Student: Hannah Kocher School: Riverview Elementary

IWU Supervisor: Alex Schuler Co-op Teacher: Stacy James

Teaching Date: N/A Grade Level: 3
Lesson Title: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Indiana Wesleyan University

Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template
Social Studies
2007 ACEI Standards

READINESS
I. Goals/Objectives/Standard(s)
A. Goal(s) Students will use Self-portraits and personal narratives to tell a personal story about their life.
B. Objective(s)(specific terms)
After instruction, students will be able to create a 3 paragraph personal narrative that uses a unique voice
to provide insight on a self-portrait photograph.
C. Standard(s):
IAS: 3.W.3.3 Write narrative compositions in a variety of forms that
- Establish an introduction (e.g., situation, narrator, characters).
- Include specific descriptive details and clear event sequences.
- Include dialogue.
- Connect ideas and events using introduction and transition words.
- Provide an ending.
ISTE:
II. Materials & Management:
A. Materials:
- Lined paper
- Self-portraits done by famous artists
- iPads for Self-portraits
B. Time:
3 Day Lesson:
(45 minutes)Day 1: Introduce the lesson and provide the examples of famous self-portraits. Encourage
students to do planning for their writing as well as their portrait. Use the examples of self-portraits as springboards
to discuss how the portraits should be reflective of who they are. Prompt the students to do research that night at
home about their heritage so they can reflect their culture in their portrait and writing
(45 minutes))Day 2: Students will do their first draft of their writing and take their self-portrait (selfie). At
the end of the writing session. Students will trade drafts with another student and offer feedback as homework
that day
(30 minutes)Day 3: After getting comments from their peers, students will write their final drafts of their
personal narrative and display it proudly with their picture
C. Space: Students will be at their desks for the presentation of information, and for the writing of their
self portraits. There will be a photo wall in the back of the room that will be set up for selfies. Students will be able
to move throughout the classroom for
D. Behavior: Students will be in the seats for the majority of the anticipatory set and lesson presentation.
They will travel around the room only to take their self-portraits and to trade papers with peers for editing. While
prewriting and writing, the voice level should be low so all children can be focussed while writing.
E. Technology: A PowerPoint presentation is used for the anticipatory set. Personal cameras or the
classroom iPads will be used for the taking of the self-portraits. Students are free to do any editing of the picture
that they would like, as long as it does not interfere with their ability to complete their personal narrative.
Additionally, students will use Google Drive to upload and share their self-portraits with me. This will allow them to
share their photos with me no matter what kind of device it was taken on.
III. Anticipatory Set
Okay, we are going to start today by watching a video clip from a TV show called Hollywood Game Night. In this
particular game that is being played Little Picassos, the celebrities are challenged to guess what celebrity is being depicted
pictures drawn by 3rd graders. I want you to watch carefully for how the celebrities knew who was in the portraits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xemsw5ATkr8
What did you notice? I noticed that the artists used surroundings to help their audience guess who was in their
artwork. I noticed that Christina Aguilera was in a big red chair because she is a judge on the voice, and many of the
actors are portrayed in their roles they play on television. I also noticed that sometimes the picture wasnt enough
for the people to be able to figure out who the portrait is of, and then the host had to add clues and context to
make the picture have meaning.
IV. Purpose: Today, we are going to start a writing piece where use both portraits of ourselves and a personal narrative
to tell a story about who we are.

PLAN FOR INSTRUCTION

Use major concepts, principles, theories, and research to construct learning opportunities that support students development,
acquisition of knowledge, and motivation.
(ACEI 1.0)

V. Adaptation to Diverse Students-- Demonstrate your understanding of the development and

approaches to learning unique to the students in this class as you describe the specific instructional opportunities
provided in this lesson.
ELL: Have A.G. verbally tell the adult the story to be written down. After writing the three paragraphs, have Alex
copy them down in his own handwriting to practice penmanship and basic writing formatting. He should still be
able to take a self-portrait and orally communicate a personal narrative that is 3-paragraphs in length.
Other Accommodations: To accommodate the vast range of writing levels within the class, I will make sure that I
have the opportunity to read all students drafts and offer feedback. Spelling is also a weak area for most, so I will
provide an iPad at every table for the use of looking up spellings or using the thesaurus. As early finishers are
having their papers reviewed by peers and the teachers, they can also be paired up with a slower student, to
offer support and help with spelling/writing.

