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Modern Europe
France

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.

Topic Block Outcomes

Session 1 Discovering France: A country in art

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Objectives

Geography

  • Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region in a European country.
  • Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography including climate zones and biomes.

Art

  • Learn about great artists, architects and designers in history.

Teaching and Activities

Study a range of artworks that depict a variety of French landscapes; match artworks to French climate zones; discover Cézanne, Seurat and Morisot and explore how their works are located geographically.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To use the physical landscapes depicted in a range of artwork to help characterise the features of different climate zones within France.
  • To begin to appreciate the works of a range of French artists.

Children will:

  • Explore a range of works by French artists depicting a variety of French landscapes.
  • Attempt to match artworks to climate zones within France (applying knowledge from Block A), understanding that France has a wide range of landscapes.
  • Be introduced to the three artists to be studied in subsequent sessions, and how their works are located geographically (referring to class map of Europe)

You Will Need

  • ‘Arrow’ Post-It notes

Weblinks

There are no weblinks needed for this session.

Session 2 Art on my doorstep - Paul Cézanne

Session plan Download all files

Objectives

Geography

  • Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region in a European country.

Art

  • Learn about great artists, architects and designers in history.
  • Improve mastery of art and design techniques.

Computing

  • Use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs; work with variables and various forms of input and output.
  • Select, use and combine a variety of software on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs and content that accomplish given goals.

Teaching and Activities

Find out more about Cézanne, his paintings of the local area and what his region looks like today; create a soundscape of your local area.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To describe the geography of an area of France, comparing it with own locality.
  • To continue to appreciate the work of a range of French artists.
  • To learn to use a range of digital devices to capture, edit and present images and sounds.

Children will:

  • Explore the 19th Century paintings of Cézanne’s local area.
  • Discover what Cézanne’s local area looks like today.
  • Create a 21st century ‘soundscape’ by recording sounds to accompany a collage of digital images of their local area.

You Will Need

  • Digital cameras or enabled devices
  • Digital sound recorders

Session 3 Dotty about rivers - Georges Seurat

Session plan Download all files

Objectives

Geography

  • Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region in a European country.
  • Describe and understand human geography including land use, trade and economic activity.

Art

  • Learn about great artists, architects and designers in history.
  • Create sketchbooks to record observations and use them to review and revisit ideas.
  • Improve mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing and painting, with a range of materials.

Teaching and Activities

Study Seurat’s paintings around the Seine and compare the depicted land use and human activity with modern Paris; create sketches of a local waterway in Seurat’s pointillist style.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To describe the geography of an area of France, comparing it with own locality.
  • To learn to use new art techniques: conté crayon sketching and pointillism.

Children will:

  • Ask questions about the land use and human activity in Seurat’s paintings around the Seine, comparing them with modern-day Paris.
  • Create ‘Conté crayon’ sketches of a local waterway before choosing one to paint in Seurat’s ‘pointillist’ style.

You Will Need

  • Sketchbooks
  • Conté crayons
  • Watercolour paints
  • Thick paper

Session 4 Coast to coast - Berthe Morisot

Session plan Download all files

Objectives

Geography

  • Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region in a European country.
  • Describe and understand human geography including land use, trade and economic activity.

Art

  • Learn about great artists in history.
  • Improve mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing and painting, with a range of materials.

Teaching and Activities

Look closely at Berthe Morisot’s depictions of the French coastline; analyse how the Nice harbour has changed over time; use impasto painting to recreate one of Morisot’s paintings.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To describe the geography of an area of France.
  • To learn to use new art techniques: impasto.

Children will:

  • Enjoy and examine Berthe Morisot’s depictions of the French coastline; then make a comparison of three images of Nice harbour over time, observing elements of human and physical geography.
  • Briefly explore the ‘impasto’ painting technique through work of artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Jackson Pollock and Justin Gaffrey.
  • Using a photograph as stimulus, use impasto to recreate a contemporary version of one of Berthe Morisot’s paintings.

You Will Need

  • Children’s sketchbooks
  • Impasto mixture
  • Acrylic paints
  • Ground limestone
  • Cornflour
  • Sand
  • Commercial impasto medium
  • Canvases
  • Impasto ‘tools’

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