Free poster to download and print at A3 or A4 size: ‘Your Final Piece’. A quick reference to encourage students to create work to conclude their project that is relevant, high quality and represents their best work. Great to get you classroom ready for the exam season! Other resources you might find useful to support students to understand expectations, produce high quality annotation and work independently: Art vocabulary poster Annotation Guide Artist research planning template What makes good artist research poster Evaluation questions

Guidance for KS5 students in an easy to access format on annotation, vocabulary and assessment objectives. Print 2 pages back to back for a quick reference getting students to take responsibility for doing the right thing!

Want to improve the quality of your students artist research? This PDF poster aims to guide students guidance and inspiration to produce excellent artist research pages. Primary targets are KS4, but can be used equally with KS3 and KS5. Two versions are included: A3 and A4 printables - stick them up as display for constant reference or photocopy for sketchbooks or focused research lesson. Soon enough they’ll be in the habit of producing great research!

A four page resource (can be photocopied back to back and laminated for repeated use) on the artist and designer William Morris. The first two sheets are based on Morris’ work and the last two are botanical watercolours to be used as source material for students own designs. Can be used as a cover lesson during a relevant project (natural forms, flora, textile or wallpaper designs, repeat pattern…), an extension activity, or as a whole class task. Students are asked to read the information about the artist then answer questions, then show their visual understanding through a Morris-inspired design of their own. A fantastic resource to have on hand and relevant to so many projects!

A really useful introductory lesson to Art (for year 7s or other KS3 classes). With key information about equipment, expectations and then a simple drawing task to assess skills and set a tone for focus in Art lessons. During the 45 minute drawing task you are able to move around the classroom as students are working in silence (more or less!) and get to know the strengths and weaknesses of students. Although it creates a bit of work, I always like to write a comment for each student after this lesson, so they see that you take their efforts seriously. There is a little plenary where students annotate their own work. A simple, but very useful and enjoyable lesson!

This fun Christmas themed activity lesson covers repeat printing (cross-curricular link to Maths) and gives step by step instructions on how to create a sheet of wrapping paper by potato printing. The lesson is designed to keep things as simple as possible - mess is kept to a minimum by using one printing colour only. You can use newsprint or brown craft paper as a cheap wrapping paper base, or even tissue paper if you want but this can tear more easily. You could simplify things further for younger students by preparing the potato stamps in advance (if students work in pairs, you could cut 15 potato stamps before the lesson). Tip: a pack of cheap wet-wipes is always handy in these lessons to clear away quickly.

This mind-map on the theme of EVENT provides links to over 40 artists from varied times and places. Organised with sub-themes, this resource is a great was of supporting students individual investigations and introducing them to diverse approaches to the theme. You can print as an A3 poster or an A4 handout, or use the pdf document on screen so that the artists names hyperlink to relevant websites to develop research further. You may also be interested in this ‘week by week’ art exam handout.

Want to improve your Art students’ annotation skills?! A one page handout to support students in producing high quality annotation in their Art and Design work. Guidance for writing about their own work, as well as the work of other artists. Easy to follow, the sheet gives hints and tips to advise students on annotation so they get it right. The sheet has been designed with GCSE and A level students in mind, but could also be used with more independent-minded KS3 students. Printable at either A3 as a poster, or A4 as a handout.

A two page resource (can be photocopied back to back and laminated for repeated use) on the German scientist and artist Ernst Haeckel. Can be used as a cover lesson during a relevant project (science in art, natural forms, zooming-in, symmetry, abstraction…), an extension activity, or as a whole class task. Students are asked to read the information about the artist then answer questions, create a mind-map of their ideas of what Haeckel’s forms remind them of, then create their own response based on his ‘Art Forms in Nature’ prints. Designed to be easy to deploy and requires no additional resources. A fantastic resource to have on hand and relevant to so many projects!

An infographic designed as a reminder to students (KS3, 4 or5) about how to put together artist research to support their practical project. Six simple steps with short explanations which can be used as a checklist. You can print as a bookmark to pop into sketchbooks or display in the classroom. There are two versions - one with a Mondrian quote at the bottom, the other without - your choice.

One page worksheet with background on the printing method and then instructions on how to create a collograph. Good for student reference in a practical session. Could be used at Key Stage 3, 4 or 5 in a workshop or to help students who are looking into this process for independent work.

