Draft Design Creation

Lesson 5 of 9: Aussie Christmas Creations

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Year Level:

Year 7

Duration:

50 minutes

Class Size:

7 students

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Learning Intention

Students will refine initial sketches into a developed draft design for their Christmas-themed placemat by incorporating feedback from peers and the teacher, focusing on balance, contrast, and overall visual appeal.

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Success Criteria

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Explain how feedback has influenced changes in their placemat draft.
• Incorporate elements of balance and contrast into their draft designs.
• Demonstrate increased visual appeal and coherence in their artwork.
• Identify one area of strength and one area for improvement in their designs.

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Australian Curriculum Alignment

Visual Arts – Years 7 (AC9AVA8D01 & AC9AVA8E01)

• AC9AVA8D01: Experiment with visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials to develop skills. (Focus on developing draft designs using elements and principles such as balance and contrast).
• AC9AVA8E01: Investigate ways artists manipulate visual conventions and processes to represent ideas and perspectives; develop and evaluate design ideas informed by feedback and reflection.
• Incorporates visual arts processes and skills development, especially iterating design from feedback as outlined in curriculum elaborations.
• Emphasis on critical reflection and peer feedback to adjust and improve artwork.

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NSW Syllabus Outcomes

• VAS7.2: Students develop skills in applying elements and principles of design to create and refine artworks.
• VAS7.5: Students use feedback and reflection to evaluate and modify artworks.
• This lesson supports differentiation for diverse learners and includes modelled, guided, and independent learning phases.

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Lesson Overview

Time	Activity	Description	Learning Mode
0-5 mins	Introduction and Learning Intentions	Introduce lesson focus: refining draft designs using feedback. Share Learning Intention and Success Criteria.	Teacher-led/modelled
5-15 mins	Peer Feedback Session	Students pair up to present initial sketches and give constructive feedback focusing on balance, contrast, and visual appeal. Teacher circulates to guide and model feedback techniques.	Guided practice
15-35 mins	Draft Design Refinement	Students independently refine their sketches into draft designs incorporating peer and teacher feedback. Teacher supports differentiated needs.	Independent practice
35-45 mins	Gallery Walk and Reflection	Students place draft designs on display. They silently review peers' work, leaving sticky notes with positive comments and suggestions. Whole group debrief and reflective discussion.	Collaborative/reflective
45-50 mins	Lesson Wrap-up and Goal Setting	Students identify one strength and one improvement goal for their next draft. Teacher summarises key concepts about balance, contrast, and visual appeal.	Teacher-led/individual

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Detailed Activities

1. Introduction and Learning Intentions (5 min)

• Set the tone by revisiting the unit "Aussie Christmas Creations."
• Explain today's focus on refining initial sketches into draft designs.
• Present the Learning Intention and Success Criteria on the board.
• Use visual examples to highlight balance and contrast in placemat designs.

2. Peer Feedback Session (10 min)

• Students pair up with different partners from previous lessons.
• Each student presents their initial sketch.
• Peers provide feedback using a scaffolded feedback sheet focused on Balance, Contrast, and Visual Appeal.
• Teacher models constructive and specific feedback strategies (e.g., "I like how you used bright colours to create contrast; maybe you could balance it with more neutral tones on the edges").

3. Draft Design Refinement (20 min)

• Students use their feedback sheets and teacher guidance to improve their sketches.
• Teacher provides differentiated support:
  • Lower potential learners: Provide visual prompts and step-by-step guided checklists.
  • Middle potential learners: Encourage experimentation with colour and form balance.
  • High potential and gifted learners: Challenge to explore advanced techniques like patterns or symbolism related to Aussie Christmas themes.
• Materials provided include pencils, markers, coloured pencils, and paper suitable for placemat size.

4. Gallery Walk and Reflection (10 min)

• Students display their refined draft designs around the room.
• They silently walk, observe and leave positive comments and constructive suggestions using sticky notes.
• Facilitate group discussion about common design elements noticed and techniques used to improve balance and contrast.
• Encourage students to express how feedback helped refine their design.

5. Lesson Wrap-up and Goal Setting (5 min)

• Students write down one strength and one area for improvement for the next draft.
• Teacher recaps the importance of feedback and principles of design.
• Preview next lesson’s focus: finalising and preparing placemat designs for production.

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Differentiation Strategies

Learner Group	Strategies
Lower potential	Provide graphic organisers, one-on-one guided feedback, and stepwise prompts. Use example placemat templates.
Middle potential	Scaffold feedback process, suggest compositional adjustments, and allow choice of colour mediums.
High potential/gifted	Offer extension tasks such as integrating Indigenous visual motifs responsibly, exploring mixed media textures, or digital sketching options. Challenge with peer teaching opportunities.

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Extension Activities for Advanced Learners

• Research traditional and contemporary Indigenous Australian art symbols and discuss how to respectfully incorporate cultural elements into their placemat.
• Experiment with digital art software or apps to produce a digital draft alongside the hand-drawn version.
• Develop a short artist statement that explains design choices relating to balance, contrast and symbolism used.

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Materials Needed

• Sketchbooks/initial sketches
• Drawing paper (placemat size approx. A3)
• Pencils, erasers, coloured pencils, markers
• Sticky notes for gallery comments
• Feedback sheets with guidance questions
• Visual examples of placemat designs (printed or projected)

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Assessment

Formative Assessment through:

• Observation of participation in feedback activities
• Review of draft designs incorporating feedback
• Reflections and goal setting documented by students

Feedback will focus on how well students apply design principles (balance, contrast), respond to critique, and improve their visual communication.

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This detailed lesson plan combines clear curriculum alignment (AC9AVA8D01, AC9AVA8E01), structured learning phases (modelled, guided, independent), differentiation strategies, and extension opportunities tailored for Year 7 Art students in an Australian classroom context preparing for their "Aussie Christmas Creations" placemat unit .