The Arts · Year 3

Active learning ideas

Portraits and Identity

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.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9AVA4E01
• AC9AVA4C01

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Gallery Walk
• 30 min · Pairs

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.

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.

What to look for

Provide students with a printed image of a famous self-portrait. Ask them to write down two symbols they see and what they think each symbol represents about the artist. Then, have them write one sentence explaining how the artist's style (e.g., color, line) helps show a feeling.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 25 min · Pairs

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.

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.

What to look for

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 the partner could add to further express their interests.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Stations Rotation
• 45 min · Small Groups

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.

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.

What to look for

Ask students to hold up a drawing or object that symbolizes one of their favorite hobbies. Then, ask them to explain to a neighbor why they chose that symbol. Circulate and listen to explanations, noting students who can clearly articulate the connection.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Stations Rotation
• 35 min · Small Groups

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.

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.

What to look for

Provide students with a printed image of a famous self-portrait. Ask them to write down two symbols they see and what they think each symbol represents about the artist. Then, have them write one sentence explaining how the artist's style (e.g., color, line) helps show a feeling.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

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.

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.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Mirror Sketch: Quick Portraits, watch for students who try to make their drawings look like photographs.

  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.

• During Symbol Collage Self-Portrait, watch for students who select symbols without considering why.

  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?'

• During Gallery Walk: Symbol Spotting, watch for students who assume only realistic portraits are valid.

  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.

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Methods used in this brief

• Gallery Walk
• Stations Rotation