Group Project Guernica

Year Level

Year 7 Visual Arts

Duration

50 minutes

Unit Context

Lesson 10 of 20 in the unit "Exploring Art through Picasso"

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Learning Area

Visual Arts — Years 7 and 8 Western Australian Curriculum

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Learning Objectives (WALT)

• We Are Learning To collaborate effectively in teams to produce a group artwork based on Picasso’s Guernica.
• We Are Learning To organise visual arts content clearly within a group.
• We Are Learning To contribute equally to a combined artwork, utilising personal strengths.

Aligned Curriculum Content Descriptions:

• AC9AVA8C02: Select and manipulate visual conventions, visual arts processes and/or materials to create artworks that represent ideas, perspectives and/or meaning.
• AC9AVA8D02: Reflect on ways that they and other artists respond to influences to inform choices they make in their own visual arts practice.
• General Capability – Personal and Social Capability: Work collaboratively, negotiate roles and responsibilities within a group.

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Success Criteria

• Clear division of roles in each team based on each student’s artistic strengths and preferences.
• Effective communication to organise the composition of the Guernica-inspired artwork.
• Equal contribution demonstrated by active participation and completed art components from all group members.
• Use of visual arts terminology to discuss and reflect on artistic choices during the process.

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Resources

• Reproductions/images of Picasso's Guernica
• Large collaborative drawing papers or canvases
• Pencils, charcoal, black and white paint (optional colours in grayscale tones)
• Brushes, erasers, rulers
• Art journals or sketchbooks for planning and reflection
• Role cards (organiser, researcher, sketch artist, materials manager, reflector)

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Lesson Structure and Timing

1. Introduction and Group Formation (5 minutes)

• Brief recap of Picasso’s Guernica and its symbolism.
• Explain today’s task: collaboratively creating a group-based Guernica artwork to express ideas inspired by the original.
• Organise students into groups of 4-5.
• Explain WALT and success criteria.
• Assign roles within groups based on discussion of strengths (e.g., artistic skill, organisational, verbal communication, research, task management).

2. Planning and Discussion within Groups (10 minutes)

• Groups explore provided Guernica images again.
• Use sketchbooks or journals to plan their group artwork, deciding which elements of the original Guernica to represent.
• Encourage questions such as: "How can we divide the composition? How will each role contribute?"
• Provide dyslexia-friendly reading support by supplying visual summaries and clear, simple prompts to scaffold conversation.

3. Collaborative Artwork Creation (25 minutes)

• Groups begin producing their works following their plan.
• Teachers circulate to facilitate and support groups, ensuring participation and equitable contribution.
• Encourage use of visual arts language and reflection in sketchbooks.
• Promote peer feedback within groups: what is working, what needs adjustment.

4. Group Reflection and Sharing (8 minutes)

• Each group briefly presents the progress of their artwork and explains how they collaborated.
• Reflect on group processes — what worked well, what were challenges.
• Teacher provides verbal feedback highlighting effective teamwork and art-making processes.
• Option for students to document reflections in their journals using text and drawings.

5. Extension Activity for Advanced Learners

• Design a brief digital story or slideshow narrating the meaning behind their group artwork referencing Guernica, integrating historical or social context.
• Advanced students can experiment with mixed media or digital augmentation to extend the artwork's impact.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Role assignment: Tasks are matched with student strengths (e.g., some focus on fine detail, some on composition, others on verbal organisation).
• Dyslexia-friendly reading options: Use visual prompts, easy-to-read summaries, and key term glossaries presented visually.
• Peer support: Pair students for peer tutoring within groups.
• Task adaptation: Students who need more support can focus on simpler tasks such as texture application or collaging elements.
• Movement breaks: Allow strategy for students who require kinesthetic activity, e.g., brief stretching or standing while working.

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Assessment

• Informal formative assessment through teacher observation of group dynamics and participation.
• Reflection journals/sketchbooks are reviewed for evidence of planning and critical thinking.
• Completed collaborative artworks will be assessed in a later lesson for understanding of Guernica’s themes and artistic conventions, linked to curriculum achievement standards.

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Teacher Notes

• Emphasise the importance of Picasso’s Guernica as a powerful political and social artwork and encourage students to think about how art communicates ideas collaboratively.
• Encourage students to problem-solve and negotiate roles respectfully within their teams.
• Provide vocabulary such as “composition,” “symbolism,” “balance,” and “contrast” to reinforce Visual Arts literacy.

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This lesson strongly aligns with Western Australian Curriculum content descriptions AC9AVA8C02 and AC9AVA8D02 nurturing collaboration, creative processes, and reflection to develop students’ skills in creating meaning through visual arts in a culturally responsive way.