Matisse.

Cut-out collages inspired by Matisse. These lessons would be tailored to year 7 classes, but they are also applicable to other age groups. Students will gain an understanding of Matisse's broader position in art history as well as the significance of studying major artists and their works. They'll start to understand how their compositional decisions affect the final output, how to employ complementary colours to make their projects pop and how to build their own subjectivity when it comes to completing a piece of work.

Taking this task, a step further... Students will be given specific briefs to work toward. Create an underwater-inspired collage in the style of Matisse, for example, or a landscape inspired by Matisse using only curved cuts. This type of activity would also benefit from a pick-and-mix strategy. You might supply three separate bags for this, one with different colours to use, another with a selection of sizes, and the third with the subject.

It's also a wonderful activity for teamwork, as students could work in small groups. This, in turn, will benefit lower-ability pupils and foster a sense of community among the students.