Royal The Wedding

The
Royal
Wedding
ideas
across the curriculum
cIC
ICT
CT
story Music
Numeracy DT
teracy
acy
RE
E
APFS
Art Projects for Schools
a great opportunity to
take part in a project
that is Art-led
A Royal Wedding...
William and Kate - paper collage using magazine cut outs & ICT work
...is an exciting and unusual national event – and let’s
face it, such events don’t come around very often!
Here at APFS we think it is a great opportunity to
take part in a project that is Art-led but also crosses
subject boundaries and acts as a springboard for
some truly creative thinking and imaginative work.
Why not have a special project day? Or what about
a week of cross-curricular activities with the children
vertically grouped for some of them?
Whatever you choose to do we would encourage you
to shake things up a little, take a few risks, and above
all be bold! I’m sure the results will be worth it.
We would love to hear about some of the exciting
things that your children achieve – drop me a line on
[email protected]
Regards
Go to our website to find
clickable links to some of
the artists mentioned in this
booklet
www.apfs.org.uk
Alison
2
Art
Art
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Stam
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The Stamp of Approval
Important national events are often marked by a new set
et of
postage stamps that have been specially designed to honour
onour
or commemorate a place, special event or person. Design
gn a
H Prince
commemorative stamp to celebrate the wedding of HRH
rative
William to Kate Middleton. Look at previous commemorative
n the
stamps taking note of how the designs are framed within
stamp then use these observations to inform the new stamp. Visual
discrimination skills are involved in positioning the design effectively.
Prints from Architecture
The Royal Wedding will take place at Westminster Abbey. Look at
photos of the Abbey and draw some of the interesting features on the
building exterior. Or do some observational drawings of a local church
focusing on some of the architectural features. Use a viewfinder to
isolate elements of the drawing. Simplify this area and take it on into
block printing. Close observation is important as well as development
of printing skills.
Pageantry and Processions
Find photos of Royal events online with emphasis on processions
and pageantry. Look at images that give a sense of place, of people,
occasion and purpose. List the elements involved in a Royal
procession then draw some of them in pencil, lining them up as if
they were in a procession. The drawings should have plenty of detail
and could be completed with a fine black pen and colour pencils
to create a procession for the Royal Wedding. Detailed drawing,
manipulation of media and teaching children to understand scale are
important to make this successful.
Procession - coloured inks & paper cut outs
Art
3
y
overla
Art
Flags
Flags can often be seen all over the country to celebrate major national events.
Look at some images of celebratory flags then design a flag to celebrate the Royal
Wedding. Teach the children how to refine and simplify their designs to avoid fiddly
details. Giant versions of the flag could be painted to reinforce colour mixing skills
and hung from the classroom ceiling. Alternatively use fabrics and textiles skills to
make real flags.
Street Parties
Local communities often hold a street party to celebrate national events. Design
bunting for a party in your street and draw images to go on different flags. After
drawing and colouring create some real bunting in Textiles picking out a range of
coloured fabrics, cutting to size and string across the classroom. Specific images
could be added to the fabric with fabric pens or by using this as an opportunity to
teach the children how to use fabric paints. Cutting and joining techniques will be
important as well as skills needed to add the design to the fabric.
Wall Paintings
There are wall paintings at Westminster Abbey depicting some important figures of
the last few centuries. Most of the wall paintings are very large. Use very large paper
fixed to the wall to create paintings of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Painting on a vertical surface is a different skill that involves whole-arm
movements and the paint has to be carefully controlled to avoid
drips and runs. Take photographs of the wall paintings to use as
mug designs then display them on the classroom walls.
Crowning Glory
Whatever their position, members of the royal family will
wear crowns for special occasions. The style and size
of the crown often denotes their position in the royal
hierarchy. Look at images of a range of royal crowns for
inspiration then design a new crown for Kate Middleton to
wear when she gets married. This is a good opportunity to
look at shapes and small details and to work in a variety of
media. Metallic colours do not reproduce well so use other
colours if taking part in the APFS project.
