(9781760501198)
Written & illustrated by Bronwyn Bancroft
Published by Little Hare Books
Theme/topic: Australian Indigenous Cultures, Landscapes, and Shapes
Suggested learning area: AC9AVAFD01 (Visual Arts – Foundation), AC9MFSP01 (Mathematics – Foundation), ACAVAM106 (Visual Arts – Foundation,Year 1,Year 2), ACMMG009 (Mathematics – Foundation),
The book is an artistic exploration of Australia’s diverse landscapes through the lens of geometric shapes. The book introduces young readers to the natural world by identifying and describing various shapes found in the environment, such as circles in the treetops, triangles in the mountains, and spirals in shells. This aligns with the learning objective AC9MFSP01, ACMMG006 (Mathematics, Foundation Year), which focuses on identifying and describing familiar two-dimensional shapes in the environment. Additionally, the book supports AC9AVAFD01, ACAVAM106 (Visual Arts, Foundation Year) by encouraging young readers to explore how visual arts express ideas about the world. Through Bancroft’s detailed and culturally rich illustrations, children learn to interpret and appreciate the unique beauty of Country through the use of shapes and patterns in visual storytelling. This beautifully illustrated book not only enhances children’s geometric understanding but also deepens their appreciation for the visual arts, making it a valuable resource for integrated learning in mathematics and art.
• playing with the tactile qualities of a range of materials (rough, smooth, spikey, gooey) and exploring how they feel about these qualities to develop ideas for a visual artwork, dance or soundscape; for example, using art materials, movement and/or voice to depict or embody the tactile qualities they discovered; moving their body in ways to represent the smooth nature of a stone or ball
• imagining how the characters in a story they are reading might dress or move, and making still or moving images to communicate ideas about the character; for example, working in groups and using dramatic play to imagine possibilities about characters and situations or asking questions such as “What happens next?”
• identifying and describing shapes, colours and lines they observe in their environment and exploring ways to use these shapes creatively; for example, imagining and trialling ways to use geometric and organic shapes and collage techniques to represent a familiar object such as a face; improvising movements that trace a series of shapes such as circle, rectangle and triangle; improvising a melody that follows the contour of the shape, or working collaboratively to form frozen or still images of each shape
• playing games to develop subject-specific practices such as pitch, beat and/or rhythm recognition, exploring ways that body parts, zones and bases can be moved safely and expressively; taking on the point of view of a fictional character in dramatic play
• responding to the emotions they experience while listening to different pieces of music and using movement to share their response; for example, using scarves and movement, or creating visual images using materials such as crayons or paint
improvising rhythmic patterns for clapping or stamping or inventing new movements for familiar action songs, and interpreting these visually using elements of art/design such as shapes, lines and/or colours, and materials such as paper and pencil or string
• exploring their speaking and singing voices and discovering ways they can use their voices/vocalisation to communicate ideas and feelings
• improvising movements to explain the steps in a process, and then using a camera to capture a series of images or a photographic story that can be displayed in the classroom to remind everybody about the process
• sorting a collection of shapes into groups based on different features such as the number of sides, colour or size, and describing how they have been sorted.
• creating a picture using a variety of shapes and a range of materials, including objects to trace around, describing the shapes they have created or used and sharing why they chose each shape in their picture
• creating familiar shapes using groups of people; for example, holding hands and creating a circle
• recognising and naming shapes that are (close to) rectangles, squares, triangles and circles in component parts of everyday items; for example, on bicycles, toy vehicles or kitchen pantry items
• describing and naming shapes within objects that can be observed on Country/Place, recreating and sorting into groups based on their shape
• trialling different options for designing representation by looking at artworks about a theme or subject matter, such as a ‘circus’, and make their own interpretation based on their ideas, experiences, observations and/or imagination
• observing and recording the shapes, colours and textures of people, objects and concepts they experience in their daily lives, for example, drawing faces, insects, plants, food
• Considering viewpoints – forms and elements: For example – What colours were used? What is it made of? How is the colour used, and why is it used in this way?
• practising drawing images and making objects related to self, others and personal environments in different forms, for example, painting, sculpture, photography
• identifying and using visual conventions in their artworks after investigating different art, craft and design styles from other cultures and times, for example, Expressionism, Fauvism, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and Asia
From boulders to bee hives, from mountains to coral, Bronwyn Bancroft explores the shapes that form our land.
Inspired by her deep love of country, she is a master craftswoman of vibrant, visual narratives and her way of capturing the beauty of Australia is unparalleled.
