Teachers' notes
Me, myself and I
Aims:
- To explore a variety of self-portraits.
- To learn about similes and construct a short poem in the first person.
- To evaluate their own work and the work of others.
Age group 7–9
- England and Wales
Year 3/Year 4 - Scotland
Year P4/Year P5 - Northern Ireland
Year 4/Year 5
Literacy skills:
To compose sentences using adjectives, verbs and nouns for precision, clarity and impact and to choose and combine words, images and other features for particular effects.
Curriculum links:
- Art and Design – England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland
Content:
- Interactive whiteboard: Read about three well-known self-portraits. Show the pupils images of the real portraits on the whiteboard. Find out about similes before writing a short simile poem about one of the paintings.
- Activity sheet: Ask each pupil to create a sketch self-portrait, using a mirror to help. They should then get a partner to sketch a portrait. Compare and evaluate the results.
- Extension: Compare a self-portrait with a real photograph (for example Andy Warhol) and talk about how the artist has represented themselves. Look at the styles of different self-portrait artists and try to create a picture in that distinctive style.Create a display where pupils can match up the poems and the paintings.
Suggestions for questions:
- Activate prior knowledge: Have you ever been to an art gallery or a museum and seen a self portrait? Have you ever tried to draw yourself by looking in the mirror? Do you think that we see ourselves in the same way as other people?
- Reflect on learning: Which self-portrait did you like best? How is this similar to other art by the same artist?
- Stimulate further research: Find out more from resource books and the internet about a particular artist. Find out five interesting facts and present your ideas to the class.