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Year 4

Scrap fabric microrganism collage

I can create a fabric collage inspired by a petri dish.

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New
New
Year 4

Scrap fabric microrganism collage

I can create a fabric collage inspired by a petri dish.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Artists might use the colours and textures that they observe in a subject.
  2. Artists might use a dark background to provide contrast to the bright colours of their main subject.
  3. Different types of fabric can be combined in an artwork to create different colours or textures.

Keywords

  • Colour palette - the group of colours you choose for your artwork

  • Texture - the feel or appearance of a surface

  • Background - everything that is behind the main image, or images, in an artwork

Common misconception

The fabric colour palette selected should precisely match the colours present in the petri dish.

Remind children that artists might choose to take inspiration from a similar colour palette of fabrics, rather than those that match exactly.


To help you plan your year 4 art and design lesson on: Scrap fabric microrganism collage, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

After children have completed thier artwork, it could be photographed or photocopied for thier sketchbook.
Teacher tip

Equipment

fabric scraps, cardboard circles or paper plates, PVA glue, glue spreaders

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
A mixed media artwork ...
uses paint, such as watercolour.
uses lots of different colours.
Correct answer: uses more than one material in the same artwork.
uses glitter and glue.
Q2.
What is the first step in creating a tonal collage?
mixing all the materials together
Correct answer: selecting your materials
adding paint to the background
drawing with a pencil
Q3.
What could an artist use to make the main part of the microorganism darker?
rubber
paper
Correct answer: charcoal
mud
Q4.
What might an artist use to add highlights to darker collage paper?
Correct answer: white chalk
glitter
rubber
black paint
Q5.
How are collages made?
by painting everything with one colour
Correct answer: by layering materials on a surface
by using only digital tools
by drawing with pencils only
Q6.
Order the steps to create a tonal collage.
1 - Gather a range of collage materials.
2 - Rip or cut your darkest tones.
3 - Create the shapes that you see for your mid tones.
4 - Add your lightest tones.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
A colour palette is one colour you choose for your artwork.
True
Correct answer: False
Q2.
Texture is the or appearance of a surface.
smell
Correct answer: feel
size
height
Q3.
In a piece of artwork, what do we call everything that is behind the main image or subject?
foreground
texture
Correct answer: background
pattern
Q4.
What is a tint in art?
a colour made by adding black
Correct answer: a colour made by adding white
a pattern made with lines
a colour that has lots of texture
Q5.
What is a shade in art?
a colour with a pattern
a colour that feels rough
Correct answer: a colour made by adding black
a colour made by adding white
Q6.
How do you create a fabric collage? Put these steps in order.
1 - Cut out a circle of cardboard.
2 - Glue a dark material to the cardboard for the background.
3 - Cut and glue flat shapes.
4 - Roll and glue fabric to make three dimensional shapes.
5 - Use string, wool of thread for different textures.