Photo of bunting courtesy photos-public-domain.com
Art
4
the letters K and W
become decorative elements
Typography
Focus on some graphical drawing skills by
investigating the ways that the letters K and W
can be laid out and/or intertwined so that they
become decorative elements. It is also a good way of
teaching children about using a variety of scales, rotating
the letters so that the different sizes fit into the design. Complete with
bold colour or stay within a restricted colour range appropriate to the theme.
This could be done as part of an ICT lesson or as an extension activity.
Miniature Portraits
Look at the miniature paintings of Hans Holbein the Younger. He is well known for
his miniature portraits of Henry VIII, Kathryn Howard, Anne of Cleves and Thomas
Moore. Children can draw their own miniatures of Prince William and Kate Middleton
by sketching lightly in pencil first then using very sharp coloured pencils to add the
colour and detail. Working in miniature means paying close attention to detail and
develops fine motor skills.
Mosaic
In front of the High Altar in Westminster Abb
Abbey is a mosaic floor made of various
stones and opaque glass laid in an abstr
abstract geometric pattern. Design a
mosaic to celebrate the Royal Wed
Wedding. Use colours cut into squares
from magazines or pre-cut mo
mosaic squares purchased from an
educational supplier. Alte
Alternatively use this as an opportunity
to consolidate colou
colour mixing skills by painting a range of
colours onto p
paper and cutting to shape when dry.
Avoid wor
working too small to avoid frustration.
If usi
using mosaic for the mug project
try working large then taking a
photograph to achieve an
appropriate size.
5
Art
Royal Fashion
Encourage children to be imaginative and maybe even throw convention
vention out the
window by designing a wedding outfit for both the bride and groom.
om. Some children
nconventional
may be inspired by tradition while others could explore a more unconventional
eas through a
fashion route. The intention is for the children to open up their ideas
series of sketches, gradually refining their ideas before developingg their final design
ncluding the use of
into a detailed drawing. Any media could be used to add colour including
paint and collage.
Cartoon and Caricature
Most children enjoy drawing cartoons and many feel more
confidence than when drawing in more traditional ways.
Divide paper into a number of panels which can be filled with
caricature or cartoon drawings of the main members of the
Royal Family plus the bride and groom. This could also be
approached through ICT. Using a different drawing style gives
children a great opportunity to approach the whole subject
from a different angle, with the chance to think and record
imaginatively as well as introducing an element of humour
into their work.
Relationships
The Royal Wedding is a
celebration of a particular
type of relationship.
Look at the sculptures
of Henry Moore such as
‘Mother and Child’ or
‘Draped Reclining Mother
and Baby’ and use clay
to form two simple
figures and position
them together. Use size
and shape to indicate
the relationship between the two figures e.g. one large and one small figure could
indicate parent and child, one stocky and one curvy figure could indicate male
and female. Take photographs of the figures once positioned. The clay can then
be re-formed to create more figures to show a family looking at Henry Moore’s
‘Family Group’ for inspiration. Working in 3D develops manipulative skills as well as
observing scale, shape and size.
Art
6
Cut paper repeat pattern work
Literacy
Speeches are often made at the reception after the wedding ceremony. Children
may be able to recount weddings they have attended and can talk about the
features of speeches they have heard e.g. anecdotes, humour, good wishes and
proposing a toast. Ask children to write a speech that could be read out at the
reception of the Royal Wedding. There are many examples of wedding speeches
on YouTube.com which, with careful selection, could be used for inspiration.
The children could choose which perspective to write the speech from (groom,
bridesmaid etc.) while considering the audience they are writing for.
Consider the variety of guests likely to be invited to the wedding of Prince William
and Kate Middleton. Celebrities, members of the royal family, relatives, the Prime
Minister and many others will be seated in different areas of Westminster Abbey.
Ask the children to choose who they might be and then to describe the scene as
seen from their position.
Newspapers will be full of stories about the Royal Wedding
before, on the day and immediately afterwards. The articles
will vary greatly depending on when it is written so
encourage the children to list how the information will
differ on 28th, 29th and 30th April 2011. The task is
then to write a short newspaper report from each of
the three days making sure they consider how each
one will change.
