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Afterschool Lesson Plan Database

Lesson Plan

This lesson was excerpted from the Afterschool Training Toolkit under the promising practice: Expressing Yourself Through the Arts

Description:

This lesson is one example of how you can implement the practice of Expressing Yourself Through the Arts. In this activity, students explore and express their identities through a variety of learning activities, including reading, journaling, discussing self-portraits, and creating their own self-portraits through clay sculpture.

Learning Goals:

• Learn self-reflection through journaling and discussion
• Understand how the visual arts can be used to express the self and communicate meaning
• Learn how to create a self-sculpture from clay

Materials:

• Copy of Happy to Be Me! by Christine Adams and Robert Butch
• Writing and drawing materials (paper, pens, pencils, markers, crayons, etc.)
• Examples of self-portraits (see Resources for suggested Web sites)
• Newspaper (to line tables and floor)
• Tempera paints and paintbrushes
• Materials to make clay:
  • Flour
  • Water
  • Salt

Preparation:

• Read Happy to Be Me!
• Prepare self-hardening clay:
  • Combine 4 cups of flour and 1 cup of salt in a large bowl.
  • Slowly add about 1 cup of water and combine to form a large ball.
  • Knead the ball until it is smooth and no longer falls apart, adding water as needed.
  • Continue preparing batches until there is enough for each student to have approximately 1 cup of clay.
• Arrange desks or tables into a workspace and line with newspaper.
• Review the use of color and palettes in visual arts. (For example, reds and oranges often symbolize warmth; blues and greens, cool.)

What to Do:

Session 1

• Read aloud Happy to Be Me! Begin a discussion about what makes each student special and unique.
• Ask students to pair up. Give students 5 to 10 minutes to make a list of things (characteristics, interests, aspirations) that make them unique. Then give students 5 to 10 minutes to list things that they find unique and interesting about their partner. Have students share their list with their partner.
• Ask students to journal for 15 to 20 minutes, using words, pictures, symbols, and colors to answer the question: "Who am I?" Ask students to consider ambitions, talents, interests, and relationships in answering the question.

Session 2

• Tell students they will build on their journal work from the previous session to create a sculpture that represents their self-portrait. Share examples of self-portraits, both abstract and representational, if desired.
• Have students work with clay to create a 3-D "self-sculpture." Tell students they may create a representational sculpture, or they may use different aspects of their self-concept to create an abstract sculpture.
• Let the clay figures harden overnight or longer.

Session 3

• Briefly discuss the use of color in visual art. Discuss the representational as well as symbolic use of color and palette.
• Allow students to paint their self-sculptures, using an additional session if necessary.
• As an extension, create an exhibit of the students' work to share with other classes. Have each student create a gallery-style information card to accompany their work.

Evaluate (Outcomes to look for):

• Student participation and engagement
• An understanding of the use of art to express the self
• Sculptures that reflect individual students' view of self

Standards:
Click this link to see additional learning goals, grade-level benchmarks, and standards covered in this lesson.