Teach-Primary-Issue-19.8

between the strokes to suggest light on the waves. These brush strokes can be straight or ‘wavy’ to suggest sea movement; the ‘wavier’ strokes suggest stormier seas. From the horizon line, graduate from a darker tone to a lighter tone in the foreground. Finally, referring to the wave styles explored earlier, paint a series of individual waves on a separate piece of paper using a chosen style. Use a thin brush to paint the details. These will be added in week 5. Glue the lighthouse building onto the background paper, leaving approximately 15cm from the bottom for the rocks, which will be added next time. Add the two rooms created in week 1 to the lighthouse. Assessment • Can children create a sky and sea mirrored in colour? • Can children use thin brushstrokes to create detailed waves for the foreground? WEEK 5 Learning objective l To use collage techniques to create a base for the lighthouse Now the lighthouse needs a base. Explain to the class that they’ll use collage techniques to create this. The aim is to create a rocky island which is balanced in complimentary colours, or could contrast with the sea and sky; both can be equally effective. How could the rocks be created? Frommagazine pages? Or from textured and patterned papers or cut out of coloured paper? Alternatively, marble effects or patches of colour could be painted on paper and cut out into the shape of rocks. Screwed-up paper which is then unfolded can create texture, and tissue paper might be an obvious choice to overlay. Experiment with different textures and materials, and with overlapping the rocks. How could pupils arrange their paper rocks to suggest that some are in the background and others in the foreground? I tend to share a number of possibilities before giving children the freedom to experiment themselves. The top of the rock base should be slightly wider than the bottom of Karl Duke is the headteacher of a reading-inspired school in Lincolnshire. He is passionate about the power of picturebooks to inspire learning across the curriculum. @karlduke8.bsky.social and chimney around the light room, the hook at the right-hand side of the image, and the pole that holds the lifeboat. Pupils could also add steps down onto the rocks, as well as the lifeboat itself. One child came up with a brilliant idea to add a message in a bottle (including a line from the book or a message from Carroll’s Letters from the Lighthouse , rolled up like a scroll and glued to a bottle-shaped piece of paper), placed on the rocks or floating in the sea. Finally, an optional addition... Influenced by our curriculum focus – World War 2 in Lincolnshire – children used aircraft references to create Lancaster Bombers and spitfires in a chosen medium; these are added to the sky around the lighthouse. Assessment Can children use a range of media to add finer details to the artwork? TP F EATURE S P L ANN I NG the lighthouse, then should increase in width gradually to the bottom of the paper, making a triangular shape. To create the sense of distance, glue smaller rocks at the base of the building then increase the sizes until reaching the bottom of the paper (the foreground). To further suggest distance, it is also possible to increase the intensity of colour in the foreground, with softer tones used nearer to the lighthouse. It is now time to add the individual waves painted in week 4. Glue these along the bottom of the artwork, over the sea and the rocks. We have found overlapping the waves creates a lovely effect, as does using a paint-flicking technique to suggest water spray. The final task at this stage is to create the boiler room, which is placed on the rocks (this is a room below the lighthouse itself). We made ours using a simple coloured-pencil drawing of the water tanks; one filled with clean water and the other not so. This always triggers one or two giggles! Assessment • Can children use a range of techniques to create a collage suggesting distance? WEEK 6 Learning objective l To add detail to the artwork The main building and cross-sections are now set on a background of sky and sea. The detailed waves and rocks lead our eye towards the lighthouse. The final session is all about the details, including creating the roof, lifeboat and the aircraft. First, create a triangular roof, which will sit at the top of the lighthouse. Paint this red but gradually darken the paint to suggest shadow at one side (this gradient may depend on whether the children have chosen a day or night scene). Glue this on top of the light room, then give it a sea-themed weathervane using pen or pencil. Looking carefully at Sophie’s lighthouse, consider other details that could be added using a black pen or dark pencil. For example, the railings www.teachwire.net | 29