I use this as an introduction session to life drawing as it is a great confidence booster in figure drawing, but I've also found it really useful as part of any project to do with the figure. Using Rodin as a source it gives good crossover between AO1 and AO2, looking at the way he uses pose and body language to inform their drawings to get a really informed and meaningful personal response. The great thing about working from sculpture is that it frees the students up from worrying about the detail that often gets in the way. There is an extension activity using new approaches for them in media in a really expressive way. Great for GCSE and A Level students

2 fun activities to involve students which really engage students in a twist on Aboriginal Art approaches. This has been great with KS2 and 3 and they enjoy it because of the involvement with making the images from things personal to their journeys, routes to school or the footprint activity. A nice mix of activities to extend their responses and hits AO1 and 2 with creative responses and engagement. The resulting work can make a great class display so celebrates E &D really well.

This is a fun set of lessons for up to Year 8, working really well with KS2, but I've also used this idea with KS4 and post 16. It allows students to find about artists using similar approaches and aerial photographs to explore making an abstract painting, so covers AO1 2 and 4 nicely. Because they are looking at aerial photographs the usual worries about abstract art don't surface, and they are making something personal to themselves in what they choose as their subject matter. A nice set of lessons which they all enjoy

This has always proved a really useful lesson, either done part way through a project or towards the end. It focuses the students into thinking what is their work about, what are they trying to do in their work, and how they can explain their ideas. I use this source by separating the images from the text, and the students have to match the statement to the work. This then leads into them highlighting areas that they find most informative and commenting on how they can understand the work more after reading what the artist has said about it. They then begin to formulate their own thoughts into writing their own artists statements to go at the start of the project, rather than an evaluation at the end. This is great for GCSE and A Level AO1 and 4, and also for creating a great impression with the moderator.

A useful little form to help year 1 A Level students focus their ideas as they begin to think about their Personal Investigation

A lesson with a starter activity which focuses students on how artists communicate ideas in different ways as well as understanding that when they look at an image it is usually communicating a story, a concept, a response to something. Students are then guided to explore a discussion question relating to how artists use text in their work with a list of suggested sources. The slides have notes accompanying to prompt discussion and there are opportunities to dwell on issues of equality and diversity. This lesson is aimed at GCSE and A Level to boost response to AO1 to show extended informed comments and discussion rather than the usual biographical information on one artist.

A fun starter activity where students can look for clues as to common themes in 3 of the images. This encourages guess work and thinking about what they are looking at, developing skills in responding to artworks in their project work. suitable for GCSE and A level groups where you want to engage students at the beginning of a session.

A lesson starter and activity to explore Matisse's cut outs in a new approach. The starter will enable students to challenge their thinking on how an artist can work when faced with physical challenges. This is a great lesson for the promotion of equality and diversity and gives good coverage to AO1 AO2 and AO4 with them commenting on the ways of working and then taking new approaches with the cut outs of Matisse. Great for all age ranges in raising their awareness of equality and diversity. The power point slides give additional information on the artists condition and ways of working.

A starter activity the promotes looking harder. This gives some extra understanding to how painters hide things, or make them less obvious and challenges them to question why which is great for AO1 and AO4, making informed responses and commenting on the work of artists in ways which help them develop ideas and understanding. It works for most age ranges as it really relies on them looking and making connections with what they can see. Great for small group work and useful for building skills in responding to works of art through comparing and contrasting approaches.

This lesson covers AO 1 and 2 really well giving good opportunity for students to comment on working practice and philosophy as well as practical activity in exploring the approach. It can be used as an intervention lesson or as a part of a scheme of work in exploring different practical approaches to painting. The presentation uses close up photos of Blotter by Peter Doig taken by myself to show what peter talks about in his comments on ways of working and the lesson plan includes questioning for AFL as well as E&D .

