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Year 4

Art about dreams

I can identify, discuss and visually respond to the work of a Surrealist artist.

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New
New
Year 4

Art about dreams

I can identify, discuss and visually respond to the work of a Surrealist artist.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Some Surrealist artworks are inspired by dreams and the subconscious of the artist.
  2. Surrealist artworks are distinctive because they often contain images that don’t belong together.
  3. Strange or unusual things often happen in Surrealist artworks.
  4. Opinions about an artwork can be shared with a verbal and a visual response.

Keywords

  • Surrealism - an art movement that began in the 1920s, known for its strange and unusual artworks

  • Dreams - the ideas we have while we are sleeping

  • Subconscious - the part of our mind that makes decisions instinctively, without actively thinking

  • Visual response - to use images to express what you think or feel

  • Opinion - what you think about something

Common misconception

Opinions about an artwork can only be shared through words.

Remind children that we can share our opinions about an artwork with both a verbal and a visual response. It is another way of telling others what interests us most about an artwork.


To help you plan your year 4 art and design lesson on: Art about dreams, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encourage children to explore a range of materials when they are responding to the work of an artist. Ask children to try using the materials in a new or exciting combination they have not used before.
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Equipment

Mark-making media

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Opinions about an artwork can be different.
Correct answer: True
False
Q2.
Artists can work in a range of materials including oil paint, mixed media and ...
sculpture.
Correct answer: charcoal.
design.
Q3.
Which of these materials is not a drawing tool?
sticks
ball-point pen
charcoal
Correct answer: clay
Q4.
You can use a to edit artwork digitally.
Correct answer: computer/tablet
pencil
crayon
Q5.
An art movement is ...
Correct answer: a group of artworks or artists that have a similar style or ideas.
a group of artworks or artists that are from the same country.
a group of artworks or artists that create work at different times.
Q6.
Put the steps in the correct order for sketching a simple picture.
1 - Start with light, simple shapes.
2 - Look carefully at what you are sketching.
3 - Add more detail to your shapes.
4 - Draw the final lines darker.
5 - Erase any unwanted lines.

6 Questions

Q1.
What does the term Surrealism mean?
an art movement known for its landscape paintings
an art movement that aims to represent things realistically
Correct answer: an art movement known for its strange and unusual artworks
an art movement known for its broad brushstrokes
Q2.
Which of the following artists are Surrealists?
Correct answer: Salvador Dali
Leonardo da Vinci
Correct answer: Leonora Carrington
Pablo Picasso
Correct answer: Wifredo Lam
Q3.
Match the keyword to its definition.
Correct Answer:opinion,within art, this is the sharing of what we think about what we see
tick

within art, this is the sharing of what we think about what we see

Correct Answer:visual response,to use images to express what you think or feel
tick

to use images to express what you think or feel

Correct Answer:dreams,the ideas we have while we are sleeping
tick

the ideas we have while we are sleeping

Q4.
Which of the following are true?
Surrealist artists only used their dreams for inspiration.
Correct answer: Some Surrealist artworks contain strange objects that don't belong together.
Correct answer: There were both male and female artists working in a Surrealist style.
Q5.
Sharing an is a way of responding to an artwork.
Correct Answer: opinion, idea, interpretation, opinnion, oppinion
Q6.
A visual response is how we share what we think or feel about an artwork by using images.
Correct answer: True
False