Symbolism and stories in art, craft and design
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can investigate an artwork to find symbols and interpret their possible meaning.
Key learning points
- Artists use symbols to share stories and meanings without words.
- Symbols often carry layered or multiple meanings, and different cultures use symbols for similar or different ideas.
- We can analyse artworks by identifying symbols and interpreting their meanings.
Keywords
Symbol - an object, shape, or image that stands for or represents an idea or meaning
Symbolism - the use of symbols to communicate ideas, emotions, or stories in art
Interpretation - how we explain or find meaning in what we see
Culture - the shared ideas, customs, and art of a group of people
Common misconception
A symbol has only one meaning for everyone.
Symbols can mean different things in different cultures or to different people.
Teacher tip
Model thinking aloud when analysing symbols. Ask open questions like “What do you see?” and “What could it mean?” to encourage exploration and avoid shutting down imaginative or culturally diverse interpretations.
Equipment
Pencils, coloured pencils, erasers.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is a symbol in art?
Q2.What does blending mean when using colouring pencils or paint?
Q3.Match the word to what it describes.
a path made by a moving point
the way something feels
what we see as red, blue, etc.
Q4.Match the material to its best use.
light painting with soft edges
thick colour and bold marks
dark lines and shading
Q5.Put these painting actions in the correct order.
Q6.What do you call a quick, rough drawing?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does symbolism mean in art?
Q2.Which of these is an example of cultural symbolism?
Q3.What kind of symbols did Frida Kahlo use in her paintings?
Q4.Match the symbol to its common meaning.
peace
death or danger
hope
Q5.Put these steps in the right order for interpreting an artwork.
Q6.What word describes how you understand the meaning of an artwork?
To help you plan your 6 art and design lesson on: Symbolism and stories in art, craft and design, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 art and design lesson on: Symbolism and stories in art, craft and design, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 art and design lessons from the Meaning and symbolism in art: drawing and painting unit, dive into the full primary art and design curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.