The Arts · Year 3 · Art Through the Ages · Term 3

Art and Storytelling: Murals

Investigating how murals are used to tell stories, share history, and beautify public spaces.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9AVA4R01
• AC9AVA4C01

About This Topic

Murals function as powerful public artworks that convey stories, document history, and improve community environments. Year 3 students examine how artists select images, colors, and layouts to communicate narratives visible to all passersby. They study examples like Australian murals featuring Aboriginal Dreamtime tales or local histories, noting how these pieces build shared identity and spark conversations.

This topic supports the Australian Curriculum by strengthening visual arts responding and creating proficiencies. Students analyze mural elements to explain their storytelling role, justify artistic decisions, and propose designs for their own communities. Such work cultivates visual literacy, empathy for diverse perspectives, and appreciation for art's social purpose.

Active learning excels in this unit because students actively decode real murals through group discussions and create sketches or mock-ups collaboratively. These experiences transform passive viewing into meaningful engagement, helping students internalize how art choices shape messages and boosting confidence in their creative voice.

Key Questions

1. Analyze how a mural communicates a story to a community.
2. Justify the choice of images and colors in a public mural.
3. Design a concept for a mural that tells a story about your local community.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze how specific visual elements like color, line, and imagery in a mural contribute to its narrative meaning.
• Compare and contrast the storytelling techniques used in two different Australian community murals.
• Justify the selection of symbols and color palettes for a proposed mural based on its intended message and audience.
• Design a preliminary sketch for a mural that visually communicates a significant aspect of the local community's history or identity.

Before You Start

Elements of Art and Principles of Design

Why: Students need a foundational understanding of how elements like line, shape, color, and texture are used in artworks before analyzing their role in storytelling.

Visual Arts: Responding to Art

Why: Prior experience in observing and discussing artworks helps students develop the analytical skills needed to interpret murals.

Key Vocabulary

Mural	A large painting or other artwork applied directly to a wall or ceiling surface, often in a public space.
Narrative	A story or account of events, presented in a sequence, that a mural can communicate visually.
Symbolism	The use of images or objects to represent ideas or qualities, adding deeper meaning to a mural.
Community Art	Artwork created with, for, or by a specific community, often reflecting shared values, history, or concerns.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Murals are only decorations with no deeper meaning.

What to Teach Instead

Murals encode stories through symbols and sequences much like books use words. Group analysis of real examples helps students uncover layers, shifting views from surface beauty to narrative intent. Peer sharing reinforces this discovery.

Common Misconception

Colors in murals can be chosen randomly for fun.

What to Teach Instead

Artists select colors deliberately to evoke emotions or highlight elements, such as warm tones for energy. Hands-on color sorting activities with mural photos let students test and justify choices, clarifying purpose over preference.

Common Misconception

Only expert artists create meaningful public murals.

What to Teach Instead

Anyone can design impactful murals with planning and community input. Collaborative concept mapping builds student agency, showing how their ideas contribute to shared stories and demystifying professional processes.

Active Learning Ideas

Gallery Walk: Decoding Murals

Display printed or projected images of 6-8 murals around the room. In small groups, students spend 5 minutes per mural noting images, colors, and story elements on sticky notes. Groups then share one key insight with the class during a whole-group debrief.

45 min·Small Groups

Storyboard Sketch: Personal Story Murals

Pairs brainstorm a simple community story, such as a local park adventure. They sketch 4-6 panels showing key events with color choices justified in notes. Pairs present to another pair for feedback before refining.

30 min·Pairs

Collaborative Mural Concept Map

In small groups, students create a large concept map on butcher paper for a class mural about their suburb. They add images, symbols, and color swatches with labels explaining story flow. Groups pitch ideas to the class for a final vote.

50 min·Small Groups

Color Justification Relay: Mural Choices

Whole class lines up by teams. Teacher shows a mural detail; first student runs to board, sketches it, and justifies color use in one sentence. Next teammate adds an image choice. Continue until stories emerge.

25 min·Whole Class

Real-World Connections

• Local councils often commission murals for public spaces like underpasses or community centers to deter graffiti and beautify neighborhoods, employing artists to create visually engaging narratives about local history or culture.
• Indigenous artists create significant murals that share Dreamtime stories and cultural heritage, serving as educational tools and points of pride for communities across Australia, such as those found in Alice Springs.
• Urban renewal projects frequently incorporate large-scale murals on building facades to revitalize city centers, attracting tourism and fostering a sense of place, as seen in the laneway art districts of Melbourne.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

Present students with images of two different Australian murals. Ask: 'How does each mural tell a story? What specific images or colors help you understand the story? Which mural's story do you connect with more, and why?'

Quick Check

Provide students with a simple graphic organizer. Ask them to identify one symbol from a studied mural, explain what it represents, and describe one color used and its possible meaning in the artwork. Collect and review for understanding of symbolism and color choice.

Exit Ticket

On an index card, have students draw one simple image that represents something important about their local community. Below the drawing, they should write one sentence explaining their choice and how it could be part of a larger mural.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do murals communicate stories in visual arts for Year 3?

Murals use sequenced images, symbolic figures, and color contrasts to narrate events or values, much like sequential art in picture books. Students analyze layout flow from left to right or bottom to top, identifying how scale draws community attention. This builds skills in interpreting non-verbal cues central to ACARA standards.

What activities teach justifying colors and images in murals?

Station rotations with mural excerpts prompt students to match colors to emotions and swap images for stronger stories. Reflection journals require written justifications, linking choices to audience impact. These scaffold critical response skills while keeping engagement high through choice and collaboration.

How can active learning enhance a Year 3 mural storytelling unit?

Active approaches like group mural hunts in school grounds or co-creating large paper murals let students embody artist roles. They debate image placements and test color effects firsthand, deepening understanding of public art's power. This shifts learning from observation to creation, fostering ownership and retention of concepts like narrative structure.

Ideas for designing community murals in primary art classes?

Start with class surveys on local stories, then form design teams to sketch proposals with labeled elements. Vote on themes and refine via peer critique. Display digital or paper versions publicly to mimic real impact, aligning with curriculum goals for purposeful artmaking.