Vertical Unit of Inquiry Investigation

​How We Express Ourselves
 
An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.
 
3-4 Through play we express our feelings and ideas and come to new understandings. (Function, Connection, Perspective)
 
4-5 Stories can engage their audience and communicate meaning. (Form, Connection, Perspective)
 
5-6 Celebrations and traditions are expressions of shared beliefs and values. (Form, Connection, Perspective)
 
6-7 Images communicate ideas and information. (Function, Connection, Perspective)
 
7-8 Through the arts people use different forms of expression to convey their uniqueness as human beings. (Function, Perspective, Reflection)
 
8-9 People can create or manipulate messages to target specific audiences. (Function, Perspective, Reflection)
 
9-10 Throughout history, people have interacted with each other and communicated using arts. (Change, Connection, Perspective)
 
10-11 Creating and responding to art develops understanding of ourselves and the world around us. (Function, Perspective, Reflection)
 
11-12 A person’s behaviour and how they choose to present themselves project aspects of their identity. (Change, Perspective, Reflection)
 
I chose to investigate this vertical unit of How We Express Ourselves because while reading the other posts in the last activity I found another central idea of the same transdiciplinary theme that sounded very similar to the one I covered. I was curious if this was the case in the rest of the levels. I have found that this was in fact not the case. Most of the central ideas are varied and connect well with the age group targeted. There are three central ideas that are similar, ages 7-8, 9-10, and 10-11. All three of these involve the purpose and meaning of art and investigate why art is made in different cultures and history. Perhaps it is I that needs more clarification on the differences between these three but I feel like more distinction could be helpful.
 
In addition I noticed that the following key concepts were used in the following amount of levels:
2 Form
5 Function
0 Causation
2 Change
5 Connection
9 Perspective
0 Responsibility
4 Reflection
It seems like there could be a more even distribution of the key concepts. Could there by a unit that focuses on how people use art to promote action/activism/change that would focus on the key concepts of causation, change, and responsibility for example. Perhaps by merging one or two of the central ideas I mentioned above that seemingly overlap and developing one or two new central ideas the expand the definition of expression would make this transdiciplinary theme more deep.