebac within a month of completing an activity/project and request a supervisor report. Managebac automatically emails the supervisor when the student requests a report.

The CAS portfolio

CAS portfolios must contain a minimum of 6 substantial activities (at least 15 hours each) and a semester leadership project (at least 30 hours). Students have been advised to check activities that they are already involved in which might be included as part of their CAS portfolio. Students are strongly advised against taking on a number of smaller activities which do not demonstrate commitment and perseverance. The leadership project should be initiated by the student, require planning and commitment, and must cover at least two strands of CAS. Leadership projects may be an individual or group effort on the part of several students. Examples of CAS projects are: co-ordinating an RSPCA group (Service and Creativity), training a Hiphop Dance troupe (Creativity and Action), or co-ordinating the Bridge to Brisbane Fun Run (Action and Service). A project such as coaching a junior sports team could involve all three strands of Creativity, Action and Service). Students are advised to take advantage of groups already operating at QACI where there are many opportunities available for participation and leadership as Year 12 leaders hand over responsibility to Year 11 students. For each activity/project students must have an adult supervisor who is not a relative or a high school student. Activities organised at QACI will normally have a member of staff as a supervisor whereas external activities will require an external supervisor. With external activities students should notify their supervisor as a matter of courtesy that a progress report will be required on completion of the activity.

Certificate II in Active Volunteering

The QACI CAS portfolio also now includes the Certificate II in Active Volunteering which gives students a TAFE qualification and credit towards their QCE. The certificate consists of nine online modules presented by Ms Clare Winter (HOD for Student Services) as part of the Year 11 Lecture series. Assessment is online except for a interview in Term 3 of Year 11.

CAS Checkpoints

During the week of November 4-9th Year 10 students will have an interview with their Success Coach regarding their progress. At that stage they should have completed a hard copy of their planning document (see back of the CAS booklet), uploaded descriptions of the six activities and project onto Managebac, and should have begun some activities.

For Year 11 students, the expectations are that, by the week of November 4-9th, students should be well on their way to completing four activities and the project, leaving only two activities to finish during Semester 1, 2013. The IB2 year is very demanding with a number of tight deadlines. If students can complete most of CAS by the end of Year 11, this will go a long way to relieving pressure during the final IB year. Year 10 and 11 students will receive a CAS comment as part of their Semester 2 report.  Year 11 students considered “at risk” of not completing the CAS portfolio by the end of Semester 1 IB2 will also receive a letter to this effect with their Semester 2 report.

Please discuss your student’s CAS progress with them on a regular basis. It is an important and valuable part of the IB Diploma which students often find difficult to manage time-wise given that it sits outside the academic curriculum. CAS is now becoming important as the added dimension in tertiary scholarship applications. All students have access to Managebac and can show you online what their CAS portfolio looks like. Should you have any questions re your student’s progress please do not hesitate to contact your student’s Success Group Coach in the first instance. If you have any general questions about the nature of CAS please do not hesitate to contact me on 3552 9333 or lcutm1@eq.edu.au.  

Ms Lois Cutmore (CAS Co-ordinator/Senior French Teacher)

Download CAS Handbook 2012  (PDF 420KB)

 

Extended Essay

Download EE Student Handbook 2013 Submission (PDF 1MB)

Areas of Study | Film | Music | Theatre Arts | Visual Arts