Detailed lesson plan title by: Madeleine Green

Lesson title:
Painted leaf mobiles
Selected school context:
OSHC scenario (appendix 3)
Arts Subject for this lesson:
Visual Arts
Year level: 4 Lesson length: 45 minutes

CURRICULUM LINKS
Making Responding

Use materials, techniques and processes to explore visual conventions when making artworks (ACAVAM111).

- Applying art and design techniques effectively and safely, such as modelling and joining clay, marbling on paper,
designing and printing a pattern.

General Capabilities Cross-Curriculum Priorities

o Literacy o Ethical understanding o Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
histories and cultures
o Numeracy o Personal and social competence o Asia and Australia’s engagement with
Asia
o ICT Competence o Intercultural understanding o Sustainability
o Critical and creative thinking

This semester, the school has put forward a strong emphasis for students to consider
their ecological decisions to increase sustainability in their school. Through recent
backlash for being one of the worst schools in South Australia regarding being
environmentally friendly, the school cohort are taking extra measures to remove this
title from the school. The students are highly engaged with this change and are eager
to participate in conversations and activities that promote being environmentally
friendly. Therefore, the lesson will have a large focus on recycling materials to create
Context and Broad art with the overarching theme of environment to prompt students into having these
Goals conversations that promote small (individual) and big (group) change.

In previous lessons and units, the students have been exploring the importance of
visual elements in an arts piece and how that can convey a particular message.
Entering this lesson, it can be assumed that students understand that artwork is a
significant form of communication. Previously, students would have investigated the
messages of other people’s art, in this lesson it is important for them to communicate
their own meaning for their creations.

After participating in this lesson, students should feel comfortable evaluating their
artwork and depicting the meaning behind their design decisions. Throughout the
lessons students will be encouraged to consider recycling through teacher led
discussions and the nature of the activities. From these discussions, students should
feel connected to the importance of recycling and how they can easily implement this
Specific Learning within their lives. These ideas will be communicated through their participation within
Outcomes the activity and written response on their artwork. This relates to the Australian
Curriculum Achievement Standard of ‘discuss how they and others organise the
elements and processes in artworks’.

Furthermore, students will be utilising the skills of applying art and design techniques
effectively and safely through the process of creating their mobile. Directly linking the
activity to the content descriptor of the lesson.
Description of the
Lesson sequence
 For ‘Freddy’, it is important to ensure that he feels in control of the situation but not at a
higher power than the other students. The activity is mainly individual work, so this will
control his behaviour and minimalise his lashes of anger towards other students
invading his space and encroaching his beliefs.

Due to his love for nature and knowledge towards plants as well as being
environmentally friendly, encourage his participation within class discussion to help
share his knowledge with his peers. However, be mindful that he isn’t dominating the
conversation and demeaning another students’ opinion on the topic.

Differentiation Freddy’s behaviour can escalate when in an outside environment and quite frequently
uses sticks as weapons towards students that are antagonising him. To avoid this
eruption of behaviour, it is crucial that the teacher can identify trigger points that are
escalating and avert the behaviour from happening. At the beginning of the lesson, if
the teacher can identify that Freddy isn’t coping with his behaviour he/she can have
sectioned areas within the school for certain students to go – group zones that are
chosen by the teacher, so Freddy can be around students that don’t usually provoke
him –. Alternatively, if the behaviour has escalated to the point where it wouldn’t be
safe for Freddy to be handling sticks in a lower controlled environment, then he/she
can select students to collect sticks for the class while other students, including Freddy,
will only be collecting leaves.

This lesson will be used as a summative assessment to assess whether students are
meeting the curriculum’s Achievement Standard;
They discuss how they and others organise the elements and processes in artworks.
Students collaborate to plan and make artworks that communicate ideas.

The teacher will assess students through their painted leaf mobile, including the visual
appeal of the final product, their process of choosing materials and whether the
patterns displayed on the leaves link to the ideas that have been taught and practiced
Assessment throughout the unit. The other half of the summative assessment will be the final
written response that students will submit accompanying their mobile. The teacher will
be analysing to the extent that questions were answered and whether they effectively
communicated their ideas and processes behind their artwork.

As this is a summative assignment, students will be receiving a formally written form of

feedback that the teacher will also file to use within the final reporting for the term. Due
to the age of the students, it is important not to give formal grades for every piece they
complete as this can have detrimental effects on their creativity and their willingness to
participate further within the arts learning area.

PREPARATION:
Ensure other teachers – particularly PE teacher – aren’t using the outdoor courts near
the trees/art room during the lesson. This will ensure students aren’t distracted from
the lesson, are physically safe and will be a more inviting environment for Freddy.

Questions for the written response (appendix 4).

Prior experiences include the activities and lessons of exploring patterns through
Preparation /
multiple artistic techniques and paintings with different textures through print work.
Equipment
Earlier lessons have also helped students how to create an artwork that delivers a
message, which they will be doing through their mobiles.

EQUIPMENT:
- String
- Paint
- Drying area for final pieces (within the art room).
- Paint brushes
 - Newspaper
- Paint pots

FOLLOW ON LESSON PREPARTION:

Students will be introduced to their written response within this lesson, but due to time
restrictions, they will need a separate lesson to complete an effective piece. This will
ensure that the pieces are dried and can be used to prompt students into remembering
their design decisions.

ACARA 2016, Visual Arts; Years 3 and 4, v8.3, accessed 3 October 2018, via
< http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/>
Resources
Bar Rucci 2016, Painted Leaf Mobiles, Art Bar Blog, accessed 3 October 2018, via,
<https://www.artbarblog.com/painted-leaf-mobiles/>

Appendix 3

OSHC scenario

‘Freddy’ is a year 4 student in a class of 25. Freddy has anger management issues that stems from his Autism and
sensory disorder. Unless antagonised by other students, Freddy is very much engaged with his school work, especially if
it is within an area he is interested in, nature, building and food. George, Natasha and Carlos are three students that
intentionally/unintentionally push Freddy to a meltdown. During a meltdown – where Freddy feels threatened – Freddy
will use violence to fight off people that are distressing him and other people that get in his way. Quite often, he will use
items such as sticks as a physical weapon.

Although sticks can be dangerous for the class, it is a popular point of interest for Freddy and his class mates as they
enjoy building - in the allocated building areas around the school – huts and construction equipment for them and their
friends to use. The grounds of the school are surrounded by many big trees and green areas for these activities to play
out in a safe manner. The school encourages students to play with fallen pieces from the trees as a part of the
environmentally friendly focus throughout the semester. This regime of emphasising recycling has been favourable
amongst all students and throughout each learning area through active involvement to better the school environment.

The visual arts classroom is situated near the trees and is a large working space for the students to work in and have
area for all resources/equipment. Visual arts and music are the only learning areas of the arts that the school offer a
specialised teacher, the other areas are encouraged throughout other subjects, using an integrated approach. In year 4
students are focusing on creating patterns through various painting techniques, whilst analysing the techniques used by
multiple artists and replicating similar patterns. Throughout each unit, students have been required to complete their
final piece with a ‘written response’ to build the understanding of how art is used to convey a message to a particular
audience.

Appendix 4.

Written response questions:

Why is it important to recycle? How does your artwork reflect this?

My design processes. What decisions did you make and why?

- Consider your choice of colours, techniques, shapes and sizes of leaves and patterns.

What did/didn’t I enjoy about this activity?