A Picture Paints A Thousand Words
Step into paintings, meet people and join in their thoughts and conversations. Pupils’ speaking, listening and writing skills are developed through exploring artworks.
Aims (Skills, Knowledge, Activity, Result)
- To explore paintings as inspiration for storytelling, creative writing and poetry.
- To use paintings as a stimulus for drama and role play.
- To encourage questioning techniques and discussion to develop character and plot.
- To promote co-operative work and use of descriptive language.
What happens in a workshop
We use a variety of methods to bring the paintings ‘off the canvas’. Drama activities, such as mime and thought-tracking, encourage relating the artworks to personal experience. Through role play we meet characters from the paintings, stepping into their shoes as we explore their personalities and emotions. We use these encounters to prompt creative writing and guide storytelling and plot development. The workshop also focuses on setting, describing scenes and creating ‘soundscapes’ which generate sound effects to match what we see. The children’s ideas and observations are used to capture the scene in poetry.
Prepare for your visit
- Ensure children have experience and knowledge of open-ended questions.
- Ensure the children have some experience of writing in the first person.
- Explain that the session involves lots of drama and role play, some of which involves everyone and some of which involves just a few.
- Find out how to plan your visit, including booking information, parking, facilities and a downloadable risk assessment.
What people are saying about the workshop
“When I leave I am going to include paintings within my English teaching more often, a fab starting point!”
Year 4 Teacher, Barlow Hall Primary School
“I always look forward to visiting one particular painting, I never know where the imagination of the children will take the plot next.”
Jo, workshop leader
