Differentiated activities

• Students are given printed symbols, like emojis, traffic signs, weather- or school related symbols, and asked to create a short story by arranging them in order.
• Students are provided printed symbol outlines and colour them to reflect the feelings each image evokes (e.g., a smiling face coloured yellow to represent happiness, or a cat coloured red to represent love).
• Students are given a feeling, such as ‘happy’, ‘calm’ or ‘excited’, and show it either with their body through movement or gesture, or by making marks with a pencil, crayon or marker. They can then take time to notice how others chose to symbolise the same feeling in different ways.

Activity ideas for younger students

• Students design a personal crest using symbols that represent who they are and what matters to them. They begin by choosing meaningful elements, such as objects related to their hobbies and colours to represent personality traits, and arrange these inside a shield shape, adding simple patterns or borders for emphasis. Students then share their crest with a partner, explaining the meaning behind each symbol.
• Students explore how different symbols can be combined to create new meanings. They select familiar everyday symbols, such as traffic signs, emojis and well-known logos, and arrange them on paper to form a single artwork. Students experiment with layering, repetition and composition to create visual interest and convey a story. They then share their artwork with a partner, explaining how their arrangement of symbols contributes to the overall meaning.
• Students divide a page into four sections and draw a picture in each section that represents a different aspect of their life (e.g., home, school, friends, hobbies). They then choose just one colour for each section that reflects how that part of their life makes them feel.

Activity ideas for older students

• Students choose one symbol from an artwork they have viewed and create a new work that gives the symbol a different meaning. They can think about how changing the context, colour, size or material of the symbol might change the message it communicates.
• Students choose a well-known artwork and replace one key symbol with a different one. They then analyse how the substituted symbol alters the meaning of the work.
• Students create a series of small sketches or digital images in which a single symbol changes in meaning through adjustments in visual elements such as colour, placement or scale.
• Students develop a personal visual language through a series of symbols. They then produce a small artwork or poster using only these symbols and share their work, explaining the significance of each one.

Describe

To give a detailed account of the features of something by identifying and communicating what can be seen, heard, felt or otherwise sensed. In relation to works of art, this includes visual elements such as colour, shape, line, texture and subject matter, as well as other perceptual qualities such as sound, movement, scale, spatial presence and materiality.

Analyse

To examine the parts and features of something in detail to understand how they work together. In relation to works of art, this involves breaking down visual and sensory elements — such as colour, composition, texture, sound and materials — and considering how they work together to create meaning or effect. It also includes identifying techniques, processes and relevant contextual influences that shape the work.

Interpret

To draw conclusions about the possible meaning of an artwork, considering the artist’s intent and the viewer’s own ideas and feelings.

Evaluate

To make a judgement about the quality, effectiveness or impact of something, based on criteria or evidence. In relation to works of art, this includes assessing how successfully the artist has used materials, techniques and elements to convey ideas or achieve an intended effect, as well as considering the work’s originality, impact or relevance.