Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes	Part A: Artist introduction
60 minutes	Part B: Wildlife affected by the Australian bushfires
15 minutes	Part C: Reflecting on your practice
05 minutes	Reflection

Part A: Artist introduction

Step 1.

Present to your class the works of Australian artist Jody Graham and ask a student to read the artist statement below.

"Drawing is at the core of my art practice, and I often use unconventional tools and approaches to investigate contemporary drawing practice. Several weeks after the 2019/2020 Black Summer megafires swept throughout Australia I visited Browns Swamp, outside Lithgow. The wetland was surrounded by severely burnt landscape that stretched as far as you could see. Witnessing this extensive damage in ominous silence raised deep questions about the survival of the wildlife. To document their plight, I have drawn with burnt wood from the black summer fires a series of native Australian birds, depicting their escape. My art is a testimony to their endurance but also a declaration that we must protect and preserve their diminishing environments."

Image: Jody Graham, Magpie, 2020, work in progress, drawn with burnt wood from recent fires. Courtesy of the artist from Art Almanac

Step 2.

Facilitate a discussion about the significant impact the fires have had on Australian biodiversity and ask your class:
“So, how many animals do you think were affected by the fires?” Allow for a brief discussion before disclosing the facts.

Facts: Nearly three billion animals were affected, including various mammals, reptiles, birds, and frogs.
Statistics: 143 million mammals, 2.46 billion reptiles, 180 million birds and 51 million frogs.
Reference: www.org.au

The effects of the fires are shocking. It’s hard to think of another event in the world that has killed or displaced more animals. It is one of the worst wildlife disasters in modern history. Even if plants and animals survived the flames, their habitats were irreparably changed. So much so, that groups of people collected and distributed food to native species who otherwise would have starved in the aftermath. Unfortunately, due to the scale of the disaster, it is expected that more than 500 species of plants and animals may now be endangered or gone completely. While there’s no doubt that megafauna suffered enormously, the greatest toll is likely to have been in other groups of species, such as invertebrates and plants, which often escape the public’s attention.

Read the ABC article: After drought and bushfire, sweet potato is among measures keeping wildlife fed for more information.

Step 3.

Now, that students have a deeper understanding of the effects, facilitate a discussion with the class and distinguish the connection between the fires and the artist’s work, using the below as a prompt:

What is the intention behind the artwork?
Why is the Artist’s message a topical issue in today’s current climate?
What type of materials does the artist use and why are the materials integral to the artwork and message?
What is the technique the artist uses to create the artwork? Look at various features to describe what you see?

Part B: Wildlife affected by Australian bushfires

Step 1.

Ask your students to choose a species they will focus on to illustrate the effects bushfires had on Australian species and wildlife. Students should pick a specific species and write down the name of their species on the back of their sheet of paper.

You may like to give students at least 10 minutes to research and learn a little more about their given species of interest. Perhaps they could fill out the table below:

Name	Features	Habitat	Characteristics

Step 2.

Ask students to gather in a circle and discuss the following points so that students can create an artist statement similar to that of Jody Graham. Students should reflect on the following questions to help inform their statements.

The reason behind their artwork or main message/contention
The chosen species
Features of the species they depicted or emphasised in the artwork
The technique they used
The emotion they’ve evoked within the artwork either in themselves or what they hoped to achieve.

Step 3.

Provide your class with a calm and collaborative working environment, and their materials (charcoal) so they can commence their artwork.

Part C: Reflecting on your practice

Step 1.

Ask students to gather in groups of 3-4 students per group and reflect on their artwork. Provide students with the following points to elaborate on:

Discuss the physical features you paid emphasis to in your artwork
Discuss and elaborate on how the species was affected by the fires?
What aspects of your artmaking were most educational?
Discuss your experience with charcoal, did you enjoy it, and how might you tackle this task differently if you had to do it again?

Really encourage students to discuss their species, and the technique they experimented with. Pose questions such as “I hadn’t thought of drawing feathers that way, would you be able to show me how you did that or did you see that somewhere before?”

Step 2.

Ask students to display their works on the table and to walk around and look at other people’s artworks.

Step 3.

Give students 10 minutes to go back to their seats and emphasise, make changes or add to their masterpiece.

Reflection

Invite your students to reflect on the following questions:

How can art be utilised as a tool to deal with issues and spark awareness?
What inspired you about the artist and your artwork?

Differentiated learning

Provision for learning support

Teachers may need to scaffold the writing and observation activity for some students in Part A. You may also consider asking students to join groups of 3 -4 students per group in order to form an opinion.

Extension

Ask students to create bigger or multiple illustrations that depict the effects of the bushfire on Australian species.

Teacher reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching practice today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Resilient Australia - The Effects Natural Hazards Have On Australian Species Charcoal Artwork

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