Imagine that a mouse lives in Westminster Abbey. Write
a story that includes the normal day of the mouse then how
it experiences the most unusual day of its life when the Royal
Wedding takes place in the Abbey.
nce
Design the wording and the layout of a wedding invitation for the wedding of Prince
William and Kate Middleton. Look at examples of other wedding invitations to
see how they are worded and discuss the conventions involved. Write a weddingg
n
invitation for the Royal Wedding including the design and layout. The final version
could be produced on a computer linking Literacy with ICT.
Literacy
7
Literacy
There is an area of Westminster Abbey called Poet’s Corner. Rudyard Kipling is buried
there along with many others. Research what Rudyard Kipling wrote and how his stories
have been presented i.e. books, films, talking books etc. Re-tell one of his stories in
any method and style such as a cartoon strip, a recorded story with sound effects or
perhaps as a video. Focus on making the story entertaining for children of the same age.
There are many traditions and superstitions connected to wedding ceremonies.
For example, it is believed to be bad luck for the groom to see the bride’s wedding
dress before she walks up the aisle towards him. Is this tradition or superstition?
What is the difference? Research different faiths to find out what traditions and
superstitions belong to each. Many websites can help with research including
www.weddings.co.uk
There are many different rhymes and poems connected to weddings.
For example;
‘Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue’
This rhyme dates back to the Victorian era but also had an ending we no longer
use. It used to end ‘Something Blue and a Silver Sixpence in Her Shoe’. All the
items mentioned in the rhyme are for good luck. Write a good luck rhyme for the
royal wedding using the same format or any other suitable poem structure.
Literacy
8
Numeracy
The majority of suggestions relate to looking at Westminster Abbey - the venue of the
Royal Wedding. There is a Maths Trail on the Abbey website
www.westminster-abbey.org > visit us > school visits > UK schools > resources >
Maths Trail. There are many activities in the Maths Trail that could be done using an
interactive whiteboard to display the images at a large scale.
Answers to many of these activities can be found on the last page of the Maths Trail.
Find out the route of the wedding procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster
Abbey. Look at an A-Z of London and try to work out the distance travelled using the
scale shown on the map.
Look at a floor plan of Westminster Abbey on the website. Calculate the area and
perimeter of the Abbey from the measurements given.
Do some research to find out when Prince William was born. Work out how old he
will be on the date of his wedding. Extend this by turning his age into the total number
of months and then the total number of days. Repeat this for Kate Middleton then
play about with their combined ages in years, months and days to give children some
practice in number operations.
N
Look at a plan of Westminster Abbey that includes compass directions. Give the
children a list of features (e.g. the Rose Window) and ask them to find out in what
direction each feature is placed.
Numeracy
NW
calculate the area
and perimeter of the
Abbey
9
IV
V
L
C
XI
XII
Many churches and clocks use roman numerals. Introduce or revise roman numerals
so that the children become familiar with the most common ones. Sir Isaac Newton,
a famous scientist and mathematician is buried at the Abbey and his tomb and his
monument show his date of birth and date of death in roman numerals. Find out what
these are then calculate how long he lived (teachers will find the dates in the Maths
Trail on the Westminster Abbey website).
NE
Geography
Traditionally, heads of state from around the world and particularly The Commonwealth
are invited to Royal Weddings. Find out which countries belong to The Commonwealth
today. Look at the origins of the Commonwealth flag. Create a fact file of information
or pick out specific aspects of The Commonwealth to investigate and present in an
appropriate way. Try the Commonwealth website for information:
www.youngcommonwealth.org
Look at the guest list for previous royal weddings e.g. Prince Charles and Diana Spencer,
Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles or Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones.
These can be found on the internet. Find out where many of the guests come from then
compare two different countries and note their similarities and differences.
Westminster Abbey has strong links with many different countries. Go to the Abbey
website, choose a country and find out how it is linked to the Abbey. Find out if any
guests at the wedding come from the chosen country.
