Cross Gates Primary School

Spin the dog
Drawing from observation of a model of dog, which was fixed to a revolving plinth, the children were asked to make four drawings of different views of the dog. After each drawing, the dog was spun around, so that the selection of the view was random – the children could not choose. It was emphasised that the children should draw what they saw, not what they thought the dog should look like. This was particularly demanding for one boy, whose drawings showed identical images of the dog, a side view, facing left.

Biro’d bananas
Drawing on a banana was a really weird thing to do, but strangely satisfying! Many children said this was their favourite activity. Drawing on a threedimensional surface was a very different experience from drawing with pencil on paper. The activity prompted much discussion about drawing, food and health and safety.

Drawing with materials
The children were given bags of materials, which they were asked to sort into categories of natural and manufactured. They could then choose which to use to create a face. Some incorporated bananas into their designs. There was potential here for them to create a character and make up a story about it. The children became more confident about working with different materials and agreed that drawing could be a lot more than a paper and pencil exercise. One of the children recalled that an Aboriginal artist whom they had learned about recently used natural materials such as bark to draw with. This prompted a discussion about different kinds of drawing, including graffiti and tattoos. Although the emphasis was on drawing in relation to story telling, there were links with many other curriculum areas – geography, mathematics, and science.

Drawing on acetate
The children made figures collaged from magazine pages, then translated these onto drawings on acetate. These were taken on an adventure using the overhead projector, with the children working in groups, building up a story around their characters. More elements drawn on coloured acetate were introduced to contribute to the drama. While one child narrated the story, the others manipulated the image. Some started to incorporate speech bubbles. It was possible to introduce voice and sound effects. Children who were often stuck for ideas now found tales to tell. They were very proud of the characters they had designed – their sense of achievement was obvious – and wanted to show them off at lunchtime. Their concentration and application had been impressive. They learned that drawing is an adaptable activity and not something that merely involves pencils and paper. They learned new vocabulary and their skills in story telling improved.

Kaleidescopes
The children examined kaleidoscopes and experimented with reflections in mirrors and unwanted CDs to create their own simple versions – two mirrors joined with tape at an angle of 90 degrees and placed on a base. The faces of their characters were transformed into moving patterns. The children started talking about symmetry, which they had recently studied in maths,

Printing shapes
The children each selected a card on which was written the name of a shape, which they had to make, using resources provided – straws, lolly sticks, pipe cleaners and tape – to use as a basis for printing. Post-it notes were used to label shapes they found. Discussion focused on how to define a shape, or how to label a shape, where two lolly sticks had stuck together creating a straight line to make one side, or to label a shape made of pipe cleaners that had bent.

Reflection
Drawing supported learning in a variety of ways, creating opportunities for extending experience and developing ideas, for reinforcing what had already been learned. It certainly extended children’s vocabulary and made the pupils reflect on their experience. They learned terms for parts of the body. They created Mr Wordy as a classroom resource for descriptive writing. They understood the need to experiment, and that this could be both playful and serious. They found out that drawing involves observation, planning and organisation. Very importantly, they learned that it requires practice and perseverance – your first attempt will invariably not be your best, but you have to keep going and not give up. In schools the pressures of time do not always allow children to relax and go into their own world of concentration without feeling pressure to be quick and finish, as if the lesson were a race.