A student self portrait activity can do much more than fill an art block during the first week of school. Pair those portraits with autobiography writing, and you have a back to school project that helps students share who they are, gives you valuable insight into your new class, and fills an empty bulletin board.
A back to school activity coupled with classroom decor is always a win.
This student self portrait and autobiography project is created for grade 2-5 students and combines guided drawing, personal writing, and an āOur Class Is a Familyā bulletin board to create a gallery wall that celebrates every student in the room.Ā Ā
More Than a Cute Back to School Display
The beginning of the school year is full of name games, classroom tours, supply sorting, and approximately four thousand reminders about where pencils belong.
It is also your first chance to get to know your unique group of people who will be learning together all year. A student self portrait and autobiography project gives students space to introduce themselves in a way that goes beyond their name and favourite colour. They can share details about their families, interests, talents, goals, challenges, and hopes for the future.
You learn a lot about your students through this kind of writing. Students also begin spotting connections with one another. Someone else loves graphic novels. Someone else has a dog. Someone else wants to become a veterinarian. Those small discoveries can help a brand new group of students begin to feel like a class.
Create a Student Self Portrait Gallery WallĀ
The finished student self portraits can be displayed together to create a class gallery wall. Two hand-drawn frame templates are included in the self portrait activity, so the portraits look like a curated collection when they are placed on the bulletin board. Each student works within the same general format, but the finished drawings still look completely different.Ā
That is what makes the display so good. Add each studentās autobiography beside or underneath their portrait, then choose one of the included bulletin board messages:
- Our Class Is a Family
- Who We Are
- The Story of Us
The bulletin board letters are also editable in PowerPoint, so you can create your own heading if you have something different in mind.
This is a lovely display to have ready for an open house, curriculum night, parent night, or the first time families visit the classroom. Instead of looking at a wall of generic back to school decorations, families get to see something their children created.
It also makes the classroom feel more personal. Every student can walk in and see themselves represented on the wall. Thatās powerful.
Begin With the Guided Self Portrait Activity
You do not need to hand students a blank piece of paper and hope for the best. The project includes hand drawn, step by step directions that guide students through creating a self portrait. You could project the directions and draw alongside the class, model each step under a document camera, or provide printed instructions for students to follow independently.
The drawing is guided, but students will make choices throughout the process to ensure their self portrait is a reflection of how they see themselves. They can select a hairstyle that looks like theirs and add details such as glasses, freckles, jewellery, or favourite accessories. The basic steps provide enough structure to help students feel successful without producing a bulletin board filled with the same 25 (or 32) identical faces.
For younger students, try completing the drawing as a whole class lesson. Older students can work through the directions independently, in small groups, or as part of a centre or rotation.
Once the drawings are complete, students can add colour and personal details before putting them inside one of the included portrait frames.
Add Autobiography Writing
After students create their portraits, they can begin writing the stories that go with them.
Two levels of autobiography guides are included, so you can choose the version that best matches your students.
The Grades 2-3 guide uses simple, open ended questions about family, school, favourite things, and goals. Students can use their answers to create a one-paragraph autobiography.
The Grades 4-5 guide encourages students to think more deeply about their identities, talents, challenges, and dreams for the future. Their responses can be developed into longer paragraphs.
You can complete the writing in one session or spread it out over several days. Students could brainstorm first, write a rough draft, revise their work, and then create a polished copy using one of the included writing templates.
This makes the project easy to connect to lessons on complete sentences, paragraph structure, descriptive details, editing, or publishing. It is personal writing with an audience, which is usually much more motivating than writing a paragraph that disappears into a folder forever.
Spread the Project Across Your First Month
There is no need to complete the entire project during the first few days of school.
You can introduce the self portrait activity during your first week, work on autobiography writing once routines are more established, and assemble the finished gallery wall later in the month.
A simple plan could look like this:
1) Complete the guided self portrait drawing.
2) Add colour and individual details
3) Brainstorm answers using the autobiography guide
4) Draft and revise the autobiography
5) Publish the final writing.
6) Assemble the student self portrait gallery wall!
The individual parts can also be used during centres, writing lessons, art blocks, early finisher time, choice boards, or sub plans.
A Bulletin Board That Means Something
A beautiful bulletin board is nice to look at. A beautiful bulletin board that helps students learn about themselves and one another is even better.
This project gives students a structured way to create, write, and share while giving you an early glimpse into who they are. At the end, you have a class display that celebrates both the individuals in your classroom and the community you are beginning to build together.
Grab the complete student self portrait, autobiography writing and bulletin board project here and create a class gallery wall you will want to keep up long after the first month of school.
Looking for the perfect classroom decor bundle but not sure which student self-portrait style will fit your classroom best? Check out this blog post for inspiration and a closer look at the different styles to help you find the perfect match for your classroom!
