We are looking closely at ourselves and each other to become better observers. Students are learning to take their observations and represent them as accurately as possible as they work on drafts and final products.
We started by looking at our hands and the color of our skin. They heard the story titled, The Colors of Us that talked about the different shades of brown and other skin colors people have. Diversity is important and it is important to know that we are all special in our own way. Students traced their hands and found the closest matching skin color crayon to color their sketches with.
Then students looked closely at their peer partner. They tried their best to sketch their partner's face including the eyes, nose, mouth, hair, ears, and other details they see.
This will be an on-going mini project to go alongside our Flight Project. My hope is that students will learn to become sharp observers and careful artists of their observations. Students were reminded that doing multiple drafts is ok and shows the growth in the process of their learning.
Our goal is for each student to create their very own self-portraits.
IdentitY: Our Faces
Students took a closer look at their facial features by using a mirror or taking a selfie from the iPads. First, they sketched their faces by making close observations of their eyes, eyebrows, nose, lips, face shape, chin, ears and hair. Then, while reflecting on the book, Colors of Us, students added their skin colors using various shades of brown. They colored their features as accurately as possible. It was so great to see their self-portraits displayed together!
Identity: Our Bodies
Students took a closer look at some of the parts of our bodies. First, we created a life-sized body diagram with labels. Students helped place the labels on the correct part of the body. We also talked about the vowel sounds of each word. Then students looked at the proportions of their body parts: arm length, neck to hip length and hip to feet length. They sketched their bodies considering all their learning and observations of themselves. They chose to draw a picture of the outfit they had on or another outfit of their choice to be displayed. Great job, artists!
Diversity: Learning more about each other
We had time of getting to know each other as a class and to learn about our similarities and differences. We played the game, Where the Wind Blows, to learn about our favorites. We read a poem on diversity and stood in a circle with arms linked reciting it. Then students interviewed each other to think about, speak, illustrate and write about themselves and their buddy.
Making our Mini-me Dolls
Each student chose their mini me doll cutout with the matching skin color of their choice. They added hair to their dolls by using 1-2 colors of yarn. We learned that even hair colors are not always just one color but can be a combination of 2 or more tones. Students used colored paper to recreate their outfits they drew earlier. Then they added eyes using white, a dark brown or black for the pupil and a specific crayon color for their iris. Then students added their nose using skin color paper and lips using a shade of red colored paper. A student suggested that we add fingers and fingernails for more accuracy. Our mini me dolls look just like our students!
Writing Our Autobiographies
Parents filled out an interview paper on their child. Students then used these interview papers to complete facts about themselves in their autobiography writing. Students wrote about their beginnings, their family, their favorites and more.