Picasso's Influence

Unit: Exploring Picasso's Acrylics

Lesson 1 of 10

Class duration: 90 minutes Class size: 12 students Year level: Year 10 Visual Arts School context: Diverse student abilities, preference for conversations and fun learning, dyslexia-friendly approaches

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Curriculum Alignment

Australian Curriculum (v9) – Visual Arts, Years 9 and 10

Key Content Descriptions:

• AC9AVA10E01: Investigate how artists across cultures, times and contexts develop personal expression to communicate and/or challenge ideas and meaning.
• AC9AVA10C01: Evaluate critical feedback when planning, developing, and refining visual arts practice.
• AC9AVA8D02 (relevant extension for informed visual conventions and artist reflections).

This lesson introduces students to Pablo Picasso's artistic career phases and significance to develop insight into diverse visual arts practices, fostering critical reflection, cultural understanding, and communication through art—a core domain of the curriculum's focus on historical and cultural context of artworks (especially individual artist studies) and their influence on contemporary practice.

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Lesson Title

Introduction to Picasso's World

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Learning Goals (WALT)

We are learning to:

• Understand Pablo Picasso’s influence on art history and contemporary practices.
• Identify the key periods in Picasso’s career (Blue Period, Rose Period, Cubism, Surrealism).
• Explain Picasso’s significance and recognise his major artworks.

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Success Criteria

Students will be able to:

• Discuss and explain why Picasso is a significant figure in modern art.
• Identify the characteristics of Picasso’s major artistic periods by visual style.
• Locate and describe at least three famous Picasso artworks and their features.
• Engage in conversations to share interpretations and compare artistic styles.

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Differentiation & Accessibility

• Use large, high-contrast, dyslexia-friendly fonts and clear colourful visuals (paintings, timelines).
• Provide printed notes and visual timeline handouts with simplified language.
• Incorporate verbal explanations with visual aids for multimodal learning.
• Encourage peer discussions and scaffolded questioning to support varying verbal and reading abilities.
• Optional audio description of artwork for students with reading difficulties.

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Resources Needed

• Projector or interactive whiteboard
• Printed visual timeline of Picasso’s life and key periods, with images labelled in dyslexia-friendly font
• Colour prints/posters of major Picasso artworks from each period
• Handout summary sheets for students
• Materials for simple sketching activity (pencils, paper)
• Whiteboard and markers

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction and Engagement (15 minutes)

• Begin with a brief conversational icebreaker: "What do you know about Picasso?" Collect quick responses to gauge prior knowledge.
• Present a vibrant timeline on the board showing Picasso’s life span and main periods (Blue, Rose, Cubism, Surrealism).
• Show images of three iconic artworks (e.g., The Old Guitarist, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, Guernica).
• Use questions to prompt student observations (What do you notice? What feelings do these artworks evoke?).
• Explicitly explain WALT and success criteria on the board.

2. Interactive Timeline Walkthrough (20 minutes)

• Using the visual timeline handouts, guide students through the key periods:
• Blue Period (somber, monochromatic blue tones, themes of hardship).
• Rose Period (split to warmer, pinkish hues, circus themes).
• Cubism (fragmented, abstract forms breaking traditional perspectives).
• Surrealism and Later Works (experimental and political works).
• Highlight Picasso’s innovation and impact on modern art.
• Invite students to pair up and discuss what interests them most about each period.

3. Group Discussion and Deep Dive (15 minutes)

• Facilitate an inclusive group discussion, encouraging students to share ideas from their pairs.
• Ask guiding questions such as:
• Why do you think Picasso changed styles so often?
• How do these changes reflect the world or his experiences?
• What makes Picasso’s work different from other artists?
• Record key points on the board.

4. Mini Sketch Activity – Exploring Styles (25 minutes)

• Prompt students to choose one Picasso period and create a small sketch inspired by its style (e.g., Blue Period mood, Cubist fragmented shapes).
• Provide examples and offer support and positive reinforcement.
• Encourage experimentation rather than perfect replication.
• Circulate to offer feedback and note individual progress.

5. Reflection and Success Criteria Check (10 minutes)

• Invite volunteers to share their sketches and explain their style choice.
• Recap learning objectives and success criteria, asking students to self-assess which criteria they met today.
• Summarise Picasso's importance and preview upcoming lessons (exploring acrylic techniques inspired by Picasso’s styles).

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Assessment

• Formative assessment through active participation in discussions, sketch activity, and self-assessment reflections.
• Teacher observation notes on understanding of Picasso's artistic periods and engagement level.

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Extension / Homework

• Ask students to research one Picasso artwork not discussed in class and bring one interesting fact about it to the next lesson.
• Dyslexia-friendly option: Provide an audio recording summarising Picasso’s impact and encourage listening as homework.

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Final Notes

This first lesson builds foundational conceptual knowledge and enthusiasm. By integrating visual aids, conversation, and creative hands-on practice, students experience both cognitive and emotional connections with Picasso’s art, tailored to varied learning strengths and needs. This approach aligns explicitly with Australian Curriculum v9 visual arts content and general capabilities, especially literacy, critical thinking and intercultural understanding, ensuring a dynamic, inclusive, and culturally rich introduction to the unit.

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If you want, I can also help generate detailed lesson plans for the following lessons in this unit!