Lesson Plans and Resource Pack
Lesson Plans and Resource Pack
I produced this booklet as a response to an Education Business Placement with East Lothian Council Library and Museums HQ. ELC Museums Service have created an exhibition at Prestongrange Museum called A Land of Shadows. As this is based on JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, I decided to concentrate on the magical myth-making images as stimuli for my worksheets.
The placement involved me in creating a range of Art & Design based educational materials suitable for use by Primary 6 and 7 and Secondary 1 and 2 classes.
Using imaginary mythical beasts and enchanted forests as a starting point, I produced a range of process-based lesson plans.
Some of the units are specifically for use by the Museum Education Staff, with visiting school groups, others are intended for use by both Primary and Secondary staff after their visit to the exhibition.
I hope that the Lesson plans are flexible enough to allow people to import their own images if they so wish.
Finally I would like to thank everyone concerned, for allowing me the opportunity to take part in this placement and thank you to the ELC Museum staff for sharing their work space, expertise and coffee!
Sheila Calder
May 2002
After an introductory talk and tour round the exhibition, pupils would be presented with their task. At this stage, if appropriate, they would be given paper and drawing materials to work on ideas. A time limit would be set for this of up to 20 minutes. Thereafter the practical section of the workshop would start.
To demonstrate how the workshops would dovetail with 5-14 Forward Plans, I will include the relevant strands. Each workshop will have a lesson plan, outlining the presentation, aims and objectives, pupil responses and a list of required materials. Teacher materials will follow the same format, with additional 5-14 Assessment information, suggested development lessons and a resources list. The three main Themes are outlined below, with lesson plans in appropriate media written individually.
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Using a large area, preferably out of doors, pupils will be asked to design a dragon sculpture in relief. Using the "mood board" on Dragons as a resource, draw attention to shape, pattern and scales. Ask lots of questions about dragon-like creatures e.g. which bits of other animals could you use to make a dragon? Batwings, fish scales, lizard tails etc.
Strand 5-14
Outcome 1. Using materials and techniques, skills and media.
The group should be divided into roughly fifteen, each under the tutelage of their teacher or Jane Beattie and one A.I.R. Each group should then create subdivisions, with adult assistance, into the following.
At this stage a photographic record could be made.
Strand 5-14
Outcome 2. Expressing ideas, thoughts and solutions.
Using the best ideas from the groups' drawings, create a large dragon outside on the designated area, within the given dimensions. Thinking about shape, line, pattern. The A.I.R. could assist with this.
Jane or Teacher to take group around site, and possibly also onto the beach to collect an assortment of found objects. NOTHING MAN-MADE TO BE TOUCHED WITHOUT ADULT SUPERVISION (Bricks excepted). Suggested objects: Bricks, stones, pebbles, sticks, slate, wood, shells, seaweed, leaves etc. These items would be wheelbarrowed back to the sorters.
These people would grade the objects found according to size, shape, texture or colour, depending on the group's decision about the decoration of their dragon. The Designers would start to place these objects to create their dragon, with the assistance of the sorters.
A photographic record could be made.
Strand 5-14
Continuing Outcome 2 Expressing ideas, thoughts, and solutions.
The whole group could be involved in finishing off the creation of their Dragon. They have to consider, line, shape and pattern. They would also want to think about grading according to size, colour or texture. [To gauge group opinion of the sculpture, individual evaluation forms will be handed out].
A photographic record could be made.
Strand 5-14
Outcome 3 Evaluating and appreciating.
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Looking at: Line, pattern, shape, structure, colour.
Materials: Pencil, paper (A3) wax crayons, paint.
Dragons are enchanted creatures. Sometimes they live in caves, sometimes on volcanic mountains, sometimes in swamps or deep lakes. Dragons are usually fierce with long fangs and sharp claws. Some of them can fly, some breathe fire. Dragons are often richly patterned and brightly coloured. They have iridescent scales, plumes, wings and horns. Using a pencil to begin with, draw your idea of a Dragon. Start to build up pattern using wax crayons. Fill in the shapes with paint.
