Critical thinking: Western art
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use critical thinking to reflect upon connections, choices and challenges in Western art.
Key learning points
- Western art history can be seperated out into art periods and art movements.
- Critical thinking is essential in Western art history because of the main issues and debates surrounding it.
- Critical thinking skills can identify connections between artists and artworks such as themes, creating shared stories.
Keywords
Critical thinking - the ability to reason, ask questions, debate and challenge what is presented to you
Western art history - the study of how art has changed over time in continental Europe and North America
Appropriation - when an artist takes elements from another culture without understanding, respecting, or giving credit to it
Common misconception
Critical thinking focuses on judging artworks as 'good' or 'bad'.
Critical thinking helps artists and audiences to think deeply about art and respect different viewpoints.
Teacher tip
For task B, you could gather brief information on the four areas of research listed to support pupils.
Equipment
Examples of artworks and artmovements, magazinse, newspapers, coloured card, pens and pencils.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the term given to the arrangement of the various art elements?
Q2.Which is the correct definition of 'tone'?
Q3.What helps artists mix secondary and tertiary colours?
Q4.Texture can be either physical, where we can touch and feel it, or visual, where there is the illusion of a surface.
Q5.Art can be made for both private and spaces.
Q6.What can a timeline be used to show in art?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What do critical thinkers do?
Q2.What skills are included in critical thinking?
Q3.Western art history is the study of how art has changed over time in continental and North America.
Q4.Where were the artifacts and artwork that Picasso viewed in galleries originally from?
Q5.What does appropriation mean in art?
Q6.The Guerrilla Girls are a group of women artists and activists who sexism and racism in the art world through their artwork.
To help you plan your 7 art and design lesson on: Critical thinking: Western art, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 art and design lesson on: Critical thinking: Western art, 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 3 art and design lessons from the Art movements unit, dive into the full secondary art and design curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.