Portraits and IdentityActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning lets students connect abstract ideas about identity to concrete visual choices. When they move, discuss, and create, they see how symbols and distortions shape meaning beyond appearances. This hands-on approach builds deeper understanding than worksheets alone.
Learning Objectives
- 1Analyze self-portraits to identify symbols representing personality and cultural background.
- 2Design a self-portrait that uses symbols to represent personal interests and identity.
- 3Explain how an artist can manipulate visual elements to convey specific emotions in a portrait.
- 4Compare and contrast the symbolic choices made by different artists in their self-portraits.
Want a complete lesson plan with these objectives? Generate a Mission →
Gallery Walk: Symbol Spotting
Display 6-8 printed self-portraits around the room. Students walk in pairs, noting 3 symbols per artwork and inferring what they reveal about identity. Regroup to share findings on a class chart.
Prepare & details
Interpret the story this portrait tells about the subject.
Facilitation Tip: During Mirror Sketch: Quick Portraits, remind students to focus on one expressive feature rather than trying to capture every detail.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Mirror Sketch: Quick Portraits
Provide mirrors and sketchpads. Students draw their face in 5 minutes, then add 3 symbols for interests. Pairs swap sketches to guess the symbols' meanings.
Prepare & details
Design a self-portrait using symbols to represent your interests.
Facilitation Tip: For Symbol Collage Self-Portrait, encourage students to layer materials so symbols don’t obscure each other but still stand out.
Setup: Tables or desks arranged as exhibit stations around room
Materials: Exhibit planning template, Art supplies for artifact creation, Label/placard cards, Visitor feedback form
Symbol Collage Self-Portrait
Students select magazine images or draw symbols for personality and culture, collage onto a base portrait outline. Small groups present and interpret each other's collages.
Prepare & details
Analyze ways an artist can distort reality to show a feeling.
Facilitation Tip: In Distortion Relay: Emotion Faces, model how to exaggerate one facial feature to show an emotion before students begin.
Setup: Tables or desks arranged as exhibit stations around room
Materials: Exhibit planning template, Art supplies for artifact creation, Label/placard cards, Visitor feedback form
Distortion Relay: Emotion Faces
In small groups, draw a neutral face on paper. Pass it; each student distorts one feature to show an emotion like joy. Discuss group interpretations.
Prepare & details
Interpret the story this portrait tells about the subject.
Facilitation Tip: During Gallery Walk: Symbol Spotting, pair students and assign each pair one portrait to analyze closely before sharing with the group.
Setup: Tables or desks arranged as exhibit stations around room
Materials: Exhibit planning template, Art supplies for artifact creation, Label/placard cards, Visitor feedback form
Teaching This Topic
Start with a short discussion about how artists use distortion or exaggeration to show feelings. Teach students to look for symbols in clothing, background, or accessories. Avoid telling them what symbols mean—instead, guide them to justify their interpretations. Research shows students grasp identity in art more deeply when they connect symbols to their own experiences.
What to Expect
Students will identify symbols in portraits, explain their meanings, and use them in their own work. They will practice discussing art through peer feedback and brief written reflections. By the end, each student’s portrait will include at least two intentional symbols that represent their identity.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Mirror Sketch: Quick Portraits, watch for students who try to make their drawings look like photographs.
What to Teach Instead
Pause the activity and ask students to compare their sketch to a mirror image. Ask, 'Which lines matter most for showing your mood?' Redirect them to focus on expressive features like eyes or mouth.
Common MisconceptionDuring Symbol Collage Self-Portrait, watch for students who select symbols without considering why.
What to Teach Instead
Have students label each symbol they add and write a sentence explaining its meaning. Circulate and ask, 'How does this pattern or object connect to who you are?'
Common MisconceptionDuring Gallery Walk: Symbol Spotting, watch for students who assume only realistic portraits are valid.
What to Teach Instead
Point to a symbolic portrait and ask, 'What story does this tell?' Then ask them to find a similar example in the room and explain the connection.
Assessment Ideas
After Gallery Walk: Symbol Spotting, provide students with a printed image of a famous self-portrait. Ask them to write down two symbols they see and what each symbol might represent about the artist. Then, have them write one sentence explaining how the artist’s style (e.g., color, line) supports a feeling in the portrait.
During Symbol Collage Self-Portrait, have students display their partially completed self-portraits. In pairs, they identify one symbol their partner has used and explain what it might represent. They then offer one suggestion for another symbol their partner could add to further express their interests.
After Distortion Relay: Emotion Faces, ask students to hold up their most exaggerated drawing and explain which feature they changed to show the emotion. Circulate and listen for students who can clearly articulate the connection between their choice and the feeling.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge: Ask students to create a second self-portrait using the same symbols but in a different medium (e.g., clay or digital art).
- Scaffolding: Provide a list of possible symbols for students who struggle to brainstorm, such as an instrument for music lovers or a ball for athletes.
- Deeper exploration: Have students write a short artist’s statement explaining their choices, then read it aloud to the class.
Key Vocabulary
| Self-portrait | A portrait an artist creates of themselves, often revealing aspects of their personality or feelings. |
| Symbolism | The use of images or objects to represent abstract ideas or qualities, such as a lion representing courage. |
| Likeness | The degree to which a portrait resembles the actual appearance of the person being depicted. |
| Distortion | Altering the natural appearance of something, for example, exaggerating features to express an emotion. |
| Cultural background | The customs, traditions, beliefs, and heritage passed down through a family or community. |
Suggested Methodologies
More in Visual Narratives and Studio Art
The Power of Line and Texture
Investigating how different types of lines can create physical and emotional textures in a 2D space.
2 methodologies
Color Theory and Emotion
Exploring primary and secondary colors and their psychological impact on the viewer.
3 methodologies
Mixing Colors: Hues and Tints
Hands-on exploration of mixing primary colors to create secondary and tertiary colors, understanding tints and shades.
3 methodologies
Sculpting with Clay: Form and Volume
Introduction to 3D art by manipulating clay to create forms with volume and texture.
3 methodologies
Collage: Layering and Meaning
Creating visual narratives by combining different materials and images through collage techniques.
3 methodologies
Ready to teach Portraits and Identity?
Generate a full mission with everything you need
Generate a Mission