Outcome 1: Using materials, techniques, observation skills and media.
Strand 1: Investigating and recording. 2; Using media. 3; Visual elements.
Looking at: Shape, pattern, structure, texture, colour.
Materials: PVA glue, scissors, reflective and coloured papers, sequins, newspaper, card, kitchen foil.
Look at the patterns of scales on fish and reptiles (lizards, crocodiles, alligators etc.). Scales come in different shapes and sizes. They are round, oval, rectangular, triangular, tear shaped, kite shaped, pointed. Choose the shapes you like best and cut a template out of card. Use this to draw lots of shapes the same onto coloured card and metallic papers. Now glue your shapes onto your drawing of a dragon. Add further texture by gluing on sequins.
Outcome 2: Expressing feelings, ideas, thought and solutions.
Strand 1; Creating and designing. 2; Communicating and presenting.
| 115940 | Holographic pack 10 x A4 sheets 20 pre cut stars self adhesive | 4.10 |
| 302333 | Bulk pack of sequins 500 gm | 7.98 |
| 331341 | Gilsten Mesh, 6 assorted colours (8 m per roll) | 4.45 |
| 713554 | P.V.A. glue. 5 litre container | 5.50 |
| 756768 | Glue spreaders pack 10 @ | 0.60 |
| 112313 | Pack 200 assorted sheets vivid card (A4) @ | 2.85 |
| 117420 | Embossed assorted coloured foil pack @ | 4.25 |
| 111511 | Iridescent film (914 mm x 3.8 m) | 3.80 |
| 118729 | Coloured cellophane assorted colours (code for red given) | 0.99 |
A more "industrial" dragon could be produced in collage from using nuts and bolts, old screw nails, coarse cardboard (such as the corrugated card boxes school paper towels come in) steel wool and plastic pan scourers. P.V.A. glue will stick all of the above down quite satisfactorily. A can of black spray paint, lightly coated with a metallic spray paint when dry will give a "castiron" look. Cellophane glued on to straws makes effective "Dragon's wings" and I have included the Y.P.O. catalogue numbers above.
YORKSHIRE PURCHASING ORGANISATION
41 INDUSTRIAL PARK
WAKEFIELD
WF2 OXE
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Looking at: Line, pattern, structure, shape.
Materials: Pencil, photocopying paper (18 x 12 cm).
"I am armoured above and below with scales and hard gems". Smaug, The Hobbit.
Dragons have heads like lizards or snakes. They are scaley like reptiles or fish. Dragons have wings and fins. They have sharp, clawed feet and long pointed teeth. They breathe fire.
Dragons are mythological creatures. They are not real - or are they? What do you think a dragon looks like? Using a pencil and thinking about line, pattern, structure and shape, draw your idea of a dragon.
Looking at: Line, pattern, structure, shape, colour.
Materials: Quickprint, ink, rollers, biro pen, newspaper, printing paper, ink plate (flat tiles or a mirror would do), tracing paper, scissors.
Trace the drawing you did of a Dragon. Hold the tracing over the quickprint tile and draw on top of your tracing lines with biro pen. Cut out the outline of your dragon shape with scissors.
Pressing VERY HARD draw over the scale patterns of your dragon on top of the quickprint.
Your printing "block" is now ready. Write your name on the BACK in biro.
Set out your printing area like the illustration below.
Put a tiny amount of ink on the ink plate. [As much toothpaste as would go on a toothbrush - Less is more! Teacher does this ALWAYS!]. Roll the ink with one of your rollers until it is tacky and looks like the texture of velvet.
Now roll the ink onto your dragon printing block. Turn it ink side down onto your printing paper and roll on top of it with the clean roller. Carefully lift the block up and you should have a print. You can make several of these.
Wash the block and dry, draw on more scales or patterns leaning heavily with the biro pen. Roll another colour of ink onto the plate, then ink up your dragon block. Carefully position this on top of one of your original prints and roll with the clean roller. You now have a two-colour print! Repeat.
Clean up all your equipment and tidy away.
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Guided tour round rural location, paying particular attention to trees/woods. Guided tour around the Exhibition with particular reference to the Enchanted Wood.Using the "mood board" on Trees as a resource draw attention to shape, line and form. Ask lots of questions about trees. What colour is the trunk? How thick are the branches? The twigs? Is there a texture on the bark?
Strand 5-14
Outcome 1 Using materials and techniques, skills and media.
The group would be shown how to sketch as opposed to drawing, and also how to visually describe the structure of a tree. They would be given a time limit of 10m - 15 minutes to complete this section.
Practise drawing using the point of the pencil. Vary the pressure put on the pencil, this will give lighter or darker tones. Now practise drawing using the edge of the pencil. Again vary the pressure put on the pencil to create different tones. Do not lean too heavily!
Place the paper on something textured (a piece of wood or stone for example) and use the edge of the pencil to create texture on your drawing.
This is called "frottage". Pupils could practise these techniques in the border of their paper.
Strand 5-14
Outcome 2. Using materials and techniques, skills and media. Expressing ideas.
Designing. Each pupil has to take their drawing and trace it. (less able pupils could be given visuals at this stage to work from).
Working within a given dimension, pupils could repeat their tree design. They could stylise it and simplfy it thinking about shape, line and structure.
Their aim is to produce a design for a greetings card using trees as their motif.
Strand 5-14
Outcome 2. Expressing ideas, thoughts and solutions.
Each individual in the class should have produced a small greetings card with a tree as a motif (see illustrations). Areas of the card should be cut out. Layers of alternative papers e.g. tissue, tracing, metallic could be added behind or on the trees.
These cards could have messages written inside them pertaining to the exhibition.
Strand 5-14
Outcome 3 Evaluating and Appreciating.
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Looking at: Line, Pattern, Shape, Structure, Texture.
Materials: HB pencil, Photocopying paper, ruler, compasses, cardboard viewfinder.
Younger children often draw trees like lollipops, a sort of visual shorthand for a tree. This exercise is to encourage them to look at trees as a living, growing entity - perhaps even to create a personality for their tree. Trees have a structure similar to a great river, with a main form, sometimes curving, fed by narrower branches and finally small burns from the source. This form can also be echoed in road structures.
First create a border using a ruler, now draw the main trunk of the tree with branches feeding off this gradually becoming smaller and smaller until they are twigs. Use the edge of the pencil to create a texture on your tree trunk by leaning on something with a hard, rough texture and take a rubbing from it. This is called FROTTAGE. Use the point of the pencil to make darker marks or leaves on your tree.
Strand 5-14
Outcome 1: Using materials, techniques, observational skills and media.
Looking at: Shape, pattern, structure, texture.
Materials: Tracing paper, biro pen, quickprint.
Trace the drawing done of the tree. Keep the shapes simple. Place the tracing paper over the printing tile and press through with a biro pen. Some areas of the drawing could be cut out, for example, each side of the tree trunk.
Press very hard on the quickprint tile with the biro to create texture on the trunk, or fine branches. The printing block is now ready. Write your name on the BACK of the tile.
Strand 5-14
Outcome 3: Expressing ideas, creating, solutions.
Looking at: Shape, pattern, texture, colour.
Materials: Printing block, ink, rollers, printing paper, ink plate, newspaper, sellotape (to repair damaged printing blocks!).
Set out your printing area like the illustration below.
Put a tiny amount of ink on the ink plate [ as much toothpaste as would go on a toothbrush - less is more! Teacher does this ALWAYS!]. Roll the ink with one of the rollers until it is tacky and looks like the texture of velvet. Now roll the ink onto your tree printing block. Turn it ink side down onto your printing paper and roll on top of it with the clean roller. Carefully lift the block up and you should have a print. You can make several of these.
Wash the block and dry. Draw on more twigs or add texture to the trunk and branches, leaning very heavily with the biro pen. Roll another colour of ink onto the plate, then ink up your tree block. Carefully position this on top of one of your original prints and roll with the clean roller. You now have a two-colour print!.
Clean up all your equipment and tidy away.
| Suggested materials list for printmaking | ||
|---|---|---|
| 700223 | pencils 576 HB Noris school pack @ | 27.84 |
| 733229 | < or HB pencil pk12 | 0.48 |
| 114820 | Drawing paper (recycled photocopying paper 5 reams of A4 @ | 11.25 |
| 110973 | Tracing paper pk 500 (250 x 185mm) @ | 1.35 |
| 717533 | Black biros pk 50 @ | 1.95 |
| 31336X | Scissors class set 32 (28rh 4lh & block) @ | 10.88 |
| 731188 | Ink plates @ | 1.08 |
| 111430 | Printing paper pk 100 A4 sheets recycled @ (20 sheets each of yellow, red, blue, orange, green) | 2.05 |
| 745847 | Rollers (75mm) @ | 2.25 |
| 307262 | Quickprint (polystyrene sheets) A4 pk 25 @ | 7.50 |
| 747254 | Black Watercolour printing ink @ | 1.98 each |
| 747270 | Blue Watercolour printing ink @ | 1.98 each |
| 747297 | Red Watercolour printing ink @ | 1.98 each |
| 747300 | Yellow Watercolour printing ink @ | 1.98 each |
| 747289 | Green Watercolour printing ink @ | 1.98 each |
| 747262 | White Watercolour printing ink @ | 1.98 each |
Obviously multiples of some of the above would need to be bought i.e. 2 printing rollers per print station. I use old mirrors for printing plates, but absolutely smooth wall tiles would do just as well. The quickprint can be chopped into smaller pieces for economy and some of the items are re-useable i.e. the scissors etc. In addition a sizeable quantity of newspapers would be needed.
ALL AVAILABLE FROM - YORKSHIRE PURCHASING ORGANISATION
41 INDUSTRIAL PARK,
WAKEFIELD,
WF2 OXE.
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At the workshop area, ask lots of questions about trees and what they are used to make. When some bright spark says "paper", inform the class of the workshop activity.
Strand 5 - 14
Outcome 1: Listening, considering, expressing ideas.
The group would be shown how paper is made, and then each given an opportunity to make their own piece of paper. The finished paper would be dried on a piece of newspaper, onto which they can write their name. This makes it easily identifiable for home-time. The paper can be safely stacked in a box and taken by their teacher, to be handed out when dry.
Strand 5 - 14
Outcome 2: Learning skills, using media
If the paper was made near the start of the visit, it could be revisited at the end (with favourable weather it should be dry by now. Each piece of paper could be stuck down onto a sheet of coloured card, to have additions such as real or metallic leaves glued on. Poetry could be written over the top of this for adding to the class book. [Further development lesson].
Strand 5 - 14
Outcome 3: Expressing ideas, thought and solutions.
Each individual could contribute a sheet either for display on the exhibition's Large Book, or to create a class book back at school. There is a further lesson plan for a lesson designing a book cover using "doorways" as the theme. This could be a potential class entry for the competition to win the sword.
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The Doorway image is used often in literature. Sometimes it is a doorway into another world, as in Alice in Wonderland, 'Through the Looking Glass' and 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'. In Lord of the Rings the Gate of Moria leads into the devastated underground realm of the Dwarves.
Doorways in fantasy stories are nearly always impressive looking and highly decorated, or they are deliberately sinister and forbidding.
"Doorways wreathed in stylized garlands of stone embellished with painted panels and frosted glass, crowned by glittering intricate tiles; doors that stop you in your tracks and invite you to enter".
"DOORS" by Val Clery, Penguin Books
The teacher would encourage the class to think about creating a doorway which is different from the norm, a fantastical doorway to take you into another world; a doorway based on the human face.
Strand 5 - 14
Outcome 1
Using materials and techniques, observational skills, media skills
The class would discuss the human face and the character and expression on it. Visual 1 would be handed out for the class to use as a resource. Four small rectangular boxes could be drawn on their paper for rough ideas, and a larger box beneath for their best idea. [See example (a)]. Alternatively the paper could be divided into four [see example (b)]. At this stage Visual 2 could be handed out to help pupils to create their own face drawings.
Strand 5 - 14
Outcome 2 Learning drawing skills, using media
Each pupil would choose their best design and draw this onto a piece of folded card. The month should be right at the bottom to create the doorway. This could either be an open space or a double door. [See examples (c) & (d)].
Strand 5 - 14
Outcome 3 Expressing ideas, thoughts and solutions.
Outcome 1 Pupils could work on the drawings of the face by layering them with tissue paper, or working on them with oil pastels and paint. The finished work should look craggy and textured, as if made of carved stone or wood. NB Sawdust can be mixed with paint and PVA to create texture - but use old brushes!
Outcome 2 A tracing of the original drawing could be made and a "mono-print" produced from this. When dry the monoprint can be worked on with paints or link and the finished artwork mounted on card for cutting. A separate worksheet on monoprinting is available.
Strand 5 - 14
Outcome 4 Produce finished artwork.
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Back to contents | Outline | Other resources
Back to contents | Outline | Other resources
Back to contents | Outline | Other resources
Line, Shape, Pattern
Newspapers, Flat Wall tiles (non-textured), ink rollers, printing ink, newspaper strips, paper to print onto, biro pens, pencils, making tape, finished drawing.
Set out the printing area as illustration below. Ink up the tile, or printing plate with a small amount of ink (as much toothpaste as you would put on your toothbrush - teacher always does this). Roll the ink until the surface is tacky and like velvet or sandpaper.
Mask off the ink with the newspaper strips to create a square or rectangle. Place a blank sheet of paper over the inked rectangle and tape the finished drawing on top. With a biro pen, and working very quickly, draw over the original drawing. This must not take more than a couple of minutes, or the paper will stick to the ink.
Peel off the drawing and sheet of paper, and place a fresh piece of paper over the ink plate. With a clean roller, press on the paper, very firmly. Peel off and you should have your print. If you are lucky, the first image might have worked too, giving you a positive and negative. Have fun!
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Cardboard, scissors, glue, paint, objects for decorating eg beads, buttons, sequins etc. metallic papers, tissue paper, string, gold spray paint.
Texture, pattern, construction, shape.
Often the box that treasure comes in is simple, plain, even dull. This is your opportunity to create a box which is in itself the treasure. The box could be either painted or glued with dark coloured paints and tissue papers, then decorated with bright beads and sequins, or, it could be decorated with a variety of different textured objects such as ; pasta, string, buttons, shells or stones, and then sprayed with gold spray paint.
Strand 5 - 14
Outcome 1 Using materials and techniques, media skills.
The class would be given the net of the box (provided) or work on a ready made box (see teacher notes). When the box is completed it could either be painted at this stage or decorated with layers of glued on tissue paper.
The next stage would be to decorate the box.
Strand 5 - 14
Outcome 2 Using materials and techniques, media skills.
At this stage a discussion about pattern and texture could be generated. The teacher would encourage the class to think about structure with their pattern. Planning out the pattern on paper before sticking the objects down would be a good idea.
To produce an attractive, decorative box.
Strand 5 - 14
Outcome 3 Produce finished Design.
The basic box net could be photocopied and used as a template for a stronger cardboard. Alternatively Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation sells ready made boxes for decoration. This project is one which could be used to boost school funds, particularly around Christmas time!
| 318361 | Collage boxes pack of 12 | 5.95 |
| 115940 | Holographic pack (asstd coloured metallic papers & stars) | 4.10 |
| 302333 | Bulk pack of sequins 500gm | 7.98 |
| 331341 | Gilsten Mesh, asstd colours (8m per roll) | 4.45 |
| 713554 | PYA Glue, 5 litre container | 5.50 |
| 756768 | Glue spreaders pack 10 @ | 0.60 |
| 117420 | Embossed asstd coloured foil pack | 4.25 |
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