Presenter view · Grades 5–8 · Art · Portrait, symbol and inscription
Small Works of Power
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Before you start
Learning objectives
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- name the three things a coin designer works with: portrait, symbol and inscription
- explain how the coins of the New Testament used them to declare power and belief
- design a coin, front and back, that says something on purpose
- Go deeperread the clues that give a fake coin away, and explain what causes them
Why this matters Coins, flags and logos all speak before anyone reads a word. Seeing how a design makes its claim lets you read every image that asks for your attention, and make your own say what you mean.
Materials
- The coin images on page 3, projected or printed; the exhibition online if you have a screen
- Any coin from a student’s pocket or purse, and a magnifying glass if you have one
- Pencils and fine black pens; differentiated handouts, one per student
On the classroom screen
Up next
The smallest public artwork 5 min
Hand a coin to a student and ask the class: “Who designed this? What did they choose to put on it, and what did they leave off? Who is it trying to impress?” Then: “Two thousand years ago, people in Jerusalem carried coins that made claims about gods and emperors. Some designs were chosen to cause offense. Today we read them as artists.”
Ready
45:00
Questions to ask in front of the case
- Cover the inscription on the Tribute Penny with your thumb. What does the coin still say? What does it lose?
- Herod’s designers could not use a face. If you had to say king without a face, what would you draw?
- Why might a ladle or three ears of grain offend more than an emperor’s portrait?
- The Temple accepted a coin with a pagan god on it because its silver was pure. What does that tell you about how people valued the image and the metal?