Spanish Inspired Self-Portrait

The original lesson had students looking for information on Frida Kahlo's self-portraits as part of our Spanish-speaking Artists unit. The goal was for students to understand the meaning of Frida's self-portraits and eventually create their own self-portrait. Initially, it seemed like a great idea but I did not know how I would get my students to create their self-portrait. I knew I didn't want them to simply draw because not all students enjoy drawing and because there is so much technology to explore!

What changed: I was able to participate in an Apple coaching cycle which taught me how to bring my vision to life! We began looking at the various features of Sketches School and creating a journal of one of Frida's self-portraits. Students were able to choose one on their own. We worked together in Apple Classroom viewing our screens to share some of the information we had found. They had to do "Veo (I see), Pienso (I think) and Me pregunto (I wonder)" in different parts of their chosen painting.  

Thinking about these questions they had led them to research. Then, we uploaded a chosen picture of ourselves and began to think about who we are, what we would want people to know about us through a portrait, etc. Some of the students chose to incorporate a color scheme and all were required to upload to Keynote and record a short description of their portrait in the target language.

Impact on student learning: Tracing their picture required zooming in quite a bit. It was clear that this project was stretching us past our comfort zone. Soon enough, students found themselves accepting imperfections and realizing that it does take a certain level of vulnerability in order to express who we are. It was an unexpected SEL moment, but very much welcomed.

#elco