Leonardo da Vinci primary resource

This primary resource introduces children to painter and inventor Leonardo da Vinci. Discover the artist’s personal development over his lifetime. Who was Leonardo da Vinci? What was his most famous work? When did he create it?

Pupils will learn about Leonardo da Vinci’s life and works, and how important they have come to be in our National Geographic Kids’ Art primary resource sheet.

The teaching resource can be used in study group tasks for looking at the most significant works of Leonardo da Vinci, as a printed handout for each pupil to review and annotate, or for display on the interactive whiteboard using the images included in the resource for class discussion.

Activity: Ask children to use the information in the resource sheet to make their own Leonardo da Vinci timeline and add in extra dates and information from their own research (our primary resource: Leonardo da Vinci comic could help with this). This could be carried out as a class exercise, and the timeline displayed on the classroom wall. Pupils could discuss which of da Vinci’s works is the most important in their opinion, and which is their favourite to look at. They could draw or paint their own version of one of da Vinci’s creations, or make their own picture in da Vinci’s style.

N.B. The following information for mapping the resource documents to the school curriculum is specifically tailored to the English National Curriculum and Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. We are currently working to bring specifically tailored curriculum resource links for our other territories; including South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. If you have any queries about our upcoming curriculum resource links, please email: schools@ngkids.co.uk

This Leonardo da Vinci primary resource assists with teaching the following Key Stage 1 Art objective from the National Curriculum:

Pupils should be taught:

• about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work.

National Curriculum Key Stage 2 Art objectives:

Pupils should be taught:

• to create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas

• about great artists, architects and designers in history.

This Leonardo da Vinci primary resource assists with teaching the following Expressive arts First – Third level objectives from the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence:

• I can respond to the work of artists and designers by discussing my thoughts and feelings. I can give and accept constructive comment on my own and others’ work.

Scottish Curriculum for Excellence Fourth level Expressive arts objectives:

• I can analyse art and design techniques, processes and concepts, make informed judgements and express considered opinions on my own and others’ work.

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