This question bank provides a solid base for anyone discussing art with primary or secondary children. If you’re not an art teacher, or if art isn’t really your “thing”, it can be hard to start and sustain a conversation about a piece of artwork. These questions provide a starting point to stimulate discussion. Don’t go overboard and try and use all the questions at once - for a really meaningful discussion, stick with just a few. They are organised so that you can ask questions just from a single angle (Describe it, Relate it, Analyse it etc) or you can meander through the groups as you see fit. It’s not an exhaustive list! I’ll be creating more lists in the coming weeks.

A mini topic which can be done over a couple of mornings / afternoons or throughout a single day. Together with a powerpoint and planning sheet, this topic takes you through some of the works of Yayoi Kusama, known for her bright, bold colour and design choices, all of which featured polka dots. Whilst the artwork itself can be created by children in any age group, the themes within the works, and also within her life, make this more suitable for older children. When I used this with my class, we got into a really interesting discussion around the role of nudity in art, and how mental illness can impact on people’s life choices.

Outcomes - children create their own abstract artwork inspired by Alma Thomas. A sequence of art lessons and background info which can be used over a sequence of lessons or which can be simplified and done in a morning/ afternoon. Alma Thomas was an expressionist painter and art teacher who was best known for her bright, colourful works which she created simply because they made her happy. This mini topic explores two of her paintings in detail and allows children to develop and practice their impasto, colour dash and colour mixing skills.

Editable table with 21 different types of brush strokes - for use when planning which painting skills to teach. Contains the type of brush stroke, a description and an example. It’s not an exhaustive list, but it’s helpful as a starting point.

Sample scheme of work, enabling children to learn more about printing by studying The Great Wave off Kanagawa. This project can be done in a day (so it’s great for the end of term!), or across a half term.

A quick mini-topic that can be done in a single morning or afternoon. Introduce children of all ages to colour mixing, perceptions of colour and colour theory and help them to develop their analytical and questioning skills, as well as their interpretation skills.

Unit Focus: Helping learners to develop a greater awareness of the wider social context of Kusama’s work, in addition to how her work has been affected by her mental health. This unit comprises of three sessions which look at two of Yayoi Kusama’s most famous pieces of artwork in depth before a session on reflective practice as an artist. These sessions have been deliberately designed with no time suggestions, so they can be split over multiple days if necessary to suit the needs of your learners. The sessions allow learners the freedom to explore and consider her works and then to use them to inform and inspire their own artwork.

Planning for a mixed-year group KS2 class focussing on sculpture. Please note - this resource does not include the planning sheets or the powerpoint.