Investigate facial expressions in portraits
I can identify and describe different facial expressions in portraits and their emotional impact.
Investigate facial expressions in portraits
I can identify and describe different facial expressions in portraits and their emotional impact.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Facial expressions convey emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger, and surprise.
- Artists use facial features to depict different expressions in portraits.
- Portraits can evoke an emotional response from the viewer.
Keywords
Portrait - a painting, drawing or photograph of a person, with an emphasis on the face, personality and attributes of the sitter
Feature - a part of the face like eyes, mouth, or nose
Realistic - a representation of something that is accurate and true to life
Exaggeration - a representation of something that is more extreme or dramatic than it is usually
Common misconception
Only strong emotions can be seen as facial expressions.
Facial expressions can sometimes be subtle or mixed, making them challenging to identify accurately.
To help you plan your year 5 art and design lesson on: Investigate facial expressions in portraits, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 5 art and design lesson on: Investigate facial expressions in portraits, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 art and design lessons from the Photography and painting: facial expressions in portraiture unit, dive into the full secondary art and design curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Mirrors, sketching paper, pencils, rubbers
Licence
Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
5 Questions
surprise
happiness
anger