Inspired by: Market Scene in a Northern Town - Week 1

In a vibrant lesson inspired by Lowry's painting "Market Scene, Northern Town," children are encouraged to engage with the artwork and use it as a catalyst for inquiry and observation. The learning objective is to utilise visual cues from the painting to formulate and answer questions about the market depicted. The class begins with a discussion about different types of markets, such as farmer's, artist's, antique, and fish markets, and whether the children have had personal experiences visiting any of them. They are then asked to speculate on the nature of the market in the painting, its location, the day of the week, and possible indicators of the season, all the while sharing and justifying their thoughts. This exercise not only explores the content of the painting but also encourages the children to think critically about the characters and their reasons for visiting the market.

Building on observation skills, the children are divided into groups, each focusing on a different element of the painting: the sky, buildings, people, or market stalls. They are guided to record key vocabulary, selecting precise nouns and enriching them with descriptive adjectives, while the teacher models the process, including the natural occurrence of making and correcting mistakes. Through this activity, children learn to refine their word choices for impact, demonstrated through a 'shades of meaning' chart that ranks words by their descriptive strength. The lesson transitions to auditory imagination as the children, ideally visiting a real market, are prompted to consider and role-play the sounds they might hear, from the bustle of shoppers to the calls of market traders. They practice vocal modulation and create a symphony of market sounds, simulating the ebb and flow of a market day and immersing themselves in the sensory experiences of a market scene.