This lesson is the first in a series called “The Different Colors of Beauty [1].” The overall goal of these lessons is to help students develop their racial or ethnic identities in a safe and open classroom environment, while being conscious of our multicultural, diverse world.
In this introductory lesson, students explore race and self-identity by creating self-portraits. If your students have already performed a similar activity, you may want to focus your work more specifically on exploring the essential questions in this lesson.
Framework
Even very young children notice racial or ethnic differences,
although this awareness takes shape somewhat differently for each individual.
School-aged children begin to see themselves in relation to others and to the
world at large. It is important for them to learn to look closely at themselves
and think about the physical characteristics that may or may not be part of
their racial or ethnic identities.
This lesson, the first in a series, aims to help children develop detailed observational skills and use these skills in relation to themselves and others. It also begins building a vocabulary that is crucial in helping to build community and discuss some of the more challenging aspects of race and racial identity formation.
Professional
Development
Race can be a difficult topic to address. Before working on
these themes with children, it is important to become comfortable with these
issues ourselves. Although there are many worthwhile books on the subject, you
may want to start with Anti-Bias
Education for Young Children and Ourselves, by Louise Derman-Sparks and
Julie Olsen Edwards (2010) and Teaching/Learning
Anti-Racism, edited by Louise
Derman-Sparks and Carol Brunson Phillips (1997).
Some professional development modules that can be helpful when working with issues of racial identity include Culturally Relevant Curriculum [2], Assessing My Culture: Who Am I? [3] and the Starting Small [4] kit.
Additionally, the notion of color blindness—“In our room, we don’t see color”—can be as harmful as ignoring the social and political implications of race. To understand more, review the training module Color Blindness [5] and Colorblindness: The New Racism [6].
Objectives
Activities will help students:
Essential Questions
Glossary
color [kuhl-er]
(noun) the
appearance of something, including how bright it is and what shade it is
skin [skin]
(noun) the outer covering of a human or
animal body
skin color [skin kuhl-er]
(noun) the coloring
of a person’s face and skin
race [reys]
(noun) one of the major groups into
which human beings can be divided. As a social construction, it relates to the
grouping of people based on physical characteristics, such as skin color, often
for the purpose of creating the perception of a superior race.
(Note: There are many ways to define the
term “race.” We provide a working definition, but one of the goals for this
series is for students to come to individual and collective understandings of
the term that make sense to them and their personal, developmental, and
communal needs.)
self-portrait [self-pawr-trit]
(noun) a picture a
person makes of himself or herself
beauty [BYOO-tee]
(noun) the part of
a person—or thing—that makes us like how he or she looks
(Note: There are many
different ways to define the term “beauty.” We provide a working definition,
but one of the goals of this lesson and series of lessons is for students to
come to their own understanding of the term and concept.)
Materials
Activities
ELL Extension (optional)
A self-portrait involves learning about different parts of
your face and even your body. Working with art materials also means learning
words for different colors. Depending on the level of the students’ English,
explore the distinction of colors. This
means not only “red,” “orange,” “yellow,” but also terms such as “shade,” “light,”
“dark,” and “darken.” As you work on your portrait, make labels on sticky notes
for any new nouns, verbs, or adjectives you learn. Keep them beside your
portrait. Once the portraits have dried, put your sticky notes in appropriate
places on your portrait. Challenge yourself to see if the same words might also
find homes on some of your classmates’ portraits! Practice using these words in
sentences as you critique your classmates’ work.
Extension Assignment (optional)
Looking closely is a way to get to know ourselves better,
but it can also be a way to get to know someone else. After completing the
self-portrait assignment in class, discuss what you learned with someone in
your home. Spend some time looking carefully at that person, then try making a
portrait of them to practice your close observation skills. If you don’t have
paints, you can try using crayons, chalk, markers, or colored pencils. Think
about how the activity is different depending on what materials you use. You
may want to provide students with materials for use at home to make the
assignment equitable. After you are finished with your portrait, write in your
journal about how it was similar to and different from doing a portrait of
yourself. Share your portrait and experience with your classmates when you come
back to school.
APPLYING WHAT YOU’VE
LEARNED
Think about the experience of looking closely at yourself while
painting a self-portrait. Consider the conversations you’ve had with your
classmates about race, shades of skin color, and beauty. In your journal,
respond to the following questions:
Standards
Activities and embedded assessments address the following
standards from McREL 4th Edition [7] and Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts [8].
Language Arts
Standard 8. Uses listening and speaking strategies for
different purposes.
Standard 9. Uses visual skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.
Visual Arts
Standard 1. Understands and applies media, techniques, and
processes related to the visual arts.
Standard 2. Knows how to use structures (e.g., sensory qualities, organizational principles, expressive features) and functions of art.
Standard 5. Understands the characteristics and merits of one’s own artwork and the artwork of others.
Life Skills
Working With Others
Standard 1. Contributes to the overall effort of a group.
Standard 3. Works well with diverse individuals and in diverse situations.
Standard 4. Displays effective interpersonal communication skills.
Self-Regulation
Standard 2. Performs self-appraisal.
Standard 5. Maintains a healthy self-concept.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts [8]
Speaking and
Listening
Comprehension and
Collaboration
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of
conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’
ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4. Present
information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow
the line of reasoning, and the organization, development, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
Writing
Range of Writing
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for
research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting
or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Language
Conventions of
Standard English
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard
English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Knowledge of Language
3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language
functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or
style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
Vocabulary Acquisition
and Use
6. Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic
and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing,
speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate
independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown
term important to comprehension or expression.
Links:
[1] http://www.tolerance.org/activity/different-colors-beauty
[2] http://www.tolerance.org/activity/culturally-relevant-curriculum
[3] http://www.tolerance.org/activity/assessing-my-culture-who-am-i
[4] http://www.tolerance.org/kit/starting-small
[5] http://www.tolerance.org/tdsi/cb_color_blindness
[6] http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-36-fall-2009/colorblindness-new-racism
[7] http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp
[8] http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards