Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Exploring
colours and lines
with animals
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................... 3
Templates ....................................................................................................................................................... 10
My Storyboard............................................................................................................................................. 19
References ...................................................................................................................................................... 22
Introduction
There is little doubt that involvement in The Arts has a positive impact on student learning
both in formal educational settings and as a member of the community. Ewing (2010, p. 47)
argues that negative community habits can be transformed through active participation in the
arts to produce new ways of seeing, thinking and acting. She also suggests that critical
engagement through the processes of art, students are able to see things from a different
understanding is promoted (Ewing, 2010, p. 47). Research shows that students involved in
arts programs enjoy more positive personal lives than others from the same socioeconomic
The interdisciplinary benefits of students engagement in arts programs have also been
widely documented through research. Research shows that students whose learning is
embedded in the Arts in contrast to students deprived of arts experiences, achieve higher
grades and overall assessment outcomes, are less likely to succumb to boredom, have a
greater positive self-concept and are more likely to continue into higher education (Ewing,
2010, p. 13). Champions of Change (Fiske, E.B), reports that results of studies conducted by
researchers show evidence that student engagement in the arts has significantly positive
The Australian Curriculum rationale states that The Arts have the capacity to engage, inspire
and enrich all students. (Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority
[ACARA], 2017a). Aligning with the rationale of the Australian Curriculum, the Student
Handbook Colours and Lines with Animals scaffolds upon curriculum content of previous
years and is sequenced to develop students knowledge and understanding through exposure
to various works of arts designed to enhance their comprehension of the language, symbols,
As with the Aims if the Australian Curriculum (ACARA, 2017a), the Student Handbook:
Colours and Lines with Animals, aims to build upon students making and responding to arts
skills with increasing self-confidence, while developing their creativity, critical thinking
The Student Handbook: Colours and Lines with Animals provides students with the
knowledge of making and responding to The Arts. The Key Ideas of The Arts learning area
within the Australian Curriculum (ACARA, 2017b), elaborates on its interrelated strands of
making and responding. Making engages students in practical ways to understand how ideas
and intentions are communicated through The Arts, and develops their knowledge, skills,
techniques, processes, materials and technologies to enable them to create their own authentic
artwork (ACARA, 2017b). Through the responding strand of The Arts, students see
themselves as both the artist and the audience, and are given the opportunity to explore,
analyse, interpret, critically evaluate and respond to artworks they are exposed to as well as
Embedded in the engagement of this Student Handbook is the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
different artworks by contemporary Aboriginal artists, and gain a deeper insight and
understanding of the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories.
Through embedding the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures priority
in learning experiences, the Australian Curriculum addresses the need for all students to
engage in reconciliation, and develop respect for and recognition of the worlds oldest
outlines various content descriptions of what is to be taught and what students are expected to
learn (ACARA, 2017d). The making and responding strands of The Arts learning area of the
Australian curriculum forms a foundation upon which each subject of The Arts content
The content descriptors and achievement standards, for the Years 3 and 4 band of the visual
arts and media arts subjects, underpinning the Student handbook: Colours and Lines with
Animals are:
Explore ideas and artworks from different cultures and times, including artwork by
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, to use as inspiration for their own
representations (ACAVAM110)
Use materials, techniques and processes to explore visual conventions when making
artworks (ACAVAM111)
Present artworks and describe how they have used visual conventions to represent
Identify intended purposes and meanings of artworks using visual arts terminology to
compare artworks, starting with visual artworks in Australia including visual artworks
By the end of Year 4, students describe and discuss similarities and differences between
artworks they make, present and view. They discuss how they and others use visual
conventions in artworks.
Students collaborate to plan and make artworks that are inspired by artworks they experience.
They use visual conventions, techniques and processes to communicate their ideas (ACARA,
2017f).
By the end of Year 4, students describe and discuss similarities and differences between
artworks they make, present and view, and those to which they respond. They discuss how
they and others use visual conventions, and organise the elements and processes in artworks.
Students plan and make artworks that are inspired by artworks they experience. They use
The Student Handbook: Colours and Lines with Animals is designed to scaffold upon
recommended to introduce this unit of Visual Arts and Media Arts through whole class
discussion and utilise recent forms of visual arts and media arts (if possible) to conduct a
diagnostic assessment of where your students are in their knowledge, understanding and
skills. Conducting a diagnostic assessment prior to implementing this unit will allow you to
effectively make decisions regarding your pedagogical practices while delivering this
learning experience, and to adopt or adapt strategies to support individual students learning
needs.
The structure of the unit Colours and Lines with Animals allow you, as the teacher, the
flexibility to implement the learning and activities provided over a period of time suited to
you and your students. The colours and lines elements of art have been introduced and
scaffolded individually to allow for flexibility of which element will be focused on at first or
at any given time. The content provided in the Student Handbook provides a valuable
resource for reflection or to re-visit for clarification to reinforce learning if the need arises.
through whole class discussions, introduces subject specific language and encourages
exploration and analysis of the elements of art. Although the activities provided within the
Student Handbook are designed to reinforce student learning and engage students to practice
their knowledge and understanding through creative authentic activities, activities 2 and 6
may be completed individually, in small groups enhancing peer-to-peer leaning and the social
aspects obtained from responding to artwork of others, or teacher directed as a whole class.
