GCSEExemplar AssignmentContemporary CraftsThe Green Man(For first teaching September 2013)

Introduction

CCEA has developed new GCSE specifications for first teaching from September 2013. This exemplar assignment has been designed to support you in introducing the new specification.

We have produced this assignment as an example of one way of delivering the content of the specification. It provides a framework of teaching and learning activities which is designed to be delivered over the course of a school term. We have also produced a Planning and Writing Assignments Checklist which you can use when developing your own assignments.

Please remember that assessment is based on the specification which details the knowledge, understanding and skills that students need to acquire during the course. You should therefore use the specification and the assessment criteria and mark bands when planning any teaching and learning activities.

A Microsoft Word version of this exemplar assignment is available on the subject microsite on the CCEA website (www.ccea.org.uk/microsites). You will be able to amend it to suit your circumstances.

I hope you find this support useful in your teaching.

Best wishes

Joan NelsonEducation Manager

The Green Man

© CCEA

Background

Natural forms have always been a source of inspiration for craftmakers, designers and artists. We see natural forms reflected in our surroundings through 2D and 3D pieces, wallpapers, textiles, fashion, ceramics, jewellery and accessories, metalwork, and in the form and decoration of manufactured products.

People of every culture share basic beliefs in the ideas of life, birth and rebirth, death and creation. They see this in the seasons, the sowing and harvesting of crops and in the movements of the sun and the moon. Many cultures express their beliefs and ideas about nature in the form of a spirit or character that affects their lives. This character has many names, but he is best known as The Green Man.

Who is The Green Man? He is Robin Hood, who lived in the woods and became almost part of the trees. He is the Green Knight of

1

Arthurian legend,he is Jack in the Green, the hero of British folklore. He is even the Jolly Green Giant.

2

The image of the Green Man appears throughout time. He symbolises the relationship between man and nature. This delicate balance has to be maintained if the planet is not to be turned into a desert, leaving a quarter of the Earth's population hungry and homeless. Trees and vegetation are described as 'the lungs of the planet'. They take in carbon dioxide to create energy and give out oxygen. If vast areas are cut down and not replanted this erodes the soil, endangers the air we breathe and affects the climate.

The Green Man represents nature and fertility in the form of a person. If we neglect nature and the importance of balance, the Green Man both warns and reminds us of our responsibilities. He appears in two main guises: as a single leaf mask or as a male head with vegetation pouring from his mouth to form his hair and beard. Examples can be found in church architecture from the Gothic and Romanesque periods and again in the Renaissance period. The image reappears in more recent periods, in the Arts and Crafts movement and in Art Nouveau. He disappeared from architecture and crafts until more recent times, when he seems to have been rediscovered in New Age thinking. We are much more conscious of the need to consider and celebrate the natural world, to replant trees, protect the great forests and think about the essential balance we must maintain with nature.

Let us revive The Green Man now, perhaps in the form of a final outcome.

Project Brief

Students are asked to produce ideas for a piece of craft or design work inspired by the theme above, intended for display or sale at a Woodland Centre exhibition in a nearby forest location. One idea

must be developed into a final outcome.

Students work can be in any medium, for indoor or outdoor display,

3

decorative, functional or both. Students can work in a combination of media, and their work can be made full size or to scale if necessary. For example, a large-scalesculptural piece or item of furniture would be better shown in context and in maquette form.

© CCEA

4

Learning Activities

Students should add to their portfolio by:

showing evidence of how they have extensively and creatively explored materials through the workshop activities that are part of this project in order to understand their properties, characteristics and qualities. Show actual sample pieces and tests. Sketch, annotate and make notes as theyprogress to demonstrate what they learn about the media and processes.

demonstrating through tests, models and samples how they plan to apply selected techniques in the production of their final outcome.

making drawings/sketches and taking photographs from primary source material to inspire ideas and planning.

compiling a research book/sketchbook that shows relevant research into other source material, including research into craft makers, designers and artists who have used this theme and/or have used particular craft processes in their work.

including in their research a more in-depth illustrated case study of around 200 words about one craft maker, designer or artist whose work, techniques or imagery has inspired them. Students should think about the 'W's: who, when, what, why and how, and be sure to express their responses fully identifying which aspects of the work impressed them.

