teaching Practice > School Placement > Stratford College

The Wonder of Weeds - 1st Years

Student work: Collage and drawings in accordion book.

Student work: Collage and drawings in accordion book.

Aim: To create an artist book in an accordion format filled with a body of work made through exploration of the art elements and design principles in response to the theme ‘The Wonder of Weeds.’

Stimulus: Primary Objects & Support Study Artists
Supports: Project checklist, activity sheets, handouts, visual aids, demonstrations, support studies, glossary of terms.
Underpinning: Sustainable Development Goal No. 15 Life on Land.
Key Skills - Being Creative, Communicating, Being Literate, Managing myself

Assessment Style: Formative - Project checklist, Peer reviews, Individual discussions with each student to gauge their understanding of a task, Handouts/activity sheets to complete, Project reflection and self evaluation.


Learning Outcomes (selected)

Critical and Visual Language
1.2 respond to an artwork using critical and visual language

Drawing
1.4 demonstrate how they use drawing to observe, record and analyse the human figure and the world around them

Visual Culture and Appreciation 
1.7 examine the method of a number of artists and the artwork they created 

Art Elements and Design Principles (AEDP) 
1.10 identify the use of art elements and design principles within an artwork 

Media 
1.14 use media to create their own artwork

Student work: Creating collage based on observational drawings focussing on shape.

Student work: Creating collage based on observational drawings focussing on shape.


Student work: Mark making using found natural materials including weeds.

Student work: Mark making using found natural materials including weeds.

Lesson 3 - Mark Making

At the end of this lesson learners should be able to…

  1. Make a variety of textured grounds to work on using variety of paper + watercolour paint

  2. Demonstrate the ability to use watercolour paints to make a wash

  3. Make mark making tools using found materials from the park visit 


Lessons included: Collage, Drawing, Design, Print (stamping & collagraph), Accordion book making, Painting, Curation of work, Display.

Reflection: This project was a nice varied project with elements to suit each student. The end product was very satisfying for the students to complete and documenting their work through photography was a great skill for the students to learn. If I was delivering this UoL again, I would try to get outside for more drawing time and I would leave more time for students to create a cover for their book.

Student work: Growing like a weed collage.

Student work: Growing like a weed collage.


(Above) A selection of accordion books made by 1st years at Stratford College.