Outdoor Exploration: Students go outside with sketching tools to observe, reflect, and collect.

Reflective Walk: Guided walk to a specific outdoor area within or near school grounds.

Observation and Reflection:

• Students sit within a designated area and observe their surroundings.

• Teacher prompts sensory engagement with questions (e.g., “What do you see, smell, feel?”).

  
  

Sketching Activity:

• Students choose points of interest to sketch or photograph.

• Teacher prompts specific elements to observe (e.g., tree, flower, seed pod).

  
  

Collection of Natural Items: Students gather a few objects to bring back to the classroom for inspiration in a clay project.

Classroom Reflection:

• Students reflect on their sketches and collected items.

• They upload drawings and items to a class Padlet for shared reference.

  
  

Differentiation:

• Choice and Autonomy: Students select objects of interest to personalize their experience.

• Alternative Documentation: Option to take photos for students with sketching challenges.

• Adapted Clay Techniques: Students with motor skill challenges can incorporate collected items in their clay work, adding texture without needing fine detail.

  
  

Collectable Evidence and/or Assessment Points (Informal Formative Assessment):

• Sketches, found objects, and written reflections collected in portfolios, class Padlet, and observational maps.

• Informal Formative Assessment (IFA) to guide responsive, reflective teaching adjustments.

• Assessment of student interests/disinterests through folio and Padlet contributions.

• Insights from assessments used to adapt lessons and encourage individual artistic expression.

• Students’ work provides qualitative evidence of idea development and creative thinking.

(Critical and Creative Thinking Capability, Victorian Curriculum, Levels 7-8)

Adapted from Collecting as Map Making by Amanda Shopa

Students will be asked to take note of their surroundings as they walk, sit and look, to then bring these reflections back into the class and together to form a ‘map’ to help inform and plan for future making “W.H.E.R.T.O”. (Wiggins, G. P., & McTigh, J. (2005).

Links to curriculum Levels 7-8:

Developing Practice VC2AVA8D01/2

Sarah Contos in Art Guide Australia

Emphasising the connection of clay to nature, by taking students outside of the classroom to make connections to the outside world.

Collecting fallen plant/organic matter from their surroundings to use as inspiration for future clay making (3D Hollow Objects).

*Please note that while this class does not address this specifically, the lesson focus and aim is to prepare the students in readiness for their next key milestone of learning. This to incorporate differentiation strategies that attempt to build making from student-led inquiry rather than standardised prescriptive teacher-led activities as one type tasks (i.e. fruit).

“W.H.E.R.E.T.O” (Wiggins, G. P., & McTigh, J. (2005)

Amanda Shopa, 2021. Pg. 108

· 1-3 small, collected plant matter or organic objects.

· A mind map, which is made up of sketches and collected objects.

· A short written or recorded reflection to accompany your Padlet Post.

What did you notice outside (See)?

What did decide to collect and sketch? And why? (Think/Wonder)

Pencil or preferred. drawing tool

Portfolios

Digital Device

·      Sketches & found objects

·      Written Reflections

Collected evidence for assessment purposes could be done via the students, portfolios class Padlet reflections, and observations (maps). Informal Formative Assessment (IFA) (Ruiz-Primo & Brookhart, 2017) can be used to inform the next steps (Wiggins G.P, McTighe, J. 2005) in an iterative, responsive, reflective manner (relational pedagogical thinking).

Judgment can be made about the students’ potential areas of interest or disinterest based on their folio contributions and Padlet entries. This can then be applied to improving teaching strategies and approaches to improve student learning and engagement (differentiation) in future lessons. For example, the coming lessons could be adapted and evolved to suit the individual needs and/or interests of the learners as they move forward into making so as to encourage the expression and development of individual students' artistic voices. 

As noted by Meier, in Assess What Matters Most: Recommendations for Gathering Information About Student Learning (2018), students’ work, if utilised in a progressional manner within the studio-classroom, can be used qualitatively to gain insights and gather evidence of individualised idea development, and creative thinking/idea development (pg. 2).”

Lee, N. Y. S., Irwin, R. L., Baldus, A. I., Barney, D. T., Ursino, J. M., & Valiary Eskandary, Z. (Eds.). (2024). Pedagogical propositions: Playful walking with A/r/tography. Book One: Encounters. InSEA Publications.

Pedagogical Propositions with A/R/Tography: Playful Walking (INSEA Publications, Book 2)

Edited by Angela I. Baldus, Rita L. Irwin, Nicole Y. S. Lee, Daniel T. Barney, Joanne M. Ursino, and Zohreh Valiary Eskandary

CAST, Universal Design, URL: https://udlguidelines.cast.org/engagement/interests-identities/choice-autonomy/

Developing Practice: VC2AVA8D01/2

Develop and refine skills in visual arts practices using visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials to create artworks.

Reflect on, analyse and document their own and others’ visual arts practices to inform decisions they make in the exploration, development and resolution of their artworks.

(Victorian Curriculum version 2.0 , Visual Arts Levels 7-8)

This can be accessed for ease of reading if required.