Awa Thumbnail Explorations

Overview

Lesson 6 of 20 in Mauri: Guardians of Awa. Students begin developing ideas for a mixed-media artwork by translating their awa research into quick thumbnail sketches. They explore composition, materials, symbolism and mood, then select a promising direction for further development.

Learning intentions

• WALT generate several possible ideas for a mixed-media artwork connected to our awa research.
• WALT use thumbnail sketches to test composition, focal point, mood and visual symbols.
• WALT make purposeful choices about materials and techniques.
• WALT explain how an artwork idea can communicate care, connection and guardianship of an awa.

Success criteria

• I can create at least four different thumbnail sketches.
• I can show clear differences in composition, viewpoint, scale or mood.
• I can identify suitable materials and explain what they might communicate.
• I can select one idea and explain how it connects to my awa research.

Curriculum links

• Visual Arts — generating, developing and communicating ideas through practical making and responding.
• Visual Arts — exploring elements such as line, shape, colour, texture, space and form to communicate meaning.
• The refreshed New Zealand Curriculum emphasis on learning that is connected, creative, culturally grounded and meaningful.
• Manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga — considering how visual communication can express care, responsibility and relationship with the natural environment.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–7 min · Hook and reconnect. Teacher opens the introduction and hook slides with a striking close-up image idea of water, rock, plant life or human impact along an awa, then asks: “What might this awa need people to notice or protect?” Students silently note one image, feeling or issue from their research and share with a partner.

2. 7–15 min · Model ideation. Teacher uses the thumbnail sketch teaching slides to explain that thumbnails are small, fast experiments rather than finished drawings. Model three contrasting sketches from one awa idea, thinking aloud about focal point, viewpoint, positive and negative space, colour mood, texture and possible mixed-media materials. Students identify one difference between the examples and suggest how each could communicate meaning.

3. 15–20 min · Brief and planning choices. Teacher displays the project brief and success-criteria slide and introduces the challenge: create at least four possible compositions for a mixed-media artwork based on researched knowledge, observations or stories connected to the awa. Students review their research notes and choose a focus, such as biodiversity, water movement, pollution, whakapapa, recreation, restoration or guardianship.

4. 20–38 min · Independent thumbnail sprint. Teacher distributes the awa mixed-media ideation worksheet and circulates, prompting students to make purposeful changes between sketches rather than repeatedly copying one idea. Students create four or more thumbnail sketches, annotating each with possible materials, textures, colour choices, symbols and a short statement about the intended message.

5. 38–48 min · Paired critique and refinement. Teacher uses the peer-feedback and discussion slides to establish respectful feedback: identify what is clear, ask a question, and offer one possible next step. Students place their sketches beside their partner’s work and discuss which composition has the strongest focal point, most effective connection to the awa and clearest material possibilities. Each student records one refinement.

6. 48–56 min · Select and develop. Teacher asks students to choose one thumbnail or combine elements from two, then models adding a small colour/material swatch and a more detailed note. Students develop their selected idea on the worksheet, identifying the intended audience, message, key visual elements and at least three materials or processes they may investigate next.

7. 56–60 min · Plenary and exit reflection. Teacher returns to the plenary prompt slide and asks: “How can an artwork show that an awa is more than a backdrop?” Students share one design decision and complete the worksheet reflection: “My artwork will communicate… because…”. Collect worksheets for planning the next lesson.

Resources

• the introduction, teaching, activity, feedback and plenary slide deck
• the awa mixed-media ideation worksheet
• Students’ awa research notes, photographs or observation records
• A4 or A3 cartridge paper
• Graphite pencils, erasers and black fineliners
• Coloured pencils, felt-tip pens or water-based media for quick colour tests
• Material sample tray: fabric, paper, natural fibres, textured card and recycled packaging
• Visual references of local awa and mixed-media artworks
• Timer and board space for displaying success criteria

Assessment

• During the thumbnail sprint, check that students are producing multiple genuinely different compositions and can explain at least one connection to their awa research.
• Use questioning to assess understanding of focal point, space, mood, symbolism and material choice; record students needing further support before the next lesson.
• Collect the worksheet as an exit assessment. Look for four or more thumbnails, purposeful annotations, a selected direction and a clear intended message.

Differentiation

• Provide a choice board of starting points—“show the awa”, “show a change”, “show a relationship” or “show a possible future”—and sentence starters such as “I want viewers to notice…” and “This material could suggest…”.
• Support students who find drawing challenging with viewfinder frames, simple geometric composition guides, collage shapes and permission to label material placement rather than illustrate every detail.
• Offer EAL learners visual examples, paired rehearsal before writing and key terms displayed with simple explanations: focal point, texture, contrast, symbol and composition.
• Extend confident students by requiring a deliberate shift in viewpoint, scale or time, and asking them to justify how their material choices communicate a specific relationship with the awa. Allow students with sensory or motor needs to use larger paper, digital sketching or a reduced number of more carefully developed thumbnails.