Look at the route of the wedding procession to Westminster Abbey. Where does the
procession start? What famous London landmarks are passed on the way? Give children
a basic map of the London streets involved as well as an A-Z and other information
about tourist attractions. Ask them to plot the route of the wedding procession and to
draw in some of the famous landmarks along the way along with any other information
they consider to be important.
plot the route of the
wedding procession
Hearts - tissue paper overlay
Geograohy
10
History
Child’s work based on
Klimt’s ‘The Kiss’
Make a chart showing which kings and queens have been crowned at Westminster
Abbey and list them in chronological order. This could link to Art by drawing a miniature
of each monarch. Find interesting facts for the information e.g. King Charles II was
crowned in 1661 – he hid in an oak tree to escape from his enemies. Find out why he
had to hide.
How many royal weddings have been held at Westminster Abbey altogether? Draw out
a family tree showing the royal family starting with Prince William and Kate Middleton at
the bottom and working up the tree as far as possible.
The floor of Westminster Abbey houses memorials and graves of many famous historical
figures. Research who is named on the floor then pick out one of these people then
present some information about them in any way e.g. a fact sheet, a PowerPoint
presentation, link to ICT and write up the information then illustrate with pictures found
on the internet. Some of the famous people include;
Robert and Olave Baden-Powell
Prime Ministers Ramsay Macdonald, Stanley Baldwin and Winston Churchill
Sir Isaac Newton
Edward VI and George II
Edward Lear
Lewis Carroll
Charles Dickens
Dick Whittington
Visit a local church, look at the floor and see if anyone has a memorial stone. Find out
who these people are and why they were important to the local community. Write a brief
history picking out the most important pieces of information.
The Royal Family - collage and cut paper
History
11
Science
think about methods of construction,
tools, machinery etc.
The British Household Cavalry will be in the procession for the royal wedding.
Investigate their uniforms and look at the different materials that are used for each
part e.g leather boots, metal breastplate. Look at the properties of these materials and
consider why each has been used for that particular part of the ceremonial uniform.
Look at all the materials used inside and outside your local church or other religious
building. Make a list of these materials and explain why each has been chosen
including the properties that make them suitable for each purpose.
Consider the building of your local church, other local significant building or of
Westminster Abbey. What things would have to be invented or discovered so that
these could be built? Think about methods of construction, tools, machinery etc.
Charles Darwin and Sir Isaac Newton are both buried at Westminster Abbey. Find out
what they are both famous for and include plenty of detail.
Many other scientists are remembered in Westminster Abbey. Find out who they
are and make a list of questions relating to each scientist leading to research e.g.
which scientist has a mountain in the Andes named after him? Which scientist has a
mouthwash named after him? (Lister).
Crowds watching the wedding procession usually like to
celebrate the occasion with cheering and other noise.
Explore vibration and sound (KS2) to produce a novelty
shaker or other hand-held instrument that could be
used by the crowds outside Westminster Abbey.
Remember it shouldn’t be too heavy or too large.
Engraving of Sir Isaac Newton from
Aubrey, William Hickman Smith:
“The National and Domestic History of England (Vol 3)” (1878)
Science
12
RE
Child’s work based on Klimt’s ‘The Kiss’
Words from the Book of Kings in the bible have been sung at every coronation since
AD 973. Find out what these words are then read that part of the bible to understand
why they are included in the coronation.
George Frederick Handel put these words to music – at whose coronation was
Handel’s first setting used and when?
Find out when Handel was born and died and then work out how long he lived.
Research what other famous pieces of music
he wrote and if any of them are used at other
notable occasions.
Find a picture of the West Window in
Westminster Abbey. How many people can
you see in the window? Who are they and
why do you think they have been chosen to
be included?
Many churches are highly decorated with gold
and bright colours – is your local church like
this? Find out who has done this or paid for this
and why? Some people think that churches
should be much plainer – why is this?
Compare wedding ceremonies in different
religions and find out which aspects are
similar and which are different.
Hearts - tissue paper overlay
RE
13
Design
g
Technology
Design and make a badge to celebrate the Royal Wedding. Use a simple circuit to
make the badge light up a small LED.
A wedding cake with several tiers has been traditional in most wedding ceremonies
remonies
for a long time. These designs have been modernised and many couples design a
enue.
cake that is themed to their interests, personal tastes or to their wedding venue.
Design the wedding cake for Prince William and Kate Middleton. Take the traditional
tiered cake route or be more adventurous and make it truly original.
