ALL ABOUT ME – Balance, Symbolism, Movement

Students will be able to:

1. Create a symbolic self-portrait using markers and coloured pencils;
2. Use contrast to create emphasis;
3. Use balance and space to move the viewer's eye through the composition;
4. Demonstrate technical accomplishment and creativity; and
5. Support their ideas with evidence found in the works.

1. Introduce or review the genre and purpose of biography. Then have students research a variety of biographies on the Internet, for example,
   - Terry Fox
   - Wayne Gretzky
   ​- Roberta Bondar
2. Have students write a biography of someone they admire.

1. Prior to this lesson introduce the idea of symbolism and how certain shapes may have some universal meanings, for example,
   - Heart – love, togetherness, charity, compassion
   - Circle – eternity, it has no beginning or end, wholeness, perfection, heaven or sky
   - Rainbow – hope, peace, unity of all life, coming together of all people, bridge to heaven
   - Spiral – creation, growth, immortality, inner power
   - Star – gods and goddesses, hope, military rank and honour, goodness
   - Sun – masculine in some cultures (Asian), feminine in others (First Nations), power, divine, health
   - Beehive (Bees) - hard work, wisdom, obedience, working for pleasure
   - Butterfly – fire, joy, long life, transformation, summer
   - Palette – art, painter
   - Key – wealth, freedom, knowledge
   - Square – earth, stability, honesty, goodness
2. Discuss sports team logos and the school symbols. 
3. Gather and make available books about symbolism, for example, The Memory String, by Eve Bunting; The Wretched Stone, by Chris Van Allsburg; The Other Side, by Jacqueline Woodson; Those Shoes, by Maribeth Boelts; The Name Jar, by Yangsook Choi.

1. Read a picture book about identity such as The Name Jar and discuss the things that make each person special and unique.
2. Introduce the challenge.

1. Once all the drawings are complete display them for a group discussion. Ask students to:
   - Look closely at the drawings.
   - Choose one and guess who it represents. 
   - What do you see that makes you say that?
2. Once a student has guessed the name of the person who created the silhouette and discussed it, ask the student who made the drawing to speak about his/her work.
3. During the discussion include references to:
   - symbolism – What do the images tell us about the person?
   - movement – How does the placement of objects move the viewer's eye through the design? 
   - balance – How does the placement of objects balance the design?

1. Observe students as they work – thoughtful focus, discriminating, seeking more information, elaborating, experimenting
2. Observe students as they discuss the art works – active listening, insightful contributions, supporting ideas with evidence found in the artwork and from personal experience.
3. Use a checklist to track progress. (Downloads - Silhouette_tracking.pdf)
4. Have students use the self-assessment form to evaluate their work. (Downloads - Silhouette_self-assessment.pdf)