Spark
InteractiveDiagram
Routine: See, Think, Wonder
Look at a simple image with a title added in different places. What do you notice, which version is easiest to read, and what do you wonder about poster design?
Student strand
Posters
This strand helps students learn how text, images, layout, and audience awareness work together in visual communication. Across the years, students move from placing simple titles and pictures to creating infographics, collaborative displays, and more advanced poster designs.
Year 1
To position text.
Content
ExpandingAccordion
Method: Guided explanation
Teach students how to choose a suitable image, add a simple title, and move a text box to a better position. Focus on the idea that placement changes meaning and readability.
Plenary
InstantFeedbackQuiz
Task type: Quick check
Students identify the clearest title placement, choose a suitable image, and explain why some poster layouts are easier to read.
Overview
In Year 1, students begin to understand that posters are designed, not just filled. They learn how text and images can be placed carefully so that a message is easier to see and understand.
Achievement pathway
- Level 1: Select an image for a poster.
- Level 2: Add a simple title to an image.
- Level 3: Use basic touchscreen or design options.
- Level 4: Move a text box to a better position.
Independent task
Create a simple poster with one image and one clear title.
Year 2
To design layout.
Spark
ClickToReveal
Routine: Think, Puzzle, Explore
How do borders, backgrounds, and text boxes change the look of a poster? What puzzles you about making a layout feel organised?
Content
ExpandingAccordion
Method: Guided explanation
Show students how to add a border or background, combine images with text boxes, and sketch a poster idea before building it digitally. Link layout choices to the purpose of a poster so students understand why organisation matters.
Plenary
InstantFeedbackQuiz
Task type: Quick check
Students identify useful layout features, compare poster drafts, and explain the purpose of posters in sharing information.
Overview
In Year 2, students begin shaping the whole page rather than only one part of it. They explore backgrounds, borders, and combinations of text and image to make a layout more purposeful.
Achievement pathway
- Level 1: Add a border or background.
- Level 2: Combine an image and text box.
- Level 3: Sketch a poster plan.
- Level 4: Explain the purpose of posters.
Independent task
Plan and build a poster with a background, image, and text arranged clearly.
Year 3
To use hierarchy.
Spark
InteractiveDiagram
Routine: Zoom In
Zoom in on headings, body text, and poster examples. What tells your eye where to look first, and how does design help the audience understand quickly?
Content
ExpandingAccordion
Method: Guided explanation
Teach students to separate heading text from body text, choose fonts for different purposes, and design for a specific audience. Encourage them to notice which features make a poster clear, organised, and easy to scan.
Plenary
InstantFeedbackQuiz
Task type: Quick check
Students identify good hierarchy, choose stronger heading choices, and explain which poster features are most effective.
Overview
In Year 3, students begin to understand that some information should stand out more than other information. They use headings, body text, and audience awareness to structure a poster more effectively.
Achievement pathway
- Level 1: Use heading and body fonts.
- Level 2: Design for an audience.
- Level 3: Select useful templates.
- Level 4: Identify strong poster features.
Independent task
Design a poster for a chosen audience using clear heading and body text.
Year 4
To group ideas.
Spark
InteractiveDiagram
Routine: See, Think, Wonder
Look at a Venn diagram, a ranking task, and a shared canvas. What do you notice about how design can help people think together?
Content
ExpandingAccordion
Method: Guided explanation
Show students how to use tools such as diamond ranking or shared canvases to group ideas visually. Introduce collaborative poster-making, comparison diagrams, and the idea that templates can help organise thinking without doing the thinking for you.
Plenary
InstantFeedbackQuiz
Task type: Quick check
Students identify when a Venn diagram or ranked layout is useful and explain how templates can support better organisation.
Overview
In Year 4, students use posters and shared visual spaces to organise ideas more thoughtfully. They begin to collaborate, compare concepts, and use templates to support structured communication.
Achievement pathway
- Level 1: Use a diamond ranking tool.
- Level 2: Collaborate on a shared canvas.
- Level 3: Create a Venn diagram.
- Level 4: Explain the benefit of templates.
Independent task
Work with others to create a visual display that groups and compares ideas clearly.
Year 5
To summarise with infographics.
Spark
InteractiveDiagram
Routine: Zoom In
Zoom in on an infographic with icons, colours, and short text. What makes information fast to understand, and how do design choices affect meaning?
Content
ExpandingAccordion
Method: Guided explanation
Teach students what an infographic is, how icons can support information, and how to summarise a message visually without losing clarity. Encourage them to justify choices such as colour, symbols, and emphasis.
Plenary
InstantFeedbackQuiz
Task type: Quick check
Students identify effective infographic features, choose suitable icons, and explain why a colour choice supports a message.
Overview
In Year 5, students begin to condense larger ideas into more visual forms. They explore infographics, icons, and design choices that help communicate information quickly and effectively.
Achievement pathway
- Level 1: Define infographic.
- Level 2: Use icons to represent data or ideas.
- Level 3: Create an infographic product.
- Level 4: Justify colour choices.
Independent task
Create a short infographic that summarises a topic using icons, colour, and concise text.
Year 6
To co-author displays.
Spark
InteractiveDiagram
Routine: See, Think, Wonder
Look at a coordinated display made by more than one person. What helps the final result feel connected, clear, and well designed?
Content
ExpandingAccordion
Method: Guided explanation
Teach students how to design invitations, use more advanced layouts, and co-author connected display materials that look consistent. Reinforce the need to review work against a rubric or shared criteria so collaboration remains purposeful.
Plenary
InstantFeedbackQuiz
Task type: Quick check
Students identify what makes a coordinated display successful and evaluate poster or invitation work against a clear rubric.
Overview
In Year 6, students combine advanced layout thinking with collaboration. They design invitations, coordinated displays, and shared visual products that require planning, consistency, and evaluation against agreed success criteria.
Achievement pathway
- Level 1: Design invitations.
- Level 2: Use advanced layouts.
- Level 3: Create a coordinated display.
- Level 4: Evaluate work against a rubric.
Independent task
Co-create a display or invitation set and explain how your design stays consistent across the final pieces.