Lower Key Stage 2 Modern Europe - NEW LOOK
France - NEW LOOK
This rich and imaginative block uses a range of artworks to inspire learning about the human and physical geography of France, including its climate zones. Discover the art of Cézanne, Seurat and Morisot and where their works are located geographically. The outcomes of this block include creating a 21st-century soundscape, a pointillist style painting and an impasto painting.
Session 1 Discovering France: A country in art
Objectives
Geography
- To use the physical landscapes depicted in a range of artworks to help recognise the geographical features of different climate zones within France.
- To identify geographical similarities and differences between France and the UK.
Art
- To begin to appreciate the work of various artists from France and other countries.
Enquiry question
What can art tell us about the climate and geographical features of a country?
Outcomes
Children will:
- Explore a range of works by famous painters depicting a variety of French landscapes.
- Identify physical and human geographical features of different regions of France, as well as some similarities and differences.
- Attempt to match artworks to climate zones within France and understand that it is country with a wide range of landscapes.
Provided Resources
You Will Also Need
Sticky notes
Weblinks
Information about France on the Britannica Kids website
Facts about France from National Geographic Kids
Session 2 Art on my doorstep - Paul Cézanne
Objectives
Geography
- To think critically about what Cézanne’s local area might look like today.
Art
- To use the artwork of Paul Cézanne to infer what the landscape and climate of Provence are like.
Computing
- To use digital devices to capture, edit, and present images to show the geographical story of our locality.
Enquiry question
What can Cézanne’s artwork tell us about how the landscape of Provence has changed over time?
Outcomes
Children will:
- Explore paintings by Paul Cézanne of his local area (Provence).
- Use evidence in a painting to infer what the landscape and climate of Provence are like.
- Create a class collection of digital images to tell the geographical story of our locality.O
Lesson Planning
Provided Resources
You Will Also Need
White paper
Digital cameras
Digital devices and software for photo editing
Weblinks
Facts about Paul Cézanne for children.
Teaching resources from Teaching Computing - could be used to develop children’s photo editing skills.
Session 3 Dotty about rivers - Georges Seurat
Objectives
Geography
- To describe and understand land use and human activity in Paris in the late 1800s by exploring the paintings of Georges Seurat.
- To identify similarities and differences between the river Seine in Paris and a local waterway.
Art
- To develop skills in using new art techniques: Conté crayon sketching and pointillism.
Enquiry question
What is pointillism and how can we use this style to create an artwork of a local waterway?
Outcomes
Children will:
- Ask questions about the land use and human activity in Seurat’s paintings of the Seine and its surroundings.
- Create ‘Conté crayon’ sketches of a local waterway before choosing one to paint in Seurat’s ‘pointillist’ style.
Lesson Planning
Provided Resources
You Will Also Need
Sketchbooks
Conté crayons
Paints and paintbrushes
Art paper
Weblinks
Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grand Jatte
An animated story explaining how Georges Seurat used dots to create the colours in his paintings.
Session 4 Coast to coast - Berthe Morisot
Objectives
Geography
- To appreciate the artwork of Berthe Morisot.
- To identify geographical similarities and differences between the French coastline past and present.
Art
- To develop skills in using a new art technique: impasto.
Enquiry question
What can the artwork of Berthe Morisot tell us about how the French coastline has changed over time?
Outcomes
Children will:
- Appreciate and examine Berthe Morisot’s depictions of the French coastline; then make a comparison of some of these paintings with more recent images, observing elements of human and physical geography.
- Briefly explore the ‘impasto’ painting technique through the work of a range of artists.
- Use impasto to create a contemporary version of one of Berthe Morisot’s paintings.
Lesson Planning
Provided Resources
You Will Also Need
Sketchbooks or sketch paper
2B pencils
Impasto mixture(s): acrylic paints, ground limestone, cornflour, sand, commercial impasto medium
Canvases
Impasto ‘tools’ such as lolly sticks, flat brushes and palette knives
Weblinks
Information about impasto and examples of paintings from MoMA and the Encyclopedia of Fine Art
How a wooden ice lolly stick could be used to create an impasto painting from youtube.com
Making your own impasto medium from youtube.com