To display a digital photographic self-portrait as an end-of-year project students created these simple autobiographical frames with white colored pencil on black construction paper.
I came up with this extension to the self-portrait project as a kind of "down-time" activity to manage the many classroom interruptions we faced the last two weeks as different groups of students left intermittently for end-of-the year events, making direct teaching a challenge! I worried they might find it somewhat tedious.
So, I was quite surprised that students begged to work on this project even when we all were there. I think they enjoyed both the relaxing pace of the activity as well as the challenge of illustrating the 8 'loose' categories I gave them. These included: 1 name, 2 wishes, hopes or dreams, three characteristics about yourself, four places you'd like to visit, five important relationships, six activities you enjoy , seven foods you like to eat, and eight favorite books, movies, songs, bands, and/or plays or musicals. I was also surprised at how much discussion the activity fostered as students shared and compared their interests.
I suppose self-portrait activities in art classes as well as autobiography, memoir projects and journaling in language arts classes are so popular for this age group because, as many teachers know, middle school students are most comfortable with what they think they know best: themselves and their peers. I hope these autobiography projects help them gain self-understanding while also questioning assumptions about others.
For this project I pushed the desks together into large seating groups for 8, so that different social groups had to mix a bit. It was heartwarming to see kids from different groups comment positively on each others' interests and abilities. As a frame of reference understanding one's own skills and interests can help students value the interest and skills of others.
I came up with this extension to the self-portrait project as a kind of "down-time" activity to manage the many classroom interruptions we faced the last two weeks as different groups of students left intermittently for end-of-the year events, making direct teaching a challenge! I worried they might find it somewhat tedious.
So, I was quite surprised that students begged to work on this project even when we all were there. I think they enjoyed both the relaxing pace of the activity as well as the challenge of illustrating the 8 'loose' categories I gave them. These included: 1 name, 2 wishes, hopes or dreams, three characteristics about yourself, four places you'd like to visit, five important relationships, six activities you enjoy , seven foods you like to eat, and eight favorite books, movies, songs, bands, and/or plays or musicals. I was also surprised at how much discussion the activity fostered as students shared and compared their interests.
I suppose self-portrait activities in art classes as well as autobiography, memoir projects and journaling in language arts classes are so popular for this age group because, as many teachers know, middle school students are most comfortable with what they think they know best: themselves and their peers. I hope these autobiography projects help them gain self-understanding while also questioning assumptions about others.
For this project I pushed the desks together into large seating groups for 8, so that different social groups had to mix a bit. It was heartwarming to see kids from different groups comment positively on each others' interests and abilities. As a frame of reference understanding one's own skills and interests can help students value the interest and skills of others.
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Kari