Lesson Plan Template 1

NAME: Jess Treese

ECE Art/Art Integration Lesson Plan Template
LTC 4240: Art for Children
Lesson Title & Big Idea:
The Color of Me: A Self-Portrait
The big ideas of this lesson are identity and diversity. Here identity will be explored as they work through what colors
make them who they are, and diversity as they look across the differences and similarities of the class and their own
family portraits as the unit continues.
Lesson Overview/Summary:
Young artists will investigate identity and diversity through a self-portrait finger painting. A variety of colors will be
available for them to represent their faces both literally and imaginatively. This can include their favorite colors, or colors
they view as emotions, places, etc. There will likely be a variety of products, some children having deeper meanings than
others. As each student creates their own piece, as a class, we will look across the self-portraits to address similarities
and differences in students.

Key Concept (s):

There are similarities and differences between all of us, both in our literal
color and how we see ourselves. There are different characteristics in a selfportrait. Different colors can represent various aspects about who we are.

Art Standards:
Responding: Understanding and evaluating how the arts convey meaning.
Perceive and analyze artistic work. Describe what an image represents.
Creating: Conceiving and developing new artistic ideas and work. Generate
and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. Collaboratively engage in creative
art-making in response to an artistic problem.

Grade Level /Month:

Kindergarten, spring semester

Class Periods Required:

This lesson will take 2 to 3- 60
minute session. These sessions
will be used to create the color
of their face for the self-portrait,
and then the features of their
face (hair, eyes, nose, mouth,
etc). This will be a portion of a
larger unit, including a family
portrait. This particular lesson
will be just the background of
their face for their self-portrait.
Essential Questions (Found on the national visual arts standards chart:
How do artists and designers create works of art or design that effectively
communicate? How does collaboratively reflecting on a work help us
experience it more fully and develop it more completely? How does art help
us understand the lives of people of different times, places, and cultures?
Core Academic Standards (Common Core State Standards and Missouri
State Standards):
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1
Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners
about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger
groups.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1.B
Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges.

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.6
Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
Identify & define common vocabulary/concepts that connect the art form
with the other identified subject area(s):
Color, various feelings the children offer, skin tone, identity, diversity

Content Areas Integrated:

1. Visual Art (the art itself, art making)
2. Social Skills (self-expression, feelings)
3. Science (mixing colors)
Procedure:
Procedure Continued:
1. Discuss meaning of vocabulary such as diversity and identity.
11. Put many colors out on the table.
2. Talk about how we have different feelings and these feelings can be
12. Give children paper to finger paint the color of them.
related to a color (example: red-love, anger; yellow-happy).
13. Allow children to explore with the colors as they finger paint the
3. Have children at the rug to read a book.
face background for their self-portrait.
4. Read Colors of Me by Brynne Barnes.
14. Wash hands when finished.
5. Discuss the many colors we can be and how we can represent them
15. Discuss colors we see across different self-portraits and what they
(feeling colors, color of skin, etc).
represent for each student.
6. Give some examples aloud (both literal and representative).
16. Address similarities and differences in the paintings and relate it to
7. Have children continue sitting in a circle at the rug as I have a paper
the similarities and differences in the students.
on the board to create an example.
17. Put papers on the drying rack.
8. Show how colors can mix as I begin to create my own self-portrait for
18. Rinse pallets with paint on them at the sink.
children to see.
19. Put pallets away.
9. Use colors that are both, close to my literal skin color and colors I feel.
20. Clean up any other supplies.
10. Give reminders of appropriate procedures for finger painting and
sharing across the table.
What prior knowledge will this lesson require/draw upon?
Have a basic repertoire of feeling words. Recognize we are all alike and different. Understand basic finger painting, and how to share materials.
What activities will you use to engage students in imagining, exploring, and/or experimenting in this lesson?
I will provide various paint colors to experiment and explore with. Children can imagine their skin tone however they wish. (example: my favorite color is
purple so Im all purple OR Sometimes I get mad so part of me is red; other times I feel warm and happy like the sun so I have some yellow too)
How will this lesson encourage students to solve problems in divergent ways?
Children will be encouraged to solve the problem of how to represent their own face and who they are through various colors relating to their actual skin
color and how they feel or perceive themselves.
What opportunities/activities will students be given to revise/reflect and improve their understandings and their work?
Children will discuss their self-portraits at the end of the lesson with their peers reflecting on similarities and differences. They will come back to their
background for their face of the self-portrait in the next session as they add characteristics such as hair, eyes, nose, mouth, etc.
What opportunities/activities will you provide for students to share their learning/understanding/work in this lesson?
See above. They will share work with peers in the discussion described above.

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How will you adapt the various aspects of this lesson to differently-abled students?
This is dependent on the students in my class. The finger painting in this lesson makes it accessible to the majority of students, they can paint with various
body parts if needed (palm, elbow, etc). Children with attention difficulties will be given lap buddies or wiggle cushions to sit on during the book. Children
who speak different languages will have access to various emotions with visuals of a facial expression representing a feeling that has both the home language
and English word. Other accommodations will be made as a need is addressed.

References
Silverstein, L. B. & Layne, S. (n.d.). Defining arts integration. Retrieved from
http://www.americansforthearts.org/networks/arts_education/publications/special_publications/Defining%20Arts%20Integration.pdf