Having learnt all about Ancient China the children of Year 5 have taken on the challenge of recreating the Terracotta army of Xi’an.
In Year 5 the children have learnt about the process of designing, transferring and cutting an image onto a black of linoleum. Each child has designed their own solider based on the information they learnt during History lessons as a part of our Upper Primary specialist teaching. They learnt that each warrior was hand-crafted and made to as individual as the real soldiers themselves. The soldiers also had different ranks and roles to play, just like in a real army. Using photographs taken by Miss Chambers, while visiting the warriors in person, the children were inspired to create their own soldier giving them each unique expressions, clothing, hairstyles and weaponry.
Transferring their designs from their sketchbook to their linoleum block was an interesting task. Experimenting with transfer paper, the children used wooden spatulas and shading methods to find the best approach and giving them the clearest copy of their designs. Once their designs were on the block, they had to begin the challenge of cutting out the areas around the lines they had drawn to create their image.
The children have learnt the use of the different cutting tools and techniques to cut in a safe and effective way. We’re looking forward to printing the blocks next week and creating our own BSB Warrior Army onto a tapestry to display on our corridor - make sure you look out for it on your next visit to the Upper Primary corridor!
By Alexandra Chambers
Year 5 Flamingos Class Teacher