This starter activity really gets students looking and questioning. I like to make students look beyond the obvious connections and really question what they see in an image - this one works really well in giving students new ideas to explore for AO1 in asking of them what artists are doing in different ways and includes statements by the artists in terms of what the work is about for students to be able to demonstrate Informed responses. This is great for GCSE and A Level but will work with any age group in giving them opportunities to make connections and guesses around what the are seeing, and that's a key thing I think in getting to students to look more closely where they usually only register what they see at first glance.

This is a set of 40 close up photographs taken by myself of large scale Hockney Ipad drawings. These form what is a real master class in mark making when working with brushes on the Ipad, and it is easily transferrable to Photoshop. A really useful set of slides for students to focus on the mark making to explore landscape forms in new ways over a set of lessons to stretch their landscape responses. Its super for GCSE and A Level students generating responses to AO1 and 2 - showing a deeper understanding of how Hockney works as well as giving them new approaches in mark making in IT based work. The 40 images are part of a 24 page power point which also has some complete work for students to see the mark making in context.

A starter activity for students to look more closely at Art and question what the work is about. This is great for developing thinking skills and questioning, for students to go beyond the basic description of the work. It gives students good opportunity to respond to AO1 - developing ideas and commenting on the work of others.

A starter activity for students to explore connections between images and this leads into discussion on censorship in art, film, music and literature. The starter comes with notes to inform the students' discussion. This starter is great for students to consider wider issues in what is deemed acceptable in different cultures and through history for GCSE and A Level students and is a nice trigger for British Values of tolerance, free speech and rule of law. Although I use this a lot in Art and Design it can be a good discussion starter for English, Music, Film and Media as well as PSHE.

A starter activity to engage students and help them think outside the box. I've always found that odd collections of images are of much interest to all students and helps them to try to spot connections, which develops thinking skills and the nature of the activity in making guesses throws up really interesting and unexpected ideas which helps to generate interesting discussion. Working in small groups of mixed ability helps in bringing out ideas and seeing how ideas can be explored in different ways. Suitable for any secondary stage, good for GCSE and A level as a way of processing possible ideas. This is on a power point slide with notes accompanying, and if you search for the Fatboy Slim video it acts as a clue and thinking time.

A starter activity designed at getting students to consider and explore the ideas and concepts behind the design process and how this affects the look of the product. This is ideal for any age group but particularly good for GCSE and A Level graphics communication in particular, and will give information on which students can show an informed response.

A starter activity to promote thinking skills for AO2 and AO3 for GCSE and A level - how artists use media, and how they review, modify and refine. This one works really well to break down barriers of not wanting to go beyond the comfort zone when developing work and shows students how artists work in ways where they change their minds when working. Ideal for a lesson involving drawing and reworking a drawing

A starter activity which always engages students in looking for how artists create illusions in different ways and trick us in how we look. The slide has six images with explanations on slide 2. This starter can be used for any age group you are working with to look a bit harder.

A set of 10 images across different cultures and a lesson plan to work as an intervention lesson or lessons in the development of coursework projects. It requires the careful selection of a set of media into party bags with one of the images - and works on the premise that the more constricting the rules you place on students the more creative they get and the harder they look. This is ideal for GCSE and A Level and allows for creative links with other culture's approaches and stylisations. It also hits AO2 in requiring students to explore the boundaries of working with limited random media. The lesson plan includes references to differentiation and equality and diversity as well as highlighting the opportunities through the lesson to hit the learning objectives

A set of images of extreme facial expression to use for drawing - images of sculptures featuring the work of Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, Bernini and Rodin. I've used these with year 9 and above - and find that getting students to draw from sculptures offers them a start in seeing where the essential forms are through tonal changes without being distracted by detail - the withdrawal away from the reality of a basic photograph of a face seems to help in achieving more expressive and stronger drawing. The powerpoint contains 22 images of facial expressions in sculptures and links to information. This can form the basis of a set of lessons that lead into their own explorations of facial expression through their own direct observations. The expressions can cause some smiles too.