• Target Keystage(s): Key Stage 3,
• Curriculum Subject(s): Art and design, Citizenship,
• Who Do We Think We Are Theme(s): Britishness, national identity/values & 2012 Games, Relationships, belonging and faith,

Above: Association for Citizenship Teaching logo

This unit of study is designed for Year 7 and considers Citizenship issues through Art & Design activities.  It was developed by Art teachers Marie Barker and Kathryn Sargeant when they were PGCE students and is part of a wider Citizenship and Art at Key Stage 3 project that is fully downloadable from the Association for Citizenship Teaching (ACT) website. As a whole the project provides pupils with an opportunity to explore a series of issues through Citizenship and also provides an opportunity for the Art and Design teacher to exemplify to Citizenship co-ordinators how Art and Design might contribute to the Citizenship entitlement across Key Stage 3. This work exemplifies what teachers might develop and is not a complete work in its self. The authors would encourage Art and Design and Citizenship teachers to experiment with the ideas and develop them more fully. Teachers who wish to do so can feed back comments to the ACT web site at www.teachingcitizenship.org.uk so that debate and discussion about such teaching can be generated.

Teachers may chose to use this work in a number of different ways, for example:

• As a series of activities that may form a continuous series of lessons about a theme
• As a shorter group or extension activity
• Activities may contribute to a Citizenship focus day around a specific theme - E.g. human rights and justice or controversial and topical issues. Such focus days may be run as whole school or year group events
• Allied to Citizenship teaching elsewhere - E.g: art teachers may choose to teach about stereotyping at the same time that Citizenship lessons focus on prejudice.

Aims of the work:

1. To provide a visual stimuli through which pupils can reflect on, articulate and communicate Citizenship issues
2. To develop pupil's skills in critical awareness and analysis through their own creative work and the work of others
3. To inspire pupil's creativity, self-esteem and confidence through image making using a range of media.
4. To encourage active participation in group discussion.
5. To encourage pupils to consider how their learning might inform their understanding of these issues in a wider context.

Resources

Please select the following attachments (shown below in Word format) to download the unit overview, suggested activities and accompanying work sheets: 'Key Stage 3 Citizenship Through Art Pack Year 7' and 'Stereotyping Resources'.

Further information is also available from the Association for Citizenship Teaching (ACT) website at http://www.teachingcitizenship.org.uk.