Artistic Autobiographies

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

My excitement of collaboratively teaching third grade in the 2006-2007 school year stems from the anticipation of matching or surpassing the amazing successes of my second graders and my partner's third graders this past year. Their writing, reading, comprehension and fluency skills soared after completing creative culminating projects to demonstrate what they learned in a given unit of theme-based instruction. Because we teach many second language learners in a school that addresses the students' many socio-economic disadvantages, we strive to make learning meaningful, tangible and concrete, while providing a print-rich, arts-infused, inquiry-based learning environment. I am ecstatic about teaming with an experienced teacher who is also one of my best friends as well as one of my previous mentees. Like me, my partner is an exuberant model teacher whose successful instructional strategies have been the topic of many inservices and demonstrations. Last year, her class was fortunate to receive Inner City Arts training as part of the Arts Prototype Grant. The resulting portraits, along with many other unique, colorful designs, received rave reviews. Throughout the first thematic, six to eight week unit on Friendship, students will need to photograph their own friendships, and write descriptive paragraphs on the qualities of a great friend, as well as why each person in the photographs is their friend. Later, this information will be used in each student's personal autobiography. At that time, the photos that were taken previously will be used by the students to create either a watercolor or oil portrait of the friendship. The autobiography, photo and the portrait will be displayed together for a final photograph to add to the students' writing journal after a gallery exhibit of these artistic autobiographies is held in our classrooms. The students will show their work, displayed on their desk, and be prepared to answer visitors' questions about their work. Therefore, the students in both third grade classes will each need: 2 spiral notebooks for vocabulary development/language arts and unit investigations; 2 two pocket folders for the writing process, and unit surveys/ investigations 2 pencils and 2 inkpens for the writing process 1 set of watercolors per student, or at minimum, 12 sets per class, to be shared with a partner 1 set of oil paint sets per pair, at minimum 12 sets a class white art paper ready made portrait frames covered with muslin, if possible grade 3 composition paper 1 digital camera per class, compatible with iMac computers, so that each student can take turns photographing themselves with their best friend at school. Finally, we request 2 color printers, compatible with iMac computers, so that each students can print their photos, as well as their final typed draft. However, if this is not possible, one color printer will be shared between us. If it is possible to have more than one camera per class, that would be fantastic, yet we know how expensive this item is. We are grateful that this resource is available because without this type of dynamic, interactive educational experience, students' learning and retention will be minimal. Each learning experience greatly impacts academic success, not only for the current school year, but for a lifetime. Therefore, we thank you in advance for enabling the fulfillment of students' dreams by your thoughtful, considerate benevolence.