Year 9 Visual Arts – Term 3 (WA Curriculum): Cultural Perspectives and Critical Response

What this unit covers

In Term 3, Year 9 Visual Arts in the WA Curriculum centres on the unit “Cultural Perspectives and Critical Response”.

Students develop critical analysis skills by examining materials, techniques and technologies used by different cultural groups and articulating informed judgements through written and verbal responses.

Lesson sequence (10 lessons)

The unit breaks down into the following lesson-by-lesson sequence — each title below is a teachable lesson, in order:

1. Exploring Indigenous Australian Art Materials and Techniques
2. Analyzing Traditional Japanese Printmaking Methods
3. Investigating African Textile Technologies and Cultural Significance
4. Examining European Renaissance Painting Techniques and Materials
5. Comparing Contemporary Digital Art Technologies Across Cultures
6. Developing Visual Analysis Vocabulary for Cultural Artworks
7. Writing Critical Responses to Cross-Cultural Art Exhibitions
8. Presenting Verbal Critiques of Traditional vs Contemporary Techniques
9. Evaluating Cultural Context in Material Choice and Artistic Process
10. Creating Comprehensive Art Reviews Using Academic Essay Format

Curriculum codes in this unit

Content codes:

Reading the codes: WA codes (the ones starting with WA) pack the year level, learning area, strand and content number into one string, while the national Australian Curriculum v9 uses a different anatomy that starts with AC9 — same content family, different labels. Our complete WA Curriculum guide decodes both, character by character.

Planning notes for Term 3

WA terms run roughly 9–11 weeks, and in 2026 Term 3 runs from Monday 20 July to Friday 25 September — 10 weeks for WA public schools. With 10 lessons in this unit, that leaves breathing room for assessment, moderation and the weeks that disappear to carnivals, camps and public holidays — plan the assessable work to land two to three weeks before the end of term rather than in the final week.