Art, Design & Photography

Subject Leader: Mrs Hermione Best - h.best@lavington.wilts.sch.uk

Year 7 Curriculum

What are we studying?

Students will complete a nineteen-week course in Art and Design comprising of one double lesson a week. Throughout their studies in Art in Year 7 students will develop their investigation of ideas inspired by the work of other artists, and their exploration of media and processes within the structured learning of key formal elements. Topics covered are;

‘Taking a line for a walk’– Line and shape, recording using line in a range of media

‘3D on a 2D page’ – Tone and form, recording light and shade
‘Making your Mark’– Texture and mark making, exploring marks on paper and with ceramic work
‘Colour, Emotion and Culture’ – Investigations into colour theory and colour associations

Practical artistic activities including drawing from imagination and observation using a range of media, painting and printing including block and stencil printing, ICT animation, pencil and charcoal drawing and ceramics.

How are we assessed?

Classwork (practical and theory work) and homework is assessed throughout the course. Students will be given success criteria and grading level descriptors linked to the work. Work will be given a grading level, which enables their progress to be monitored. The assessments may be carried out in lessons or set as homework.

How are we grouped?

Students are in mixed ability groups in Art, Design and Technology, and are timetabled for two double lessons a week in this subject area. The maximum class size is 24.

What homework are we expected to do?

There will usually be one homework task set every other week, which should take around 30 minutes to complete. All the homework assignments will relate to classwork activities either in the form of design preparation e.g., ideas; observational drawings, planning and research (books and internet) or completing a unit of work by evaluating what has been learnt. All homework will be available on Show My Homework. Students will be given an Art Sketchbook to complete both class and homework into; it is their responsibility to follow given guidelines for the presentation of work and to keep their work safe as they transport their classwork and homework to and from school.

What can parents do to help?

Encourage your child to discuss what they have learnt each week as they are looking through their Art sketchbook.
Provide opportunities for artwork at home, to include a space to work and objects to record.
Encourage gallery visits. Look out for articles in newspapers or television and discuss them with your child.
Useful resources and equipment:
A 2B Sketching pencil,
A good metal pencil sharpener,
A large white rubber
A set of colouring pencils.
Access to the internet for research tasks

Other relevant information: There will be a small charge to cover the cost of materials for any 3D projects that the student wishes to take home.

Year 8 Curriculum

What are we studying?

Students will complete a nineteen-week course in Art and Design comprising of one double lesson a week. Throughout their studies in Year 8 students will complete 3 projects that further develop their exploration of ideas and investigation of media and processes, while developing skills in the understanding of the creative process within the visual arts.

‘Put it in the Picture’– Composition and space

Students will learn key observational drawing skills from the teaching of composition, space and depth. We will develop further their understanding of both one- and two-point perspective, as well as an understanding of how to select an engaging composition. Referencing a range of relevant artist, they will apply their learning of formal codes and conventions to create both imaginative and well-designed outcomes.

‘The way I see it’ – Optical illusion art

Developing on from their work looking at space and composition students are introduced to the abstract work of the Op artists. Looking at a variety of relevant artist they will apply their learning of recording codes and conventions to create a final optical illusion painting.

‘Breaking the Rules’ - What is the process of abstraction?

Students will develop a greater understanding of the visual abstraction process referencing the story of abstraction from the late 19^th century. Using cubism as an example they will complete a series of drawing exercises that emulates the ideas of the cubists and allows them to take creative risks with ideas and media use.

Practical artistic activities including drawing from imagination and observation using a range of media, painting using watercolours, photographic recording using both physical and digital edits.

How are we assessed?

Classwork (practical and theory work) and homework is assessed throughout the course. Students will be given success criteria and level descriptors linked to the work. Work will be given a level, which enables their progress to be monitored. The assessments may be carried out in lessons or set as homework.

How are we grouped?

Students are in mixed ability groups in Art, Design and Technology, and are timetabled for two double lessons a week in this subject area. The maximum class size is 24.

What homework are we expected to do?

There will usually be one homework task every other week, which should take around 30- 40 minutes to complete. All the homework assignments will relate to classwork activities either in the form of design preparation e.g., ideas; observational drawings, planning and research (books and internet) or completing a unit of work by evaluating what has been learnt. All homework will be available on SMHW. Students will be given an Art Sketchbook to complete both class and homework into; it is their responsibility to follow given guidelines for the presentation of work and to keep their work safe as they transport their classwork and homework to and from school.

What can parents do to help?

Encourage your child to discuss what they have learnt each week as they are looking through their Art sketchbook.
Provide opportunities for artwork at home, to include a space to work and objects to record.
Encourage gallery visits. Look out for articles in newspapers or television and discuss them with your child.
Useful resources and equipment:
A 2B Sketching pencil,
A good metal pencil sharpener,
A large white rubber
A set of colouring pencils.
Access to the internet for research tasks

Year 9 Curriculum

What are we studying?

Students will complete a fourteen-week course in Art and Design comprising of one double lesson a week. Throughout their studies in Year 9 students will complete 2 projects that both look how events in society impact on artistic practices. Putting art in context builds on previous learning developing an understanding of the creative process. The introduction of new processes and techniques helps to develop skills and creative risk-taking with ideas and media.

