Thinking skills/cross curricular: Take a picture
22nd September 2008
Use our captivating poster to prompt thinking skills in your class
Images are very effective at getting children to think creatively as the same picture can be interpreted in many different ways. The following activities encourage children to question what they see and develop their imaginations. It is important that you explain that there are no right or wrong answers – they are free to interpret what they like, how they like. The images on the Poster, ‘Take a picture’ are ideal for kick-starting children’s thinking skills. Encourage the children to chat openly about what they can see, and don’t be afraid to let the noise levels rise as they get their creative juices flowing.
Activities
1. What does it feel like?
Invite the children to look closely at one of the images. Ask them to imagine that they could reach out and touch it. Ask: How does it feel? Encourage them to write down words to describe how they feel, and then to develop their words into a shape poem. They could also use their words to create a textured collage inspired by the image.
2. Which is your favourite?
Ask the children to choose their favourite image from the poster, giving reasons for their choice. Next, get them to describe their picture in detail, including information about the shapes, colours, sensory impressions and emotions that it evokes. Ask the children: Who might have created the picture – where and why? Invite the children to write the first page of a story book that features their image.
3. Words from pictures
Ask the children to tear a sheet of A4 paper into eight strips. Then, get them to look at the images and write down any words that occur to them, one on each slip of paper. Collect all of the strips into a bag and give it a shake, before distributing four slips per child. Invite the children to write a story including the four words and any of the poster images.
4. The wood through the trees
Ask the children to look at the wood image and imagine themselves on the path. What can they see? Where are they going? Invite them to use their responses for creative writing.
5. Song of the sea
Tell the children to imagine that they are walking along a beach and come across the pebble sculpture. They hear a strange sound and think it’s the wind, only to realise that the sculpture is singing to them. Ask them to write the first verse of the song.
6. Holey moley!
Ask the children to look at the image of the black circle and say what they see. Is it a full stop? A spy hole, a black hole in space or a hole leading to a magic world? Who or what lies behind the hole? Encourage the children to write a story or create a poem or piece of artwork based on what might lie behind the hole.
7. Painting a picture
Ask the children how they think the paint splodge was created? Did someone throw the paint? What mood where they in? Ask them to think about where the splodge might be – on a wall, clothing? Can they see any pictures within the splodge? (See the Rorschach ink blot test at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorschach_inkblot_test).
The Photocopiables below feature the above activities (some of which are extended) written for the children and laid out in a flash-card format for you to cut out and hand out to your class.
Take a picture
Use this selection of stimulating questions to explore the accompanying poster, ‘Take a picture’. Linking activities can be found in the October ‘08 issue of Junior Ed PLUS.
Take a picture
Use this conceptual poster to encourage children to think outside the box. Linking activities can be found in the October ‘08 issue of Junior Ed PLUS.
