Arrival · 0–2 min

One crew · one visual language

Build a Miró-Inspired Mural 🎨 40 minutes

We will decode an artist's visual language, then use it to make one confident collaborative artwork.

We are learning to…

Recognise and use recurring symbols, primary colours, line and shape in a Miró-inspired composition.

I will succeed if…

I add purposeful lines, colours and symbols; work across the shared surface; and explain one visual decision.

Today's question: How can simple marks become a visual language?

Starter · 2–5 min

The “I can already do this” test

In 30 seconds, draw each mark on scrap paper:

➰

A wandering line

👁

An eye

✳

A star

●

A blob

If you made four marks, you already have the basic ingredients. Today's skill is arranging and combining them deliberately.

🎯 Confidence meter — no names, no writing

Each pupil taps or shows a number after making the four marks.

Tap 1–5: how ready are we to combine the marks?

I Do · 5–9 min

Miró's visual language

👁 Visual detective

Press for one thing to hunt in the image.

What do you notice?

Trace the line in the air. Point to the strongest colour. Find a symbol. Find untouched space.

Line = movement

It leads the eye around the surface.

Symbols = vocabulary

Eyes, stars, moons and creature-like marks repeat.

Primary colour = impact

Red, yellow and blue create clear focal points.

Space = breathing room

Not every area needs filling.

I Do · 9–12 min

Symbols work like emojis

👁

An eye can suggest watching, a face or a creature.

⭐

A star can suggest night, energy or direction.

🌙

A moon can suggest dreams, quiet or mystery.

➰

A line can become a path, body, horizon or movement.

There is no single fixed answer. A visual language gives clues; the viewer brings interpretation.

I Do · 12–16 min

My four-move recipe

Travel

One long black line moves across the surface.

Anchor

Add 3–5 red, yellow or blue shapes in different sizes.

Speak

Add eyes, stars, moons and invented symbols.

Edit

Step back. Strengthen one area. Leave breathing room.

🖱 Build one live — no drawing skill needed

Invite pupils to call the next move: travel, anchor, speak or edit.

Line first. Colour second. Details last.

We Do · 16–18 min

Which choice builds one mural?

A

Everyone guards a separate rectangle and keeps every mark inside it.

B

Lines travel, symbols echo and colours repeat across the whole surface.

Answer: B

Repetition and travelling lines create unity. Nobody owns a private patch.

We Do · 18–23 min

Line crew: make pathways

BLACK ONLY · BIG BRUSH · MOVE FROM THE SHOULDER

Do

Make lines travel, loop, cross and change direction.

Avoid

Writing names, outlining private boxes or making tiny scratchy marks.

Check

Can my eye follow routes across the mural?

Paint safety: walk brushes; keep water central; wipe spills immediately; sleeves and bags away from the working edge.

Independent · 23–33 min

Studio crews: build the language

Colour
3 min

Symbols
3 min

Connect
2 min

Step back
1 min

Final edit
1 min

🎨 Colour crew

Add red, yellow and blue shapes. Vary size. Leave some paper visible.

👁 Symbol squad

Add eyes, stars, moons and invented creature marks.

➰ Line editors

Strengthen weak routes and connect isolated areas.

🔎 Composition scouts

Stand back, find imbalance or empty dead zones, then give one precise job.

🎲 Crew mission launcher

Choose a crew, then launch a precise mission.

Need a purposeful job? Press the studio button.

We Do · 33–37 min

Stop. Step back. Scan.

🔎 Two-minute improvement vote

Vote by pointing. The winning choice becomes the final two-minute job.

Movement

Where does your eye travel first, second and third?

Unity

Which repeated symbol or colour holds it together?

Balance

Is one side much heavier or emptier than the other?

Voice

Which mark feels most like this crew's own invention?

Choose one change only. “We will add/change ___ because it will improve ___.” Then a pupil makes that change.

Exit Ticket · 37–40 min

Sign the crew's visual language

Each pupil adds a small first-name signature together in one agreed corner — not scattered through the artwork.

🎤 Point-and-say exit challenge

Press for a sentence stem. Point to evidence while speaking.

Explain

“Our repeated ___ creates unity because…”

Celebrate

Point to one place where another pupil improved your idea.

Answer

Simple marks become a visual language when they repeat, combine and communicate ideas.

One surface. Many decisions. One artwork.