Art and Society

Popular culture and celebrity prints

We study the emergence of popular culture after the Second World War and how this influenced the Pop Art movement. Focusing on Andy Warhol’s celebrity prints students design and make a stencil of a current day celebrity and then produce a series of prints exploring a range of printing and media techniques.

Art and Society

Surreal Portraits

Here we look at the emergence of the Dada and the Surrealist art movement in the early part of the 20^th century. Students develop recording skills with the use of the camera to facilitate their creative ideas and explore a range of photomontage techniques using both physical and digital edits.

How are we assessed?

Project based practical activities undertaken in Year 9 lead well into skill levels expected for the GCSE Art based courses. These include recording from imagination and observation using a range of media including pencil, photography and ICT photo editing, mixed media exploration and experimentation, including stencil printing, collage and layering.

How are we grouped?

Students are in mixed ability groups in Art, Design and Technology, and are timetabled for two double lessons a week in this subject area. The maximum class size is 24.

What homework are we expected to do?

There will usually be one homework task set every other week, which should take around 45 minutes to complete. All the homework assignments will relate to classwork activities either in the form of design preparation e.g., ideas; observational drawings, planning and research (books and internet) or completing a unit of work by evaluating what has been learnt. All homework will be available on SMHW for students and parents to see. Students will be given an Art Sketchbook to complete both class and homework into; it is their responsibility to follow given guidelines for the presentation of work and to keep their work safe as they transport their classwork and homework to and from school.

What can parents do to help?

Encourage your child to discuss what they have learnt each week as they are looking through their Art sketchbook.
Provide opportunities for artwork at home, to include a space to work and objects to record.
Encourage gallery visits. Look out for articles in newspapers or television and discuss them with your child.
Useful resources and equipment:
A 2B Sketching pencil,
A good pencil sharpener,
A large white rubber
A set of colouring pencils.
Access to the internet for research tasks

Years 10 and 11 Curriculum

What are we studying?

Students will complete a two-year course comprising of 3 periods of study a week. They will complete two projects in Year 10 and one in Year 11. The exam paper is given in January of Year 11; students will then use their lesson time to prepare for the exam. The final make for this is completed under exam conditions over a 10-hour period, (usually over two days). The exam usually takes place at the beginning of the summer term in Year 11. Assessment is weighted 60% coursework - 40% exam work. Their coursework portfolio is usually made up of one completed project (usually their Year 11 work) and a selection from previous work completed in Year 10.

Key stage 4 Art and Design covers practical and critical/contextual work in one or more area(s) including drawing and painting, mixed media, sculpture, instillation, printmaking, animation, photography and film. Work is usually created in response to a personal idea, theme or intention. As part of their studies, they will explore relevant images, artefacts and resources relating to a range of Fine Art. Responses to these examples should show practical and critical understanding of different styles, genres and traditions.

Year 10 projects:

Objects and possessions - An investigation into the use of formal elements; colour, line, shape, pattern and composition using a range of media, processes and techniques including printing, collage, paint and pastels using still life as an inspiration.

Masks and Culture disguise - Here students will develop personal responses to the theme of identity. They will study masks and cultural artefacts from different traditions and genres including African, Oriental, European and South American art. The project covers a range of textile techniques including, tie dye, batik and relief printing.

The Year 11 project:

At the end of Year 10 we run a trip to some London galleries, including Tate Modern and The Saatchi Collection in Chelsea. Here students have the opportunity to observe art firsthand, attend practical workshops and draw and collect visual resources from the different locations visited. This forms the inspiration for their Year 11 project. Here they are given a choice of option to develop an outcome using the human figure or the built environment as a starting point.

How are we assessed?

Classwork (practical and theory work) and home learning is assessed throughout the Art and Design course. Students will be given success criteria and GCSE grade descriptors linked to all tasks. For each project

students’ work will be regularly assessed with a GCSE grade and written feedback that includes targets for improvement.

The four assessment objectives are;

Objective 1 - Developing ideas through investigation informed by contextual studies.

Objective 2 - Refining ideas through experimenting and selecting appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes.

Objective 3 - Recording ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions.

Objective 4 - Presenting a personal, informed and meaningful response.

How are we grouped?

The Art and Design option is aimed at Level 2 learners with target grades of a 4 or above. The maximum class size is 23.

What home learning are we expected to do?

There will be at least one home learning task set per week, which should take around 1 hour to complete. All the home learning assignments will relate to classwork activities either in the form of design preparation e.g., ideas, observational drawings, planning and research (books and internet) or completing a unit of work by evaluating what has been learnt. All home learning will be available on SMHW. Students will be given an art sketchbook to complete both class and home learning into; it is their responsibility to follow given guidelines for the presentation of work and to keep their work safe as they transport their classwork and home learning to and from school.

What can parents do to help?

Encourage your child to discuss what they have learnt each week as they are looking through their art sketchbook. Provide opportunities for artwork at home, to include a space to work and objects to record. Encourage gallery visits. Look out for articles in newspapers or television and discuss them with your child.

Useful resources and equipment:

A set of sketching pencils.

Charcoal and fixative.

A set of pastels. Oil and chalk.

Acrylic paints and watercolour.

Access to the internet for research tasks.