Activity Introduction
Quick summary: In this lesson, students will discover how natural hazards have been depicted by various artists worldwide and consider how technique, medium and colour have been used to evoke emotion. Further, students will use various materials that illustrate the effects of natural hazards on the Australian landscape. The image featured in the lesson was completed by artist Katsushika Hokusai, Under the Wave off Kanagawa, also known as The Great Wave.
Subject: Art.
Year Level: 7 & 8.
Topics: Creative Thinking, Sustainability and Climate Change.
Teaching Time: 80 minutes.
21st-century skills:
Australian Curriculum Mapping
Content descriptions:
Year 7 & 8 Art:
- Investigate ways that visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials are manipulated to represent ideas, perspectives and/or meaning in artworks created across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts (AC9AVA8E01)
- reflect on the ways that they and other artists respond to influences to inform choices they make in their own visual arts practice (AC9AVA8D02)
- select and manipulate visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials to create artworks representing ideas, perspectives and/or meaning (AC9AVA8C02).
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 artmaking. 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 facilitating class understanding about how art is used as a form of communication about what is happening in the world.
Resources required:
- A device that connects to the internet to present google slides
- Art folio or art materials such as pencil, paper, or rubber to complete their rough sketch
- Additional materials such as design programs, magazines (for collage), paint, glue etc.
Related Professional Development: 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.
Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.
