Lesson summary
Students will discover how an Australian artist used burnt wood from the black summer fires to draw a series of native Australian birds, depicting their escape. Students will learn about various species affected by the fires and use a similar medium (charcoal) to show how bushfires affect Australian wildlife.
Learning intentions:
Students will...
- discover an Australian artist that has created artworks in response to a natural hazard
- investigate Australian species affected by the fires
- draw an Australian species affected by the fires with charcoal.
Success criteria:
Students can...
- enhance their artistic intentions as artists through exploration of how artists use their talents to convey important messages about the effects of natural hazards on Australian wildlife
- create an artwork that shows the effects on Australian wildlife and share their process with their peers.
Lesson guides and printables
Lesson details
Curriculum mapping
Syllabus outcomes: VAS4.3, VAS4.5.
General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Capability.
Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability.
Relevant parts of Year 7 & 8 achievement standards: By the end of Year 8, students identify and analyse how other artists use visual conventions and viewpoints to communicate ideas and apply this knowledge in their art-making. They explain how an artwork is displayed to enhance its meaning. They evaluate how they and others are influenced by artworks from different cultures, times and places.
Students plan their art-making in response to the exploration of techniques and processes used in their own and others’ artworks.
Level of teacher scaffolding: This lesson involves a medium level of teacher scaffolding with teachers facilitating class discussion, encouraging students’ reflective writing skills about art and class understanding about how artists have a preconceived intention that informs the creation of their art.
Resources required
- A device capable of presenting a PowerPoint presentation to the class
- Charcoal and paper to draw a picture of an Australian species affected by natural hazards
Skills
This lesson is designed to build students’ competencies in the following skills:
- Communication
- Creativity
- Critical thinking
- Cultural understanding
- Community engagement
- Empathy
- Problem solving
- Social skills
Additional info
We encourage you to undertake the free PD Course How to teach a unit on fire and flood resilience for tips on how to best deliver this lesson.
If you’re concerned about the challenging nature of these topics, consider the free PD Course How to approach trauma in the classroom for information on how best to support your students.
This lesson was made in partnership with
Minderoo Foundation (www.minderoo.org).
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