Photographs of an A grade GCSE Art & Design sketchbook put together in a Powerpoint presentation. Students find it useful as an exemplar and can be used to refer to specific pages at different moments in a project (e.g. mind mapping, planning, recording, evaluating…). I chose this book as it is quite a clear example and not too long. It is not a perfect sketchbook, but shows an achievable standard and some interesting ideas.

Two powerpoint slides with an example of a GCSE student’s evaluation of an exam project. Useful to give students an idea of what to include and a simple format to summarise key parts of the project and evaluate.

This is a workshop lesson with starter and plenary activities for students to explore textures in natural forms, looking at the work of Peter Randall Page and with links to Kate Malone and Ernst Haeckel. The session was designed for a GCSE class in preparation for an exam project but could be used for KS3 or KS5. Great for developing skills and getting students enthusiastic about working in clay.

Christmas season one-off lesson where students create their own repeat pattern wallpaper using potato printing. This version has instructions using water-based paints (acrylic gives a good opaque colour, but you can use poster paint too) and paint brushes, rather than printing ink and rollers (there is another version of this resource in my shop with instructions for this kind of printing). A fun lesson with good cross-curricular links to design and technology and maths (repeat patterns, rotation). The lesson requires some largish paper to print the wrapping paper - you can use what you have for this... brown craft paper works well; newsprint is cheap and good; sugar paper tends to be a bit thick but has the added benefit of colour and can look good in a display; tissue paper also works but can tear more easily. Although this is a practical lesson, mess is kept to a minimum by using paper plates as palettes which can be thrown away after use. A good tip is to have some cheap wet wipes to help speed up the clean up at the end. If you want to simplify things (perhaps for younger students) you can prepare potato stamps in advance to avoid having students cutting them in the lesson.

An A3 printable poster celebrating women artists for International Women’s Day 2017. Thought-provoking and inspiring quotes from seven women artists: Bridget Riley, Shirin Neshat, Vanessa Bell, Kara Walker, Frida Kahlo, Eva Hesse, Paula Modersohn-Becker. I’ve also produced an IWD women artists word search: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/international-women-s-day-artist-word-search-11525006 And you can check out my artist research and analysis worksheet bundle on three women artists here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/women-artists-worksheets-11519299

An A3 pdf poster for artroom display to support students’ understanding of the Assessment Objectives. This version uses the ‘new specification’ wording (for year 10 students now) - a version with the ‘old spec’ wording is also available in my shop, though there is not too much difference between them! The poster aims to keep it simple and provides short ‘student speak’ explanations of what each assessment objective is looking for. The idea of the poster is to present the process of the project from the perspective of an explorer: developing ideas (using a compass to set a course for the investigation), refining skills with appropriate tools (penknife illustration), recording ideas by observing carefully (binoculars) and documenting, and finally shining a light on the culmination of the adventure! A timely piece of classroom display to remind students how they are assessed for both coursework and exam projects. The pdf can be printed at A3 size or reduced down to A4.

Originally designed to accompany a workshop to introduce Primary teachers to some quick and easy printmaking techniques, this sheet summarises the ‘how to’ and gives instructions for materials and well as variations on approaches to both monoprinting and polyblock printing. A good starting point for teachers new to these techniques, or used as a handout to accompany a printing workshop for students, this 2 page resources covers the basics as well as giving some useful weblinks for further investigation. I have uploaded both Word and PDF versions of the same sheet as sometimes the formatting on Word can go a bit wonky!

Resources to support felt making in the classroom. There is an instruction sheet and a information sheet on felt making craft traditions around the world with a corresponding sheet with comprehension questions for students. Felt making is a brilliant textile craft to bring into lessons as it is very tactile and a ‘magic’ process whereby the materials transform as you work them. Resources needed for felt making are listed, and it should be possible to create a small sample piece over two lessons (one dry lesson, where the piece is created, and one wet lesson where it is felted). Originally created for a year 9 group, this could be used with GCSE students as a workshop too.

A folding leaflet for students giving information on choosing Art & Design for GCSE. The sections emphasise the importance of a dedicted approach to the subject whilst highlighting the unique and fun nature of the subject. A great resource to have on hand for options evenings or to have a the ready to hand to interested students or parents. Print the A4 pages and photocopy back to back, then fold into a professional looking leaflet.