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 handout printable at A4 or A3 with a checklist for GCSE art students to self assess their project. The second page (you can print these back to back) includes the assessment objective headings and the description of a grade 8 to further support self-assessment. Students are asked to consider strengths and weaknesses and to come up with three initial targets. Ideal for mid-point or interim assessment tool, and a document students can revisit to monitor their own progress. Excellent for encouraging independence and support students to take responsibility for their own development. The resource works well with this vocabulary handout and this guide to annotation. New for 2023: LOCK theme mind map is available here *

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!

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.

A printable worksheet to support students in improving artist research. This resource prompts all the areas of research and provides questions to sparks ideas. Page one is a worksheet which can be filled in with information about the chosen artist being researched. Page two provides additional support in the form of 20 analysis questions plus advice about writing meaningfully about artworks. A great resource for improving the quality of artist research pages! Use as a draft to gather information and then transfer into sketchbooks or mounted pages in a creative way. This two-page PDF gives students guidance and inspiration to produce excellent artist research pages. Primary targets are KS4, but can be used equally with KS3 and KS5. Printable at A3 and A4 size - stick them up as display for constant reference or photocopy for sketchbooks or focused research lesson.

This is a four-page resource on Anna Atkins. You can photocopy back to back and laminate for repeated use. I have included three tasks and evaluation questions. Also, source images of shells and plants for students to work from if they do not have objects for primary observation. Can be used as a cover lesson during a relevant project (photograms, natural forms, shape…). Also as 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 by making first a tonal shell drawing, then a cut paper leaf or plant. The evaluation questions ask them to compare. A great lesson for introducing a pioneering woman artist and scientist whose work is inspiring for young people.

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.

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!

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!

This mind-map on the theme of POWER provides links to over 50 artists from varied times and places. Organised with sub-themes, this resource is a great way 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.

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.

A guide to mind-mapping for art students. Presented as a mind-map (naturally!) it is intended to be something that students might have to hand whilst working on this task, and refer to as they progress. The PDF download is printable at A3 or A4, so could be used as a poster or handout for the class. Also provided are some student examples for discussion and inspiration.

A great resource to support student in becoming more independent and taking responsibility for their projects. 23 pages which can be photocopied into a booklet, giving students all they need to understand the structure of the course, assessment and asking questions to help improve their independence. The booklet is created in Powerpoint so can be easily adapted to suit your own course structure and marking. And slide can be projected onto a white board as part of class teaching. Students record feedback into the booklet so they have their own record of what they need to do to develop. I have found that having students write this in themselves (copying from notes stapled into their sketchbooks) has really helped them to take ownership of the guidance - not just read and forget. Teachers can use the booklet to complete interim assessment of coursework units and ask students to do their own self assessments on the sheets included. The booklet provides a comprehensive approach to assessment of the GCSE course and students tend to treat this more seriously as they can see from the outset of the course how and when they will be assessed and the impact this will have on their eventual grade.

Develop literacy in the Art room with a one-page handout to support students’ vocabulary. 80+ descriptive words for writing about their own work or the work of other artists on one engaging worksheet/poster. Easy to follow, the sheet gives hints and tips to advise students on writing about art. 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 one-off lesson with full powerpoint and instructions for creating fantastic bottle flowers from waste plastic bottles. The lesson is designed with limited materials (scissors, POSCA marker pens and waste plastic bottles which the students bring in) so that it is not necessary to be in a specialist classroom. Full context to Earth Day and the environmental background to reducing plastic waste is included in the lesson, with a quick quiz and link to a video. A template for designing is included as well as 2 slides of source material to inspire students. In addition there is an extension task for any early-finishers and a differentiated version of the written plenary. A great lesson which students really enjoy, with an important message. A bonus is that the resulting 'bottle blooms' make a brilliant display!

A three page resource on Hilma af Klint (can be photocopied back to back and laminated for repeated use). Vilma af Klint is a fantastic early abstract artist who produced inspiring geometric paintings. Can be used as a cover lesson during a relevant project (abstraction, colour, natural forms, geometry, shape…), an extension activity, home or independent learning, or as a whole class task. Students are asked to read the information about the artist then answer questions, then show their visual understanding by producing a composition of their own. A fantastic resource an inspirational female artist!

A student friendly infographic to guide students through producing an exam or coursework project that meets the assessment objective criteria. A pdf file which can be printed as a bookmark or larger for display in the classroom. A successful way to break down the GCSE assessment objectives for students and get them taking responsibility for making sure their project covers all aspects.

A colour wheel lesson which has the theory with examples and instructions for a practical task (creating a colour wheel with coloured pencil and oil pastels). This is a great straight forward lesson to cover the basics of colour theory with your art and design classes. A template for the colour wheel is included (students can trace this through into their books). Monet is the contextual link and examples are given of how colour theory is applied in his work. A plenary looks at how packaging design uses complimentary colours too.

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

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