This resource offers a design task, related questions and extension regarding the new royal coinage for Charles III. Students will answer questions and design their own coin as a response.
Topics and skills covered include:
Art and Design - portraiture and mark-making
Designing in response to a brief and set of boundaries.
History and politics - relating to public design.
“The Royal Mint has unveiled a new coin design introducing a portrait of King Charles III and, after production, the coins will be added to the 27 billion coins currently in circulation in the UK. The image was created by British sculptor Martin Jennings who used photographs as a reference for the design; the king has been said to be very pleased with the likeness!
Have you noticed that the King is not wearing a crown? This was a deliberate design specification to make the King appear more human and accessible, why do you think this is important?”
A series of resources that throughly examines different theatre configurations; proscenium; Thrust; In-the-round; Traverse; End-on; Flexible and Promenade.
Includes questions and design tasks.
Essential for Drama GCSE and A level students.
Traverse Theatre - Design and Configuration
In-depth examination of the impact of this theatre configuration on audience; director; actor and designer.
Includes questions and design tasks.
Proscenium Arch Theatre - Design and Configuration
In-depth examination of the impact of this theatre configuration on audience; director; actor and designer.
Includes questions and design tasks.
Thrust Stage - Design and Configuration
In-depth examination of the impact of this theatre configuration on audience; director; actor and designer.
Includes questions and design tasks.
End On Theatre - Design and Configuration
In-depth examination of the impact of this theatre configuration on audience; director; actor and designer.
Includes questions and design tasks.
In-the-round Theatre - Design and Configuration
In-depth examination of the impact of this theatre configuration on audience; director; actor and designer.
Includes questions and design tasks.
Promenade Theatre configuration is examined in this resource; employing in-depth questions and design tasks.
“Promenade theatre is a theatrical form where the audience are free to move around the designated performance space and intermingle with the actors. The venue usually has no fixed seating which allows the audience to follow the focal point of the action to different parts of the room or rooms Multiple-focus action and a moving audience are the primary characteristics of the promenade theatre.”
Flexible spaces examines how different theatre configurations are created in an adaptable space.
In-depth questions and design tasks.
"A flexible theatre; also known as a black box or studio theatre; is a term for a space that can be configured to suit the needs of each production. The flexible theatre usually has only room for a maximum audience capacity of around 400 meaning it serves intimate productions well. "
The third in a series focusing on theatre configuration, use of space and design.
Including questions and design tasks.
"Which stage configuration do you think this diagram represents? Write your answer in the box:
Where is the audience? Shade or crosshatch the area on the diagram (in a different colour/crosshatch) and label this."
The second lesson in a series about theatre configuration, use of space and design.
Includes questions and design tasks.
"There is no perfect shape for a theatre space; it is subject to the proportions of the space needed; the size of the audience and the kind of theatre being performed. However, there are some common theatre configurations typically used by directors and producers that you should be aware of.
In-the-round
Proscenium Arch
Traverse
End on
Thrust"
The opening lesson in a series about different theatre configurations, use of space and design.
“It is human nature to gather together and talk to each other about our experiences, our thoughts and to share ideas and tell stories. Think about the last time you and your friends met, what was the natural shape you all fell into when someone was speaking? Where were you positioned in relation to the speaker? Did you find yourself giving space to the speaker to allow them to ‘perform’?”
Design a Christmas Cracker
Legend has it that Christmas Crackers were first designed by confectioner Tom Smith to sell his sweets at Christmas time. He was inspired by the ‘bon bon’ wrapper design that he had seen on his travels in France. He added the ‘snap’ when the cracker was pulled apart and put in a joke or riddle along with the sweet and they have remained a popular part of the festive season ever since!
Students are asked to design a festive cracker for Christmas – cutting out the template and using drawing and colour to create their own stand out Christmas decoration. The worksheet includes teacher instructions and an extension task for high achievers.
Skills practised:
Imagination
Drawing skills
Use of shape and colour
Hand skills and accuracy
Shape and function
Cut Out and Keep Board Game
Students are asked to: “design a ‘Cut out and Keep’ board game which could be printed on the back of a cereal packet for example. The design should include; The board; 6 playing pieces; A spinner; Instructions”
Skills practised:
Imagination
Lateral thinking
Drawing and perspective skills
Use of shape and colour
Narrative and storytelling
Annotation and technical drawing
Art Deco Christmas Bauble
Students are asked to research and design an Art Deco inspired Christmas bauble decoration by the company John Lewis. The worksheet also contains an extension task for high achievers.
Skills practised:
Imagination
Lateral thinking
Drawing and perspective skills
Use of shape and colour
Narrative and storytelling
Annotation and technical drawing
Food Waste Solutions
Food waste is an environmental concern across the world, with 1.9 million tonnes of food and drink wasted by the food industry in the UK alone, and more than half of it is avoidable.
A company has crafted an intelligent bin that could cut down on food waste. The ‘Winnow Vision’ uses a camera and smart scales to recognise and keep track of the food items that are being disposed of. The thinking behind it is that it will help commercial kitchens reduce the amount they purchase and, in doing so, save them money.
Students are asked to think of a solution to a food waste issue in their own home and design a product to help overcome this issue. The extension task requires students to carry out some research in to how other designers and engineers have tacked the problem of food waste and evaluate how effective their own solution is.
Skills and learning:
Imagination
Lateral thinking
Environmental concerns for the present and future world
Real world tasks
Drawing and perspective skills
Fiscal and economic considerations
Annotation and technical drawing
Robots of the Future
Robots, as we know them, came out of the late nineteenth century. They featured in films of the early 1950s as mechanical humans that would perform superhuman feats. Other robots simply carried out household tasks like cleaning and cooking while their owners relaxed.
Students are asked to Design a robot of the future - thinking about what our needs might be in a hundred year’s time and what tasks robots will do for us?
Skills and learning:
Imagination
Lateral thinking
Problem solving
Engineering
Drawing and perspective skills
Real world and future world problems
Annotation and technical drawing
Culture and Society - User Needs
Students are asked to examine three people with different user needs - which are complicated by physical challenges – and to design a product that will enable them to carry out a specified activity. The extension task requires students to think about designing a product that will help them or someone they know carry out an activity that they cannot currently perform.
Skills and learning:
Imagination
Lateral thinking
Problem solving
Consideration of others’ needs
Real world problems
Drawing and perspective skills
Annotation and technical drawing
Types of Motion - Rube Goldberg Machines
In this fun lesson students are asked to examine how Rube Goldberg’s over engineered machine works and examine the types of motion inherent within it. They will then design with their own contraption which has the same functions as the Goldberg machine and incorporate the types of motion they have discovered during their examination. The accompanying extension task asks students to research Rube Goldberg and to design ‘in the style of’.
Skills and learning:
Imagination
Lateral thinking
Types of motion
Engineering
Drawing and perspective skills
Research and interpretation skills
Annotation and technical drawing