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Classroom Organisation

Ideas about locating and collecting materials and resources.

Preparation for making activities Always ensure materials are prepared in advance. Teachers should experiment with materials and techniques prior to the lesson. Provide adequate amounts and numbers of materials for each student. Allow for spillage and mistakes. Have designated helpers or visual art monitors to assist with setting up and cleaning up. Cover tables or work areas with newspaper or plastic sheeting. Ensure students have protective clothing (old shirts, aprons etc)

Group work Allow students the opportunity to develop skills associated with working in groups as well as working individually. Many visual art activities, especially printing, are more successful when conducted in small rotating groups. This allows the teacher to concentrate on assisting students with the most difficult parts of the process or to demonstrate techniques in detail to a small number of students.

Useful materials to collect

Aluminium foil
Coloured paper squares
Butchers paper or large rolls of any type of paper
Cardboard, including boxes and packing sheets
Chalks
Clothes, props etc for dress-up activities
Containers and jars– different shapes and sizes
Egg cartons
Fishing line
Foam boards
Glue – PVA, wood glue, glue sticks, glue guns, wallpaper paste
Hessian
Magnifying glasses
Mirrors
Newspapers and magazines
Objects that could be used in still life compositions
Palette knives
Palettes – plastic or wooden trays, sheets of newspaper, sheets of plastic, cardboard, plastic plates
Pieces of scrap fabric or material, buttons, beads and ribbons
Plasticine or play doh
Protective clothing: old shirts, smocks, aprons
Scissors
Sponges
Staplers, nails, pins, clips and clamps
String, rope and twine
Tape: masking tape, sticky tape, electrical tape
Thick and thin felt pens
Timber off-cuts
Tools such as hammers, pliers, saws
Wallpaper
Wire – in a variety of widths and weights

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