I visited the City Art Centre in Edinburgh the other day, with this particular TDT in mind. I enjoyed looking at the exhibition which displayed a range of art and artefacts from the 20th Century. There was a focus on the war and the lifestyle from around that time. As we went through the exhibition it became more current, with various installations focusing on more current political issues. I really liked this one in particular. Unfortunately the photo I took isn’t great as it doesn’t show all of the posters that were part of the display.

I think that this piece of work would be a great starting point for looking at why people may protest and what their reasons for it may be, and could tie in with learning about rules, rights and responsibilities. It could also start discussions on topics such as racism, sexuality, equality etc.  A simple photograph like this can stimulate a whole variety of ideas and thoughts, and can engage the children from the start. Looking at it from an interdisciplinary perspective, these were my following thoughts of a few lessons derived from this one photograph.

Social Studies: Could look at the Suffragettes and Suffragists and the lengths they went to for women to get the vote.

Literacy: Children could look at old newspaper articles published after big political movements and create their own, either set at that time or in the future. Get them thinking about what changes they want to be made in the future and what they think people will be protesting about in years to come.

Art: Learners could think of an issue they feel strongly about and make their own protest banner/poster. Emphasise the importance of making it bold and eye catching, with a direct message and appropriate illustrations. Look at a variety of different protest banners, and what the font is like etc. Children can bring in bits of cardboard to make their banners, and can use paint, markers, glitter etc.

There are many other avenues to explore from just this picture, these are just a few examples I have come up with. I think by showing the children this would be a great way to introduce these lessons.