Visual Arts · 1st Class

Active learning ideas

Self-Portraits: Capturing Identity

Active learning helps 1st class students grasp the complexity of identity by engaging their bodies and emotions directly. When they examine their own faces in mirrors or create exaggerated expressions, they connect abstract ideas like 'shape' and 'emotion' to concrete, personal experiences in the moment.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Visual Arts - Drawing 1.1
• NCCA: Visual Arts - Looking and Responding 1.5

• 15–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Experiential Learning
• 20 min · Pairs

Mirror Pairs: Shape Hunt

Pair students with hand mirrors and paper. They observe partners' faces for 2 minutes, list shapes seen (e.g., oval head), then draw the outline. Switch roles and compare drawings for accuracy.

What shapes do you notice in your face when you look in the mirror?

Facilitation Tip

During Mirror Pairs: Shape Hunt, circulate and ask guiding questions like 'What shape is your forehead?' to keep students focused on comparing their unique features with a partner's.

What to look for

During the drawing process, circulate and ask students: 'Can you point to the oval shape you used for your head?' or 'Show me the wavy lines you used for your hair.' This checks their ability to identify shapes and apply them.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 30 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Feature Focus

Create stations for eyes, nose, mouth, and hair. Small groups spend 5 minutes per station drawing that feature from mirrors on template faces. Rotate and assemble full portraits at the end.

Can you draw your eyes, nose, and mouth?

Facilitation Tip

In Station Rotation: Feature Focus, set a timer for each station to manage transitions and ensure students practice each feature deliberately before moving on.

What to look for

Provide students with a small piece of paper. Ask them to draw one facial feature (eye, nose, or mouth) and write one word describing how they feel today. This assesses their ability to represent a feature and connect emotion to their art.

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

Activity 03

• Experiential Learning
• 25 min · Whole Class

Emotion Gallery: Feeling Faces

Students draw three small self-portraits showing happy, sad, and surprised expressions using mirrors. Display on walls for whole class gallery walk; each shares one feeling and points to a peer's matching portrait.

How are you feeling today, and can you show that feeling in your drawing?

Facilitation Tip

For Emotion Gallery: Feeling Faces, model exaggerated expressions first with the whole class to build a shared vocabulary for emotion lines before independent drawing begins.

What to look for

After students have completed their self-portraits, ask: 'What is one thing you drew that makes your portrait look like you?' and 'What color did you choose to show how you feel, and why?' This prompts reflection on personal expression and unique details.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Experiential Learning
• 15 min · Individual

Individual: Personal Symbols

After basic portrait, students add collage elements like fabric scraps or buttons to represent hobbies or family. Discuss choices in pairs before finalizing.

What shapes do you notice in your face when you look in the mirror?

What to look for

During the drawing process, circulate and ask students: 'Can you point to the oval shape you used for your head?' or 'Show me the wavy lines you used for your hair.' This checks their ability to identify shapes and apply them.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should model the process of looking closely at their own faces before students begin, using a think-aloud to describe the shapes and lines they notice. Avoid correcting every detail immediately instead, use peer sharing to build confidence. Research shows that children aged 5-7 learn best when drawing is linked to movement and emotion, so incorporate plenty of whole-body engagement before fine motor tasks.

Students will confidently identify and sketch basic shapes in their faces, choose colors and symbols that reflect their identity, and explain how specific lines or colors represent their feelings. Their work will show both accuracy in observation and freedom in personal expression.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Mirror Pairs: Shape Hunt, watch for students who assume all heads are the same oval shape.

  Have students trace the outline of their heads directly onto the mirror with a dry-erase marker, then compare shapes side-by-side with their partner to reveal differences in width and height.

• During Station Rotation: Feature Focus, assume that realistic proportions are required for accurate portraits.

  Provide example sketches of stylized features and ask students to choose one to practice, reminding them that portraits express personality, not perfection.

• During Emotion Gallery: Feeling Faces, think feelings cannot be drawn beyond simple smiles or frowns.

  Use exaggerated mirror poses to demonstrate how crinkled eyes or droopy eyebrows create distinct emotions, then have students practice these lines before sketching their own faces.

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Methods used in this brief

• Experiential Learning
• Stations Rotation