‘Out of Art into Literacy’ celebrates the outcomes of two innovative projects with primary schools: ‘Into the Frame’ and ‘Out of Art into Storytelling’. Both enabled teachers to explore the potential of National Gallery paintings to inspire their pupils’ talk and writing both inside and outside of the classroom. Open through 5 December 2010.
Following an extended period of training at the National Gallery, the teachers transferred their new understanding and thinking to their classroom practice with remarkable results.
All 1,200 children visited the National Gallery to see what had become ‘their’ paintings. They were so inspired that many have since returned with their families at weekends and during holiday time.
This exhibition and accompanying film celebrate the pupils’ work and reveal, as the Cambridge University external evaluation confirmed, the power of visual art to transform children’s storytelling.
The National Gallery houses the national collection of Western European painting from the 13th to the 19th centuries. It is on show 361 days a year, free of charge.
The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN
www.nationalgallery.org.uk