Art and Personal IdentityActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning engages students by connecting art to their lived experiences, making abstract concepts like identity concrete. Through discussion, creation, and feedback, students connect emotionally with the material while developing critical observation and communication skills.
Learning Objectives
- 1Analyze how specific visual elements like color, line, and shape are used by artists to convey emotions and personal experiences in their self-portraits.
- 2Identify personal symbols, family objects, or cultural motifs that represent key aspects of their own identity.
- 3Create a self-portrait or symbolic artwork that communicates a chosen aspect of their personal identity, justifying their artistic choices.
- 4Compare and contrast the artistic approaches used by two different artists to express personal identity in their work.
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Pairs: Symbol Interview Sketches
Pairs interview each other about family, hobbies, or culture to identify 3-5 personal symbols. Each partner sketches a quick symbolic portrait using those symbols and colors. Pairs present sketches to the class, explaining choices.
Prepare & details
What things about yourself — your family, hobbies, or culture — could you show in an artwork?
Facilitation Tip: During Symbol Interview Sketches, circulate to ask guiding questions like 'What does this object mean to you?' to help students dig deeper.
Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials
Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template
Small Groups: Identity Gallery Walk
Groups create one symbolic self-portrait per member using mixed media. Display works around the room for a gallery walk. Groups rotate, write sticky-note interpretations of others' symbols, then discuss insights.
Prepare & details
How do artists use objects, colours, and symbols to show others who they are?
Facilitation Tip: For the Identity Gallery Walk, place artworks at eye level and arrange them so students can move freely without crowding.
Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials
Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template
Individual: Reflective Symbol Collage
Students collect magazine images or draw symbols representing their identity. Arrange into a collage self-portrait. Add a short written statement explaining symbol meanings for display.
Prepare & details
Can you make a self-portrait or personal artwork that shares something special about you?
Facilitation Tip: While students work on Reflective Symbol Collages, encourage them to layer materials but keep at least one area clear for reflection.
Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials
Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template
Whole Class: Shared Identity Circle
Students bring completed portraits to a circle. Each shares one symbol and its meaning. Class notes common themes on a shared chart to highlight community connections.
Prepare & details
What things about yourself — your family, hobbies, or culture — could you show in an artwork?
Facilitation Tip: In the Shared Identity Circle, model active listening by repeating or summarizing what a student shares before responding.
Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials
Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template
Teaching This Topic
Teach this topic through iterative practice and dialogue rather than perfection. Start with low-stakes sketching to build comfort with symbols, then move to collaborative analysis before independent creation. Research shows that repeated opportunities to explain and revise strengthen both artistic and interpretive skills. Avoid rushing to final products; the process of reflection and revision is where most learning happens.
What to Expect
Students will confidently identify symbols in artworks, explain their meanings, and create original pieces that represent personal aspects of themselves. Peer and teacher feedback will show growth in both interpretation and self-expression.
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 Symbol Interview Sketches, watch for students who insist their partner’s symbols must match their own interpretation.
What to Teach Instead
Remind students that symbols are personal and guide them to ask their partner, 'Why did you choose this object?' to uncover individual meanings.
Common MisconceptionDuring Identity Gallery Walk, watch for students who dismiss artworks with symbols they do not recognize.
What to Teach Instead
Encourage students to ask the artist, 'What does this symbol mean to you?' and to share their own reactions without judgment.
Common MisconceptionDuring Reflective Symbol Collage, watch for students who avoid using symbols due to fear of being misunderstood.
What to Teach Instead
Provide sentence starters like 'This color represents... because...' to scaffold explanations and build confidence in self-expression.
Assessment Ideas
After Symbol Interview Sketches, students choose one symbol from their partner’s sketch and write: 1) What they think the symbol represents, and 2) One question they have for their partner about their choice.
During Reflective Symbol Collage, partners use a checklist to assess: 'Does the artwork include at least two personal symbols?' and 'Can I understand how these symbols connect to the artist?' Partners then share one strength and one suggestion.
After the Identity Gallery Walk, show a new self-portrait and ask students to discuss as a class: 'What symbols or colors do you see? How might they relate to the artist’s identity or emotions?' Use their responses to assess interpretation skills.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge: Students who finish early can create a second symbolic piece contrasting their identity with a fictional character’s identity.
- Scaffolding: Provide a word bank of possible symbols or pre-cut shapes to help students who struggle to generate ideas.
- Deeper exploration: Invite a local artist or community member to share how they use symbols in their work and discuss cultural influences on identity.
Key Vocabulary
| Self-portrait | An artwork created by the artist themselves, depicting their own likeness and often their personality or feelings. |
| Symbolism | The use of objects, colors, or images to represent abstract ideas or personal meanings. |
| Personal Identity | The unique qualities, beliefs, values, and experiences that make a person who they are. |
| Motif | A recurring element, subject, or idea in an artwork, often used to represent something specific or symbolic. |
Suggested Methodologies
Planning templates for Art
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