(ACEI 3.2)
VI. Lesson Presentation (Input/Output)
Day One: Today, we are going to start telling stories about who we are and what makes us unique. For this lesson,
you are going to create two different products: One will be a three-paragraph personal narrative, and the other will be
a self-portrait that encapsulates your personality and distinct characteristics. Today I am going to show you some
famous self-portraits done by artists over time. I want you to think about the story that each one of them tells and how
that could inspire how you take your self-portrait. (PowerPoint on Self-Portraits)
The first self-portrait is done by Pablo Picasso. It is simple and detailed. Pictures like this give insight to
physical features, but not really into personality. While this is certainly famous artwork and tells a story about Picasso
and his life, I would challenge you to take a more descriptive picture.
The next piece is done by Marc Chagall, and there are many different parts of this that are interesting. He
paints himself at work and at home. The viewer can gain a sense of what it is like to be in the studio with Chagall
while he is doing his artwork. He also portrays himself with 7 fingers, which is something that is not seen very often
(and no, ts not because he has seven fingers.) Does anyone have a good guess as to why he might have portrayed
himself in that way?
The next one offers a completely unique perspective because it shows the artist as he would see himself
while making the painting. It was very common for artists to use mirrors while creating self-portraits so they could see
themselves while they are painting. This portrait also offers a view of the artists studio and how the artist looks at
work. I like to think of that as one of the first mirror selfies. I bring this picture up so that you dont feel like youre
constrained the typical format of a selfie.
The final self-portrait is my personal favorite. It shows the artist, Brian Castellani in a vivid pose that is full of
personality. This piece personifies the idea of voice. Does anyone know what voice is in either art or writing?
Voice is the distinct personality, style, or point of view of a piece of writing or any other creative
work. In your own self-portraits and personal narratives, I want you to develop a voice that allows you to speak about
yourself in a way that represents who you are. When you write about yourself you bring our personal point of view,
which should make all of writing sound unique.
For your self-portraits, you will be taking a selfie and sharing it with me. As you can see in the examples, the
environment that your photo is taken in can be a really important tool to understanding who someone is. If I was
doing this project when I was your age, I would probably take my picture take my picture by my desk because I loved
being at school. I was also a big reader, so I might have included a book in the picture. My brothers on the other hand
might have taken a picture in our driveway at home playing basketball or in our basement playing video games (back
when the PS1 was a big deal). You may choose to take your picture outside of school on a cell phone/digital camera
or you can use one of the iPads tomorrow in class. Either way, you will share your photo with me on Google Docs
when you have taken one. I want you to be intentional about what is in this portrait. You should chose an outfit that is
representative of your personality. If you are someone who is athletic, you may choose to wear your jersey or a shirt
from your favorite sports team. If you see yourself as someone who is very enthusiastic, wear bright colors. You could
wear your favorite color or your favorite shirt. Let both your appearance and expression in the photo be something
that you feel represents you.
In your papers, I want you to develop your own voice to tell me a story about an event that has made you
the way that you are. Give me a glimpse into your life, family, heritage, culture, dreams, and values. I want to read the
story and see the photo together and be able to see the individuals that you are pop through. It can be a narrative of
a personal experience that has been influential in your life, one of your greatest moments, a victory you made, or a
struggle that you have overcome. It must be at least 3 paragraphs long and showcase an original voice. Today, we
are going to work on prewriting for your personal narrative and planning for a self-portrait to go with it. I have a
prewriting sheet that I want you to do your best to fill out completely. I also want you to put thought into where you are
going to take your photo and what is going to be in it. (PREWRITING PLANNING SHEET)
Day 2: Yesterday we began the process of writing a personal narrative about an influential experience you have had
in your life. Today, we are going to write the first draft of our personal narratives and take our selfies to go with them.
If you already took your picture, you may send it to me via Google during this time. You will have 40 minutes to write
your first draft of your paper and get the picture taken and shared with me. I will be around to help you manage time,
plan your picture, and share it with me. Remember that your writing needs to be at least 3 paragraphs and feature
your distinct voice and writing style. Feel free to add dialogue if you want to tell the story through conversation. Once
you finish your first draft, both a peer and either Mrs. James or I have to read it before the end of the day. If you dont
have time to have your peers read it today, you can turn it in and I will proofread them tonight. The voice level should
stay low during the whole writing process. You may begin.
Day 3: Yesterday, we wrote the first drafts of our personal narratives and took our portraits to go with them. We also
got feedback from our peers on how we can improve them. Today, we are going to use the feedback from our peers
to write our final drafts of our narratives and turn them in. I will hang them up in the back of the wall on the photo wall
that I made. Then we will be able to showcase the unique individuals that we have in our class and your great writing.
(ACEI 2.4)
Include a variety of teaching strategies that encourage elementary students development of critical thinking and problem
solving.
o active participation
o multiple levels of questions
o modeling/monitoring
(ACEI 3.3)
 VII. Check for understanding. How do you know students have learned? What strategies will you implement if all
students have not met lesson outcomes? Employ one or more strategies to determine student learning.
Checking for understanding happens throughout the lesson as the students are working on their drafts of their
narratives. I will be walking around and seeing if they are employing the use of good grammar and sentence structure. I
will also have conversations with students about what they are writing to make sure they understand the topic and how
to apply that to their lives.

