free to stream
artworks to discuss
video demos
standards aligned
ELA connected
Symbol & Self
Students create metaphorical self-portraits.
LESSON 1
SW trace objects that describe them metaphorically.
LESSON 2
SW use proper proportions to create a self-portrait.
LESSON 3
SW combine the traced objects with their self-portrait.
LESSON 4
SW learn different colored pencil techniques. .
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The full lesson plans include links to video content and discussion images, and is available for free by following the link below.
Julian Age, 7, Dicken, “Crazy Me”
My favorite part is probably my basketball eye ‘cause I really, really like basketball. I like the pistons. It’s a spiderweb ‘cause I like spiders. I have like vampire teeth cuz i like scary bats and vampire stuff. I’m flying my kite ‘cause I like to fly kites. Long john donut on my head like a band. I have my watch, and a xylophone stick. I have a big hand and a baby hand ‘cause I like my mom talking about me when I was a baby. I have a rainbow background. Rainbows aren’t around often and I feel lucky when I found one.
Claire, Age 7, “Doggy Dog”
I included a fish bowl because I like to watch fish. Well I normally like to watch goldfish. I included cherries because I love to eat cherries. I am a dog because I love my dog named Hektor.
Hale, Age 7 ½, “Picture of Myself”
I like animals. Pumas, like a cat, bird, dog, and a cat or a lion. And I also drew a ring. My birth stone is sapphire but I don’t know if that’s what the gem is. The color is my favorite part. My favorite color is yellow. My eyebrow, I didn’t think it was actually that thick, and I think that was a mistake.
Ana, Age 7 “This is Me”
I like it all the same. Um drawing these things without tracing was hard. Making the frame was easiest, all you had to do was draw. I wrote lots of stuff, like my beliefs. I drew a snake because I saw a snake yesterday while swimming.
Noah 10, “The Mountain Beauty and Me”
Nature and Antarctica inspired me. I love snow. The drawing was easy but the coloring was kind of hard. It’s me recording a video with a mountain background and northern lights. I’ve never really finished a coloring one. The detail and I was drawing it in my style.
Ronan, Age 8 , “Ronan, Collector of Pokemon”
All of the types of pokemon, and how they match each other. It was hard to remember all of the Pokemon and what they look like and all of the types off the top of my head. And figuring out the actual logo for the Rebel Alliance. Pokemon, Star Wars, video games, friends, and dragons. And there’s a key on the back for everything. It’s cool how I got all of the different types [of Pokemon] like normal, gas, fairy, water, electric, mountain…
Jane Age 10 “Animals”
I really like that there is a lot of color and yellow and green and lots of animals. They aren’t my favorite colors but I think they really look good together in a picture. The face shape was probably the hardest, and the ears, and the eyes. I really like the moth. It was actually pretty easy when I traced it, or the seal. It looks like it would have been easy but believe it or not it was the hardest part.
Santiago: 9, “The Gamer Boy”
Games, super mario odyssey logo, Henry Stickmin inspired my art. It wasn’t too hard to do this project. I am most proud of the hat I think I did a good job on it. The glasses, hat, background, and coloring the whole thing was hard to do.
Daisy, age 8
“So I’m a tiger and Arcious is a legendary pokemon, and I’m based on Arcious and the background is pokeballs because i really like them and I made it underwater too because I love the ocean.”
Lucia Age 8 “Lucia’s Magic Land”
It’s a lot of creatures together. Like an elf, a cat, a dragon. And well it shows I really love animals because there’s three animals close to my head and I am four animals. My favorite part is the pizza and the nintendo switch. I love animals and I’m really creative.
Thomas Age 7 “Thomas’ Masterpiece” or “The Masterpiece”
My background is a beach cuz my g parents have a condo in ft lauderdale and i really like to go there for spring break. Lego brick for my eye because I love lego’s and I have a lot in my house. My mouth is made of Twizzler’s because that’s my favorite candy. I think the best job I did was the background probably, I really liked how the sand and the water turned out. I kinda had to transition cuz I wanted to make a sunset, which I’d already made a pie, so I had to color over it really dark.
Fumika “Cafe” age 11
“I like the cake and coffee hat, and the hair color. I added pink and blue [on the border] because they’re my favorite colors. This is a moon, star, and sun necklace.”