In English class, 5th graders have been doing some quick writes about themselves ever since school started. They researched their names, family traditions, and heritage. Later, they made an identity map that consolidated all their writing and research, and finally, they created a self-portrait based on their identities. They had three portrait options to choose from:
- Draw a profile view of themselves and fill it in with drawings of things about themselves using a variety of media.
- Draw a front view of themselves divided in half with one half their head and shoulders and the other half all the things about themselves (they could also make it a collage and glue printed images rather than draw them).
- Create digital art using a black/white photo of themselves with images exploding from the top of their heads in color.
The students embraced the project and created a variety of images that show who they are. One student said, “I thought about myself more. I had a lot more things I could put on my portrait than I thought. I was excited about this project when I saw the art part because I like to draw.” Another shared, “It’s fun putting me into one picture instead of using words. Doing it digitally, I was able to add things I couldn’t draw. This was a fun way to think about myself.”
There is a writing component to this project as well. Students constructed a paragraph about their portraits in class, explaining how they made the choices they did for the art, the medium they chose, what their portraits depict, and what is most important for others to know about them.
Here are some of their reflections:
- I drew and painted my portrait by hand. I learned a lot about myself from this project. I learned that I love to draw, that I have a lot of things that are a part of me. I think the most important thing to know about me is that I’m creative and an artist and also I like to play different sports. I love reading, art, and music, too. I loved doing this project because it was fun and got me doing what I love.
- I made the digital choice because I think computer art is really cool. I decided to add a photo of my brother and dog because they are such a big part of my life. I also added a hamburger and a video game character that I like because I play video games and eat. I have learned I have a lot of good ideas but I need to find a way to express them. I have also learned that you can’t just make art with items, you can also make them on the computer. The last thing I learned was that I have a slow thinking process. The most important thing I learned about myself is that I have so many things I am grateful for.
- Throughout the quick writes, my identity map, the Where I’m From poem, and my self-portrait I learned that I love to do activities, try new things, and be adventurous. I feel like my mind can come up with some of the weirdest things at times, but it still makes sense. When I’m thinking, I think of experiences that happened to me and put them into my own creative words. I feel like the project was pretty challenging, drawing everything, but it was really fun to do.
Fifth Grade English Teacher Kathleen Armstrong said, “I emphasize the themes of the importance of staying close to our families and learning about ourselves and who we are becoming. We wrote Where I’m From poems based on the original by George Ella Lyon just before we completed the Self-Portrait Project.”
Because of the distance many of us are feeling this year due to the pandemic, Armstrong instructed her students to share their art with a family member who they may not see for Thanksgiving this year.