Teach Primary 18.8

• What are the names of the different star constellations in the night sky? • What was the name of the star that the wise men followed at Christmas? • How do we use lights in festivals to celebrate? • What are the origins of the festivals we celebrate? • What festivals of light are there around the world, and how do people celebrate them? make an abstract collaborative collage. Explain that as pupils are going to be working together it’s important to move the shapes around until everyone is happy with the picture, before sticking them down. The children can now work together to make their own collaborative visual pieces. Play space or sensory music in the classroom to enhance the creative atmosphere. Provide each group or pair with an assortment of different smaller, precut pieces to use with their collages. The first step will be to sort and discuss their materials – provide a white board or tablet for the children to scribe any new words as they think of them (they could build throughout the lesson. Set up a sensory table, where children will be able to continue to explore the materials using torches and lights to shine amongst and through them. Talk about the night sky and show some images of the night sky and fireworks. What shapes can pupils see? (Swirling, coils, spirals.) What sounds do fireworks make? (Whizzing, popping.) How do they move? (Shooting, spinning.) 2 | COLLABORATIVE COLLAGES Demonstrate how, working in pairs or small groups, we are going to make night sky and firework pictures by arranging shiny pieces of thin tinsel, foil shapes, etc. to • Continue to use the vocabulary bank to spend time writing a class poem. Children can also write descriptive passages to accompany the exhibition. Write up the poems and passages in best writing using silver or white pens on black card. Children can practise their handwriting by painting individual words in fluorescent colours on black card. • Set up a variety of other sensory tables by grouping materials together where children can continue to explore dark and light. • Make sensory diorama light boxes or peep boxes. Find out about shadow theatres for Diwali and make a shadow theatre. • Find out more about the night sky and patterns of the stars – look at pictures sent back from the Hubble telescope in space • Create an area in the book corner with a selection of books about space and the sky on display. EXTENDING THE LESSON take it in turns to be the scribe). Encourage children to look at the aesthetics of their picture as it develops, and remind them to think of the picture as a night sky with stars and fireworks. Prompt pupils to talk about where the pieces go as they work together. Suggest they take a moment to stand back to look at the effect of the picture they are creating before sticking everything into place. You can dribble glue in swirls around the pictures and shake glitter for an extra effect at the end. Have a table set up with black paper chalks and silver pens for any children who would like to make some individual pictures of fireworks or the night sky when they have finished their collage. 3 | IN THE DARK Turn off the class lights and shine small lights on the pictures for added effect, while each group in turn displays their work and describes what they have made to the rest of the class. Discuss with the children they like about each other’s work. What words have they found during the lesson that they can use to describe their creations? You could use the words suggested by the children to create a class poem, and you may wish to set up a class exhibition of all the artworks. Madeleine Fox is an educational writer and artist. She was a former primary and SEN teacher with a specialism in speech, language and communication difficulties and art. “Throughout history people have created festivals and celebrations to help alleviate the winter darkness and build a sense of togetherness” USEFUL QUESTIONS www.teachwire.net | 97