producing sketchbooks/sheets that might include drawings, notes, moodboards, sample boards, test pieces or maquettes to show a range of possible ideas for a final outcome that they have developed based on their research and observation. Students should show how their ideas have evolved, noting their inspiration and sources. Written notes and annotations help their thinking and show others how their ideas are forming as they progress. Students should write notes as they go along.

creating a project plan to show how they intend to produce their final outcome. It should identify what materials and processes they intend to use, the timescale, technical considerations, size, scale, cost and any constraints they anticipate.Students should indicate how they hope to deal with these constraints.

keeping notes on all aspects of Health and Safety, making sure they are thorough in demonstrating how this applies specifically to their work throughout this project.

5

planning to present their final work in a suitable form to their client, teachers and peers.

including written comments that represent their thoughts and reflections as they progress through their work.Students should finish this project by writing an informed evaluation of their work on the project, referring to the 'Notes for Students on Writing Evaluations' (see page 8).They must use relevant technical terms and language.

6

Learning Outcomes

Through this project students will:

develop making and craft skills by using a range of techniques and processes;

demonstrate how they can develop a personal response to a briefand work towardspresenting a personal final outcome;

usea range of skills to show progress in their work as they work towards producing a final outcome. These might include: drawings, sketches, plans, maquettes, samples, etc.;

show an awareness of craft makers and the craft industry;

use the formal elements of visual language in 2D and/or 3D to express their ideas;

identify relevant health and safety practice throughout their working process;

reflect on their achievement in a written evaluation; and

present their final work in a suitable form to their client, teacher and peers.

Assessment

All work will be assessed against the three Assessment Objectives for this GCSE.These are:

AO1Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the properties and characteristics of materials, associated making techniques and processes, and the variety of contexts for professional practice.

AO2Apply skills, knowledge and understanding of materials, techniques and processes in developmental work and outcome(s).

AO3Evidence the ability to resolve learning through developmental work and in the production of the final outcome.

7

Additional Information

Primary source material:Stimulus materials can include the following: trees, twigs, roots, leaves, vegetables like cabbages, savoys, broccoli, seed-heads and pods, flowers, tendrils, ferns, ivy, evergreens, pine cones, cacti, reeds, faces and human figure, architectural locations, tree bark rubbings, photographs taken on location and in the studio, close-ups of textures, plant forms and natural structures.

Viewing examples of craftmakers’ work first hand presents an opportunity to experience the materials and processes in a way that helps develop an understanding of the qualities of the media used. Viewing objects or artefacts in locations such as craft centres, heritage centres, museums or arranging visits to the classroom by a craft maker is an enriching experience to learn from.

Secondary source material: As part of the theme, students may want to investigate some of the following, which include both specific sources and some much more general starting points:

Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Common Ground, Green Man Festival, Robin Hood, Jolly Green Giant, images of the Green Man in churches, abbeys and cathedrals (Hexham and Durham for example). Haunted woods and sacred groves, Robin Goodfellow, ‘Green Man' by William Anderson, 'Jack in the Green' by D S Brewer, camouflage patterns, Druid tree worship customs, Dryads, tree-dressing traditions, folklore and myths. Grizedale Sculpture Park, Cumbria, Forest of Dean, the films 'Silent Running', and 'Predator,' King of the Wood, Woodland Trusts, Amazon Rain Forests, Mayday celebrations, Art Nouveau, Celtic art and crafts, Archimboldo, Barbara Hepworth, Richard Long, Andy Goldsworthy, Arts and Crafts movement, Roman mosaics and mythology, the model and artist Verushka, arboretums, John Piper's foliate heads, his tapestry and stained glass work, Mike Harding's book 'In Search of the Green Man', Helen Howes textiles artist.

There are many websites students may wish to investigate including:

John Piper's work on Flickr;www.mikeharding.co.uk/greenman/booklist ; www.amazon.co.uk;www.spiritofthegreenman.co.uk; andwww.fromthegreenwood.com.

Students should be encouraged to check their sources, list the sites

8

they actually use to help progress their work and fully credit every site from which they have taken any information, written or visual. Students should not simply print off pages of material and say that this is their own research!

