Lesson plan
Favorite Things Self-Portraits
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Paint pictures expressing ideas about their neighborhood.
- Discuss their work and the work of others with constructive feedback.
This art lesson corresponds to California Visual and Performing Arts Standards:
- 2.2 Demonstrate beginning skills in the use of materials (such as pencils, paints, crayons, clay) to create works of art.
- 2.4 Create a self-portrait.
- 2.5 Create a picture of a person.
Introduction
(5 minutes)- Tell students that today we will be making self-portraits.
- Discuss portraits and self-portraits and why an artist might make one.
Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling
(5 minutes)- Place your paper under document camera. Write your name on the back.
- Using the document camera, demonstrate sketching out your face and body with a pencil.
- Narrate as you draw.
- Choose 3-5 favorite things you like to do and add them to your sketch.
- Ask students to brainstorm their favorite things to embellish their portraits.
- Ask students to share out their ideas.
- Demonstrate the "swirl, tap" method of cleaning brushes between colors and tapping off excess water.
Guided Practice
(10 minutes)- Pass out paint with palettes.
- Ask students to write their names on the back of their paper.
- Instruct students to begin drawing, starting with their face.
- When students have completed sketches, discuss different paintbrush sizes.
- Demonstrate mixing skin color as students mix with you.
- Demonstrate filling in your sketch with paint.
Independent working time
(20 minutes)- Instruct students to begin painting.
- Walk around the room observing student progress.
Differentiation
Support: Students may need support mixing skin color. If you think your students may have a problem with this, you can pre-mix a few skin tones on the palettes before passing them out.
Enrichment: Encourage students to add up to 10 favorite things.
Technology Integration
This lesson can be completed without the use of technology; however, technology such as a document camera can be useful in demonstrating the painting technique.
Assessment
(5 minutes)- Review student work as you walk around the room. Did students paint their self-portraits? Did they paint at least 3 favorite things?
Review and closing
(10 minutes)- Gallery Walk: Ask students to place their work on their desks and stand up. Instruct students to walk in one direction, slowly, around the room. Instruct students not to talk during this time.
- Come back together as a class. Ask students: Discuss their own works of art, using appropriate art vocabulary (e.g., composition, color, shape).
- Ask students to diiscuss how and why they made a specific work of art.
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