Task 1 — What is Art?
A wonder trigger to awaken curiosity, emotion and engagement before any artistic content is introduced. First feel and question — then begin exploring ideas about art.
🎨 What happens in this task
Students first see the wonder question and vote on one of four statements about art — before any content is shown. After voting, a 45-second immersive video plays automatically (Lascaux cave paintings → Van Gogh "Starry Night" brushstroke close-up → street artist completing a mural). The screen fades to black and the narration text appears sentence by sentence. Then a 60-second silent reflection begins (visual timer, no digits). Finally, students write a private journal entry pre-loaded with "I think art is…"
📖 Narration text (audio narration)
"Art is everywhere. On cave walls painted 17,000 years ago. In museums. In street murals. On the screens we hold in our hands. But what is art truly? Why have humans always felt the need to create? What are we trying to express when words cannot? Because art communicates things that words could never reach. It reflects who we are, our culture, our feelings, our identity. In this lesson, you will discover how artists use colour, shape and composition to tell stories. You will learn to read art as if it were a language. And — most importantly — you will create your own work, leaving your mark on the world."
🔑 Key terms introduced
🗳️ Poll design notes
The poll appears before the video — not after. This surfaces prior knowledge and initial conceptions before any content influences responses. Option A ("Art is anything that makes someone feel something deeply") aligns with the emotional trigger of the lesson. Options B, C and D capture common alternative conceptions the teacher can explore in discussion.
- Read-aloud button on all on-screen narration text (speaker icon, top right)
- Voice-to-text input on the journal field (microphone icon)
- Breathing animation alternative to the green circle timer (toggled in accessibility settings)
- High-contrast display mode available for the poll and video
- Poll buttons use large text with colour fill icons; voice activation supported
- Audio description of the video available (30-second spoken description of what is shown)
- Extended time: +1 minute on the silent reflection if requested
- Teacher describes the video aloud (2 minutes, contemplative tone): "Imagine a dark cave 17,000 years ago — a human hand presses pigment to the wall and draws a bison..."
- Poll given as a paper sheet with 4 options — students vote by placing a post-it sticker next to their choice
- Reflection: students draw or write on a worksheet with the sentence starter "I think art is…"
- Sharing: each student whispers their response to a partner
- Teacher reads the narration text aloud slowly, pausing after each sentence