VIII. Review learning outcomes / Closure

Today we have learned about different ways that artists express themselves through their work. We learned that we can
tell a story through pictures, and we are able to use words to enhance these stories. We began pre-writing personal
narratives that tell a story about a significant point in our life. We also started thinking about how we could set up a
self-portrait that would be reflective of our personality. Tomorrow you will write the first draft of these papers and
take/share your portraits with me.

PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT

Formative: Formative assessment will occur when I review the prewriting and drafts of my students while the are in the writing
process. I will offer feedback on how to improve their writing throughout the process of writing. Having students read their
peers papers will also allow for a formative assessment because students will offer feedback on how they can use can improve
their writing, while also allowing them to see what other students are doing.
Summative: The final paper is the summative assessment for the writing activity. After getting feedback from both peers and
teachers, the students should be able to produce a writing product that is reflective of their best work.
(ACEI 4.0)
REFLECTION AND POST-LESSON ANALYSIS
1. How many students achieved the lesson objective(s)? For those who did not, why not?
2. What were my strengths and weaknesses?
3. How should I alter this lesson?
4. How would I pace it differently?
5. Were all students actively participating? If not, why not?
6. What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and ability levels?
a. Blooms Taxonomy
b. Gardners Multiple Intelligences
7. Did the students understand the connection between the self-portraits and the personal narrative and use that
connection to enhance their story?
8. Did my students have the proper prior knowledge to be able to write a good narrative?
Include additional self-answer questions that specifically address unique lesson content and methodology.

Resources:
http://www.widewalls.ch/famous-self-portraits/cindy-sherman-untitled-film-still-14-1978/
http://www.complex.com/style/2012/05/gallery-the-25-coolest-artist-self-portraits/3

Name:__________________ PersonalNarrativePlanningSheet
Date:___________________

StoryTitle:

Problem/Message: Setting:

TopicSentence: Characters:
Iwillalwaysremember _____________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________

Beginning

Middle

End