Exploring Animal Patterns

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Curriculum Area: Art and Design

Key Stage: 1 (Year 1)

National Curriculum Focus:

• To use drawing, painting, and sculpture to share ideas, experiences, and imagination.
• Develop a wide range of art and design techniques using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form, and space.

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Lesson Objective

By the end of the lesson, pupils will:

• Recognise and describe different animal patterns (e.g. stripes, spots, scales, fur).
• Experiment with patterns using a variety of art materials.
• Create their own animal-inspired artwork incorporating patterns.

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Lesson Duration: 40 Minutes

Resources Needed:

• Images of different animal patterns (e.g. zebra stripes, leopard spots, snake scales, peacock feathers).
• Coloured paper or sketchbooks.
• Paints, crayons, coloured pencils, and pastels.
• Black and white paper for contrast exercises.
• Sponges, cotton buds, and brushes for texture exploration.

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Lesson Breakdown

Starter (5 Minutes) – Animal Pattern Discovery

1. Engage pupils with a question: "What patterns can we see on animals?"
2. Show large images of animals with distinctive patterns (e.g. tigers, giraffes, fish).
3. Discuss how patterns help animals (camouflage, warning signals, or attracting attention).

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Main Activity (25 Minutes) – Pattern Creation

Step 1: Experimenting with Patterns (10 Minutes)

• Pupils will practise drawing and colouring key patterns using crayons and pencils.
• Focus on repeating shapes for stripes (e.g. tiger or zebra) and circular patterns for spots (e.g. cheetah or ladybird).
• Introduce "rubbing technique" using crayons over textured surfaces to mimic the look of scales and feathers.

Step 2: Creating Animal-Inspired Artwork (15 Minutes)

• Pupils choose a favourite animal pattern and create a mini animal mask or collage using paint, sponges, or pastels.
• Encourage them to layer and overlap different colours to match the texture of fur, feathers, or scales.
• Use black paper backgrounds for striking contrast when using white patterns (e.g. zebra stripes).

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Plenary (10 Minutes) – Gallery Walk and Reflection

• Pupils walk around and observe each other’s work.
• Discuss which animal patterns they found most interesting and why.
• Encourage students to describe their choices: "How did you make your stripes look furry?"
• Link back to the real world: "Where else do we see patterns in nature?"

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Assessment Criteria

• Verbal participation in discussions about animal patterns.
• Practical skills – ability to use different materials effectively to create patterns.
• Creativity in using textures and colours.

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Differentiation & Support

• For less confident learners: Provide stencils or outlines of simple patterns to colour in.
• For more able pupils: Challenge them to mix colours and experiment with layering paints for depth.
• SEN Support: Offer sensory-friendly materials like soft pastels and textured paper.

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Extension Activity:

Fast finishers can design their own mythical animal by combining different patterns (e.g. “a striped-spotted animal”).

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Final Thought:

This activity sparks curiosity about nature while developing pupils' creativity and fine motor skills. By studying these patterns, children not only explore the beauty of the animal kingdom but also learn key artistic techniques in an engaging and hands-on way!