Title - Self Portrait with Favorite Things
By - Mary Breveleri
Primary Subject - Art
Secondary Subjects - Language Arts
Grade Level - 3rd and up
Materials needed: any size paper, pens, pencils, markers, anything you have available

Procedure:
Brainstorm and record favorite things of your students on a board or chart paper. You can include things like, favorite superhero, book, sport, movie, fruit, game, musician, artist, animal and so on.

Think of ways to represent them so they form a face, for example student might say "I used a basketball for a head because I play basketball and it's my favorite sport. I used a donut and an egg for my eyes because those are my favorite breakfast foods."

Design a face full of symbols and use markers to color it in. Encourage symbols for all features like hair, ears, lips, teeth, nose, eyebrows, cheeks, etc.

I actually have my students write about what they chose to represent them. I use a skeleton thought sheet with sentences like: "In my portrait I used ________ for my _________ because________________."

I mount the portrait with the explanation for an eye-catching exhibit. (It's cool to see what new trends the students are into.)

Accommodations/Modifications/Addressing Individualized Needs

Sally is a 5th grade student with Downs Syndrome and moderate mental retardation with a measured IQ if 45, Sally is able to read only a few functional words, recognizes numbers and can only write her name from memory. She likes to watch television but her mother is concerned that she likes to watch cartoons and Sesame Street. She would like her to develop an interest in more age appropriate television and other activities.