Making Art
 : Insect Collage (whole insect)
Approach: Independant task Time: 30minutes (each student) Level: Year 4 only
Resources: Three A3 size black and white photographic pictures of complete insects.
Each student: set of A5 papers (grease proof, tissue, grey, cartridge, copied hessian, copied newspaper); scissors, glue stick, sheet of A3 manilla.  
 1Mb

Instructions:

The teacher administrator gave the following instructions:

In front of you, you will find a range of papers and a piece of brown manilla paper to use as a background sheet.

You are to make a make-believe or fantasy picture of an insect, using the different papers.

To help you get started, we have some insect photos that will give you some great ideas. These pictures are to help you think of shapes and textures, so that you can invent your own insect.

Try to use your papers in interesting ways. Try to show interesting shapes and forms. And choose papers because of the textures or patterns they have.

By cutting, tearing, overlapping and arranging the papers, you are going to build up a picture of an insect - a picture of the insect's whole body.

Make your insect as big as you can for the piece of brown paper. Don't make too many of the pieces too little, or they will take too long to stick down.

Arrange the papers where you would like them to be for your picture. About 10 minutes before the end of this activity, I will give you a glue stick, so that you can glue the pieces of paper onto the brown piece to finish off your picture.

Students were not penalised for incomplete paintings

The ratings given to year 4 students' collage pictures were spread across the full range of low to high with 59% marked in the middle range of 3 or 4.

View Insect Collage drawing exemplars
Key attributes (1 low - 4 high) Qualities mean score
y4
y8

expressiveness
image relevant to the task; expressiveness, fantasy, imagination.
2.3
(2.3)

composition
unity; balance, but not necessarily symmetry.
 2.3 (2.3)

detail

finer features included; variety of shapes; use of textural and tonal contrast (e.g. torn/cut, textured/plain, light/dark, narrow wide, delicate/bold).
 2.3 (2.3)
use of media edge quality; use of overlap, overlay, folding, crushing, 3 dimensionality. 2.2 (2.6)
Global Rating (1 low - 6 High) 2.9 (3.4)
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