If it is possible to carry out some Food Technology tasks in school, make some
ome small
individual cakes to be given to the guests at a wedding reception. How can you make
a small cake look luxurious and suitable for a wedding?
Confetti is traditionally thrown over the married couple as they emerge from
m church.
Before paper was commonly used flowers, petals, rice
or grains would have been thrown instead. Design and
construct a small box in which confetti could be carried to
the wedding by guests. Don’t forget to design the outside of
the box and a method of keeping it closed.
It is traditional for the bride and groom to give a small gift to
the bridesmaids as a thank-you for the help they have given
before and on the day. This gift may be a small piece of
jewellery such as a necklace, bracelet or brooch. Use beads,
ribbons, embroidery threads or other textiles materials to
design and make a gift suitable for a bridesmaid.
construct a small
box in which
confetti could
be carried
Design Technology
14
ICT
Pick any aspect of Westminster Abbey and use PowerPoint
to create an information sheet on it. Try one of these;
Famous people and the abbey
Stained glass windows, their subjects, patterns and colours
Pattern and decoration at the Abbey
Royal weddings
Creatures at the Abbey
Women at Westminster Abbey
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The tradition of giving to newly married couples comes from a time when they would be setting
up home from scratch after living with their parents so gifts would traditionally be household
items. Each gift must be wrapped appropriately. Take a look at a selection of wrapping paper
designed for weddings then design your own for the royal wedding. Create a small image then
copy and paste the image across the page in a repeating pattern.
Combine the initial letters of the royal
couples’ name to create a piece of
graphic design. The software ‘Paint’
is included in the accessories on
any Microsoft computer. Explore the
different fonts, sizes and colours to
arrange the letters across the paper. This
exercise will reinforce use of software as
well as children’s visual discrimination.
Aim for a good mix of sizes so that a
visual balance is achieved. Alternatively,
explore the different brush types to write
letters of different transparency and
texture which also helps practise control
of the mouse. Fill the background with a
single pale colour.
ICT
15
CT
wo
Music
The Wedding March by Lohengrin ( ‘Here Comes the Bride..’) is traditionally played
as the bride walks up the aisle towards the groom. Compose a new piece of music for
Kate Middleton to walk up the aisle to on her wedding day.
Research the music played at the end of the wedding when the married couple walk
back down the aisle as a married couple. Who composed it? What instruments are
used to play it? etc. Learn the first few bars on the keyboard.
Sometimes a song that is special to the bride and groom is sung in church after the
wedding ceremony. Use any instrument to make up a simple tune working with a
partner to write both music and lyrics. Be prepared to perform to the rest of the class.
b
Many artists have used the theme of love, marriage or relationships as inspiration for their work.
Looking at the work of artists can help develop observation skills and visual discrimination.
They also work well as a prompt for discussion and can act as a stimulus for classroom activities.
Go to our website to find clickable links that take you straight to images of the artists’ work
www.apfs.org.uk/resources.php
Cao Xiumen – Wedding Day
Hans Holbein the Younger - miniatures
Jan van Eyck - the Arnolfini Portrait 1434. Thought
to be a wedding portrait and it could be. It contains
symbolism relating to marriage and the relationship
of the couple. Mrs. Arnolfini isn’t pregnant but is
holding up her full-skirted dress as per the fashion
of the day.
Gustav Klimt - The Kiss
Pieter Breugel the Elder - Peasant Wedding Feast
The Peasant Wedding
Marc Chagall - La Mariee
Rembrandtt - The Jewish Bride
Frida Kahlo - Frida and Diego Rivera
Thomas Benjamin - The Wedding Dress
Edward Burne-Jones - The King’s Wedding
Giotto - The Wedding at Cana
Jack Vettriano - Waltzers
The Look of Love
One Moment in time
Antoine Watteau - The Scale of Love
John Everett Millais - The Bridesmaid
Henry Moore
sculptures - Mother and Child
Family Group
Draped Reclining Mother and Child
William H Johnson - Folk Family
Three Little Children
Anthony Green - Mr. & Mrs. Stanley Joscelyne
Freephone 0800 0271 939
www.apfs.org.uk