9

Ideas for possible outcomes

Ask students to produce a piece of work that reflects or celebrates Man's relationship with Nature. The following list suggests some potential starting points. Students could choose one of the following:

Contemporary interpretation of the Green Man in any of his guises;

Mask or relief plaque; Textile hanging; Jewellery based on plant forms, seed heads etc; Garment or fabric print based on trees and plant forms

(stencil, woodblock, lino print, polystyrene print, direct leaf print, digital imagery);

Chair for a woodland spirit; Hat or headwear based on natural forms; Fashion designs/textiles work, e.g. wood print trousers and a

leaf jacket; 'Trees are the Lungs of the Planet'– interpret this in 2D or

3D; 'The Forest is the Cathedral of Nature'–interpret this in 2D or

3D; Camouflage theme, fabric print, textiles, garment design; Ceramic vessel, bowl, beaker, dish, plant pot, herb pot; Living sculpture, living plants intertwined on a framework; 3D sculpture to celebrate the theme e.g.a totem; Piece based on regeneration; Garden sculpture; 'Tree of Life' 2D or 3D work; Design and produce a column or panel for a building based

on the theme, internal or external; 'Outside In' 2D or 3D work; 3D piece where photographic images have been applied to

materials such as plastics and glass; or Piece of work based on found or recycled naturalmaterials.

10

© CCEA

11

Homework

Throughout this project studentswill be expected to work in their own time at home to help progress their assignment. Sometimes they will need to access the Internet, or use resources outside the classroom or studio at school. Homework will be assessed as part of this project.

Observational studies of natural forms. This could include sections and enlargements. Students may choose to develop abstractions from these, looking at shape and colour. They could work in a range of media, as available.

Collect and bring in for the next studio session a selection of natural items: wood, seed heads, flowers, vegetables, for example. These will be used as the basis for further drawing and planning work.

Take a series of location photographs that capture the atmosphere and mood of a natural location. Take a further set of images that concentrate on close-up details of textures, colour and surfaces. Students can then manipulate selected images using suitable software to help develop their ideas.

Investigate the work of John Piper(or other relevant craftmaker/artist) and produce a short illustrated report about their work. Students should present this to the class in a suitable form, for example PowerPoint, flipchart, moodboard.

Case Study: Find a craftspersonwho lives or works locally and investigate their work, the materials they use, who they sell to, how and where their work is exhibited or marketed, what their inspirations and influences are, and if they receive any local or national funding to help support their work. Is this their full-time work or do they supplement their income in some other way? Students should produce an illustrated report that shows what they have found out.

Create a page on Health and Safety rules/instructions/considerations for the materials, processes and techniques they are using. Consider, for example, the safe use of tools and equipment, knowledge and understanding of toxins etc., any protective clothing/barriers needed. This could be in list form or poster/graphic form.

Students should produce a project plan that shows how they will progress their ideas to final outcomes. Include details of technical processes, materials required, time constraints and if possible any information about costs.

Students should writenotes as they progress their work at

12

each stage. These notes can be in diary form and they will help them write their evaluation after they have completed the project. These notes should show:- what they are learning;- what they liked about the stage they are working on;- what they hope to do next; and- how they might change their work when they come across a

particular problem.

Make sure students read theirnotes when they come towriting theirfinal evaluation.

13

Notes for Students on Writing Evaluations

When writing your evaluation, refer to the notes you made in your sketchbook and to the research into craft makers, designers and artists you have already completed. Make sure you answer the following questions:

Which craft makers, designers and artists have influenced me in this project?

What else has inspired my work?

Which materials and processes did I use in my work? Were they appropriate, effective and fit for purpose?

How does my work satisfy the intentions of the brief and its theme?

What parts of my work do I think worked best?

What parts of my work would I improve if I had to do it again?

What problems did I encounter during the project and how did I resolve them?

What have I learned about:- the design process; - getting ideas into order; - techniques and skills, processes and making; and- craft makers, designers and artists and how they work?

How did I manage my time?

What must I remember when it comes to organisation and completing a task on time?

What have I learned about the world of craft through this project?

14