While the proposed activities 1, 3, 4, and 5 are intended to be completed as individual tasks,
and examples are given to illustrate the finished product or to provide visual cues, it is
recommended that the teacher models each activity with the support of verbal instruction and
to clarify any misconceptions. Template are included in this Teachers handbook for the
purpose of teacher modelling and support, as well as the ability to provide student with extra
copies if needed.
understanding, knowledge and skill in the colour and line elements of visual art. Verbal
cognitive understanding and to allow the flexibility of differentiation to cater for student
The two parts of the final assessment provides teachers with a summative assessment of
students knowledge, understanding and skills of each colour and line elements of visual art
and the process of making and responding to artwork of their own and to others. Where
students are unable to physically produce their own artwork, or create a PowerPoint
presentation featuring their learning experience and artist statement, differentiation of the
assessment may be in the form of taking photographs or finding pictures featuring the colour
and line elements of art and recording a presentation of their artwork supported by verbal
Hint!
Dont forget to leave a blank
section in between your primary
colours
Hint!
Because blue is a lot darker than
red and yellow. Only use a very
small amount when mixing it
with the other colours.
Now practice mixing your blue and red to make purple and paint your purple in the blank section between the
blue and red.
Next mix your blue and yellow to make green and paint your green in the blank section between the blue and
yellow.
Finally mix your red and yellow to create orange and paint your orange in between the red and yellow.
Wait until your colour wheel is dry before doing the next steps!
When your colour wheel is dry, cut out the colour labels below and glue them onto the correct colours on your
wheel.
Then cut out and glue it in the centre of a small paper plate.
Cut out the Primary and Secondary labels below and glue them on the paper plate beside your primary and
secondary colours on your colour wheel.
Red Blue Yellow Green Purple Orange
Primary Primary Primary Secondary Secondary Secondary
Activity 1 (part 2): Create your colour wheel
Using a black felt pen and a ruler draw a line to divide your small plate and colour wheel in half
between the red and purple, and the yellow and green.
Using a black felt pen and a ruler draw a line down the centre of a large paper plate to divide it in
half.
Cut out the Warm and Cool colour labels and glue one on each side of the black line on the big plate.
Glue your small paper plate onto the centre of the big paper plate with the lines you have drawn lining
up together. Make sure you have the warm colours on the warm side and the cool colours on the cool
side.
Activity 2: Analysing Tiger in a Tropical Storm by Henri Rousseau
Tell me about the colours you see in the painting and what emotions
or feeling you have when you have when you were looking at it. You
can go back and look at the painting to help you answer the
questions.
What emotion can you see in the painting Tiger in a Tropical Storm?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Activity 3: Create your own coloured picture
In the space below, draw a picture of your favourite animal and
colour it in using warm or cool colours to create a mood or feeling.
Title: _______________________________________
By _________________________________________
Activity 4: Show your feelings through lines
In the space provided on the next page, try using line to draw
your own hand and give it form and value.
Trace the outline of your hand first.
Use a ruler measure and mark every centimetre up each side of
the page.
Then draw horizontal parallel lines from the picture border to the
outline of your hand with your ruler lined up between the dots.
Hint! Be careful not to draw the straight lines inside the tracing of
your hand.
Now use contour hatching to give your hand form.
Above are some Aboriginal art symbols often used to tell a story.
Activity 6: Analysing Aboriginal Art
Look at the pictures below and discuss how they are different to Eddie Blitners
Mimi Spirits Kangaroo Dreaming painting?
Using the Aboriginal art symbols, can you see the meaning or read the story in their paintings? Write
below each picture what you think their paintings mean or the story being told.
Its your turn to be an artist. Create a piece of art of an animal using what
you have learned about Colours and lines. You can use any style or
technique shown in this handbook, or a combination of styles and techniques.
Follow the steps below to create your very own original masterpiece. You will
need to take a photo of each step as you are creating your art.
Artist statement: I was inspired by various styles of Aboriginal artists when I created
this painting called Sheila Basking in the Sun. I used a photo of my pet Blue Tongue
Skink and I used Aboriginal symbols to represent my back yard where I take her to
enjoy some sunshine. The dotted circles represent trees and plants, and the bird footprints
represent my bird aviaries. The line circles represent my bird bath and my garden shed,
and the lines joining the two represent my walking path. I used a combination of dot
and crosshatching Rarrk Aboriginal style techniques with white and warm earthy colours.
I used the warm earthy colours to represent Sheila warming up in the sun. The medium
I used is oil paint on black cardboard.
Assessment Part B: Presenting and Responding
You will use your photos to create a PowerPoint slideshow Artist Statement.
Your artist statement will need to explain why you chose the style to create
your piece of art the way you did and of what, how you created it and
what it means to you.
Below you will find references for both The Student handbook and The Teacher Handbook.
Aboriginal art influenced dot painting created by a primary school student [Image]. (2017).
educ4kids.weebly.com/aboriginal-art-and-patterning.html
Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2017a). The Arts: introduction.
Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2017b). The Arts: key ideas.
priorities: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. Retrieved
from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/crosscurriculumpriorities/aboriginal-
and-torres-strait-islander-histories-and-cultures/overview
Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2017e). The Arts: structure.
Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2017f). The Arts: Curriculum.
http://www.nma.gov.au/collections-search/atsiaa/display.php?irn=147272
Ewing, R. (2010). The arts and Australian education realising potential. Camberwell,
Fiske, E.b. (n.d.). Champions of change: the impact of the arts on learning. Retrieved from
https://www.slideshare.net/RodriguezArt/element-of-art-line-14756539
Heaston. P. (2013). Hatching and cross hatching: 6 basic forms. Retrieved from
https://www.craftsy.com/blog/2013/07/hatching-and-cross-hatching/
https://www.slideshare.net/mixywixy4/linesmikadesign-theory?next_slideshow=1
http://www.gifpage.com/tag/printable-color-wheels/
2-50-line-types.html