Building a collaborative still life
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can contribute to a collaborative still life arrangement.
Key learning points
- Collaboration allows artists to bring their unique perspectives and styles, resulting in more varied compositions.
- Artists can experiment with different materials, techniques, and arrangements, leading to innovative results.
- Artists can learn from each other’s techniques and approaches, broadening their own skills and artistic vocabulary.
Keywords
Communication - sharing thoughts, feelings, and information clearly
Still life - an artwork that shows objects arranged in a specific way, usually inanimate objects
Manipulate - to handle, shape, or change something
Common misconception
Everyone has to work on the same part of the collaborative art piece at the same time.
In reality, collaboration can also mean dividing tasks, working on separate elements that are later combined, or contributing in different ways, such as planning, designing, making, or assembling.
Teacher tip
When guiding a collaborative artwork, set clear roles and responsibilities early on. This helps students feel ownership over their contributions, reduces confusion, and ensures that every voice is heard in the creative process.
Equipment
Different types of paper, hook or frame (optional), sewing machines, hole punch, scissors, pins, tape, natural objects or images of them.
Content guidance
Risk assessment required - equipment
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the term given when an artist works together with other people to achieve a shared goal?
Q2.Complete the sentence: An idea is when artists swap ideas, feedback or concepts and contribute their own perspectives or suggestions
Q3.What is the term given to the type of collaboration when artists work with people from other fields?
Q4.Which artist collaborates directly with displaced communities, to document personal histories?
Q5.What is the main purpose of using a mind map in an art project?
Q6.What is it called when an artist adds notes, labels, or explanations to a sketch or picture?
To help you plan your 11 art and design lesson on: Building a collaborative still life, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 art and design lesson on: Building a collaborative still life, 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 4 art and design lessons from the Second sustained project: working from a theme changing perspectives unit, dive into the full secondary art and design curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.