Madeline Northrop

Self Portraits allow for students to create their own image. It is a very versatile activity. The final product of the activity can change over time and the materials a teacher provides can also change each time the activity is done. When I did this project, students were given a black crayon and white sheet of paper, so they could focus on the drawing and adding details. If the activity included more colors, the final product may have been more about what colors the student used. In this activity, I was more interested in the details they drew. I gave students a photo of themselves for them to look at. If I were to do this project again, I could use mirrors for the students to look at. Evelyn Jackson Lieberman, a literacy specialist recommends that over time we, “Use different drawing and painting tools for each child’s self-portrait.” (Curtis & Carter 2013) The drawing tools she recommends changing out could be giving children colors or paint to use to create their portrait. It could also mean giving students markers that are different sizes. She even mentions that differentiating these details will help students later on as they develop their literacy skills. While completing the portraits in my class, I asked a student, “What other details do you think you could add to your photo?” He responded, “I need hair!”. He then went on to draw hair around his entire face and included eyebrows. Children will notice details and take on inspiration from their photos that others would not have considered. I considered self-portraits to be such a success in my classroom because of the way each student encouraged each other's learning.  As students worked to add detail to their own pictures they started to notice the photos around them. They began to ask each other where they put the nose on their self-portrait or if they had drawn two eyes. They were encouraging each other to add more detail to their drawings. 

Curtis, D., & Carter, M. (2013). The art of awareness: How observation can transform your teaching. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.