New
New
Year 4

Analyse a local landscape through the formal elements

I can identify and analyse shapes, lines, patterns and colour within an image.

New
New
Year 4

Analyse a local landscape through the formal elements

I can identify and analyse shapes, lines, patterns and colour within an image.

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

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Artists will sometimes analyse the formal elements of an image to get a better understanding of it.
  2. When artists analyse the formal elements, they might experiment with different materials.
  3. By identifying the formal elements, an artist can help the viewer experience the image in the same way that they did.

Keywords

  • Formal elements - the basic parts that artists use to make pictures

  • Shape - shape is a flat figure or form that has boundaries

  • Line - a mark made by a moving point, such as a pencil or brush

  • Pattern - a design in which lines, shapes, forms or colours are repeated

  • Colour - the different hues of colour that we might see in an image

Common misconception

In nature, patterns are perfectly repeated.

Remind children that in nature, patterns sometimes repeat but the shapes, colours or lines are slightly different.


To help you plan your year 4 art and design lesson on: Analyse a local landscape through the formal elements, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

For this lesson, children will need copies of their chosen landscape photograph. If the previous lesson has not been completed, pupils could choose from a range of pre-photographed or printed images. Children could also have freedom in this lesson to choose and mix their media.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Sketchbooks, watercolour palettes, paintbrushes, drawing pens, pencils, colouring pencils, ballpoint pens, charcoal, collage paper

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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6 Questions

Q1.
Which is the best definition of a landscape?
Correct answer: A view of a place
A natural scene
A view with buildings
Q2.
Which of the following is NOT a feature of a landscape?
Trees
Roads
Correct answer: A person's face
Q3.
True or False? Urban landscapes can include natural features like trees and parks.
Correct answer: True
False
Q4.
What does the term "rule of thirds" mean in photography?
A way to divide the image into four equal parts
Correct answer: A guideline to help by dividing the image into nine equal parts
A rule about how many people can be in a photograph
Q5.
Match the features.
Correct Answer:Human feature,buildings

buildings

Correct Answer:Human feature,supermarkets

supermarkets

Correct Answer:Natural feature,flowers

flowers

Correct Answer:Natural feature,lake

lake

Q6.
Why might someone choose to photograph a landscape?
Because it looks pretty
Because it has a personal story or memory attached to it
Correct answer: Both of these reasons

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following is not a formal element of art?
Shape
Correct answer: Technology
Line
Colour
Q2.
Match the formal elements to their definitions.
Correct Answer:Line,A mark made by a moving point

A mark made by a moving point

Correct Answer:Colour,Has hue, intensity, and value

Has hue, intensity, and value

Correct Answer:Shape,A flat figure with boundaries

A flat figure with boundaries

Correct Answer:Pattern,A repeated design

A repeated design

Q3.
Fill in the gap: The basic parts that artists use to make pictures are called .
Correct Answer: formal elements
Q4.
True or False? Artists only use geometric shapes in their work.
True
Correct answer: False
Q5.
Which image shows patterns made from shapes?
A single shape
Correct answer: A design with repeated elements
A random assortment of colours
Q6.
When analysing a landscape, artists often the colours they see to recreate them in their artwork.
Correct Answer: mix