Teach-Primary-Issue-20.1

The chilly January days have us reaching for hats, gloves and scarves in preparation for the icy air, snow at breaktimes, and freezing commutes between home and school. This art lesson gives pupils (and teachers) the opportunity to think about this cold weather in terms of its beauty, whilst staying nice and warm indoors. Grab paper, glue and pens instead of those thick winter layers, and think about the changes snow and ice make to the look and feel of the neighbourhood, before creating beautiful, monochromatic artwork representing it. 1 | COMPOSE IT The artwork created during this lesson is a chilly view out of a window from a cosy indoor space. It can be a view of an urban or rural local scene; one with which pupils are familiar in the midst of wintertime. Drawing on the discussions from the beginning of the lesson, ask pupils to compose several different ideas for the artwork in their sketchbooks. Thumbnail sketching is a fun and effective way to do this. As the name suggests, thumbnail sketches are small (like a thumbnail but not quite as tiny), quick drawings that artists create to help them visualise their work and ideas before committing to larger, final canvases. These sketches aren’t detailed; they are just a way to map out different compositional arrangements prior to creating an artwork. Ask pupils to draw out several small rectangles (approximately 5cm x 7cm) on their sketchbook page to fill with different ideas for their view from the window. What can they see? Will it be houses and shops or fields and trees? Encourage them to play about with both portrait and horizontal compositions. They’ll then need to choose one as a final design to use. Having conversations with peers about their sketches and START HERE MAIN LESSON WHAT THEY’LL LEARN l That monochrome is a word that can be used to describe a picture that is created using only a single colour l To draw carefully with control using pen l To draw from observation (the locality) and imagination (the impact of the wintery weather) Art and design Begin the lesson by discussing your local area. Talk as a class, in groups or with a partner: what significant features and landmarks are there unique to the school, village, town or city? Think about the architectural style of the buildings, the trees in the school grounds or lining the nearby streets, the shops, religious buildings, leisure centres or sports grounds. What do they look like on mild spring, warm summer or breezy autumnal days? How does this appearance change in the chilly depths of the wintertime, when temperatures drop, snow starts to fall, and the days get shorter and darker? Stay wrapped up warm in the classroomwhile creating these striking wintery views through a window, with Adele Darlington KS2 LESSON PLAN @adele.darlington tinyurl.com/tp-AdeleDarlington Can you see the world through winter’s eyes? 76 | www.teachwire.net