Year 6 - Art and design
Symbolism and stories in art, craft and design
Meaning and symbolism in art: drawing and painting
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Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
Pupils will investigate how artists create meaning and tell stories through their art. They will investigate symbolism in art and develop understanding that visual art, craft and design has multiple meanings beyond its surface depiction to support the development of their own visual literacy.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to investigate an artwork to find symbols and interpret their possible meaning.
Key Notes
- 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.
Vocabulary To Learn
- 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 Mistakes To Avoid
- A symbol has only one meaning for everyone.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key 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.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'symbol'
an object, shape, or image that stands for or represents an idea or meaning.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: A symbol has only one meaning for everyone. Correction: Symbols can mean different things in different cultures or to different people.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Complete a story artwork: colour and detail Study Guide
- Develop a story: creating a scenic composition Study Guide
- Develop understanding of symbolism: collect and draw objects Study Guide
- Drawing: create a character for a story Study Guide
- Plan a story artwork including character and objects Study Guide
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