4th Grade About Me Grade 4 Self Portrait Art Project Art Lesson Back to School

This 4th Grade About Me Self Portrait Art Project combines portrait drawing, identity, favorite things, symbolism, art history and self-expression in one Grade 4 art lesson. Students draw a self-portrait and surround it with illustrations of their favorite activities, foods, books or movies, animals, places and personal qualities, so the finished piece tells the story of who they are.

Students can use one of the included portrait templates or draw their own, and the Build-a-Portrait page gives them choices for eyes, noses, ears and mouths, which helps kids who freeze when asked to "just draw yourself." It is a strong choice for Back to School, Meet the Teacher, Open House, All About Me units and classroom community building.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE PDF AND PPT)

• Teaching: lesson plan, suggested visual art standards, teacher preparation and instruction guide, critical-thinking questions, Self-Portraits anchor chart
• Project pages: Favorite Things brainstorming and drawing handout, background artwork template, multiple portrait templates, Build-a-Portrait facial feature page, self-portrait artwork page, finished artwork example
• Step-by-step: visual step-by-step art tutorial, plus projectable visual and text step-by-step teaching pages as a PDF and PowerPoint
• Bonus: link to a video demonstration
• Reading: History of Self-Portraits reading page, Read and Respond passage, reading-comprehension questions and answer key, KWL chart about self-portraits
• Art activities: Draw and Design, Explore Line, Gray Scale Exploration, Line Zen Doodle, Shapes and Forms, Mandala Design, Emphasis, fast-finisher portrait coloring
• Writing: "What's Important?", unique identity, self-portrait and creative portrait story writing activities
• Reflection and assessment: The Message reflection, Elements and Principles artwork analysis, Likes and Dislikes compare and contrast, goal-setting page, Look at Mediums reflection, artwork reflection pages, peer feedback page, 3 Stars and a Wish, artist statement pages, detailed art rubric
• Display: bulletin-board display sign

WHAT STUDENTS LEARN

Students learn that a self-portrait can communicate personality, interests, experiences and identity, not only appearance. They look at how artists use facial expressions, clothing, colors, objects, symbols and surroundings to give viewers clues, and they read about the history of self-portraits, from recording appearance before photography to expressing feelings and ideas.

Students brainstorm six favorite things (activity, food, book or movie, animal, place and their favorite thing about themselves), choose or draw a portrait, design facial features, add their own hair, color and shade, illustrate their favorite things in the background and assemble the finished artwork. The main project uses felt markers, colored pencils, pencil, scissors, glue and the included templates. Use as much of the reading, writing and reflection material as fits your class.

FAQ

What grade is this designed for?

Grade 4. It may also work for nearby elementary grades depending on student ability and the support you provide.

Do students need to know how to draw a portrait?

No. They can use a portrait template or draw their own, and the Build-a-Portrait page offers options for each facial feature.

Is a rubric included?

Yes. It assesses project execution, creativity and originality, artistic process and responsibility.

Can I use this for homeschool art?

Yes. The lesson plan, templates, projectable steps, reading, writing and reflection pages all work for Grade 4 homeschool art.

Get free, classroom-ready art lessons and printables in my Free Art Lesson Library.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen McGiveron (Ms Artastic) is an artist who has been featured on NBC LX News and designs art lessons for kids and educational resources for teachers. She is the founder of Ms Artastic and hosts the Ms Artastic YouTube Channel and Podcast.

TERMS OF USE

Images and lessons are copyright products.

YOU MAY: use this in creative ways and have as much fun with it as you like. Clip art may be used as clip art, website graphics, binder covers or bulletin board decorations. Additional licenses are available for school use.

YOU MAY NOT: use this on OutSchool, put it on your blog, share it with other teachers, administration or districts (admin can buy additional licenses), sell it, give it out for free or photocopy it for others.

Sincerely,

Ms Artastic