Year 4

Black Cockatoo Artwork

Year 4 students created charcoal artworks featuring a black cockatoo silhouette. Their project was inspired by the text Fire by Jackie French, and Bindi, a verse novel by Kirli Saunders. The students linked the themes of fire and rain in the book with charcoal, made from burnt wood. Before drawing, the class discussed bushfires and how fire turns wood into charcoal. Using sticks of vine charcoal, blending tools, and heavy paper, each child traced the cockatoo’s outline. By smudging with fingers and blending stumps, they created smooth transitions that hint at rain’s arrival. Students engaged enthusiastically within this task and it proved to be an effective way to commence their English unit for the term.

Merissa Perivolarellis
Year 4 Classroom Teacher