Mixed-Media Portrait Station Setup & Guidance

Description:
A dedicated station where students bring their self-portrait sketches to life using paints, crayons, collage materials, and more. This hands-on area encourages exploration of color, texture, and personal symbolism.

Materials:

• Large sheets of drawing paper (9”×12” or 11”×14”)
• Clipboards or drawing boards (optional)
• Colored pencils, markers, crayons
• Watercolor paints, brushes, water cups, palettes
• Collage supplies: fabric scraps, magazine cutouts, textured paper, yarn
• Glue sticks, liquid glue, scissors
• Optional extras: stickers, stamps, stencils, sequins

Station Setup:

1. Cover tables with newspaper or protective cloths.
2. Place paper and clipboards at each seat.
3. Organize coloring tools and paints in caddies at the center.
4. Fill small bins with collage materials and position them within easy reach.
5. Keep glue and scissors on a separate tray for supervision.

Student Steps:

1. Choose your paper and secure it on a clipboard or table.
2. Lightly sketch your self-portrait outline in pencil.
3. Select 2–3 key colors from your brainstorm (see Color & Character Deck).
4. Add color with pencils, markers, or paint to represent skin tone, hair, clothing, and emotions.
5. Glue on collage pieces or yarn to highlight personal symbols (e.g., a star for ambition, fabric swatch for calm).
6. Layer materials for texture—mix paint strokes with paper cutouts or drawn patterns.
7. Step back occasionally: ask yourself, “Does this color/texture show my trait?”

Teacher Tips & Prompts:

• Remind students of their trait-color pairs: “How does blue show calm in your portrait?”
• Encourage layering: “What happens if you glue a piece of textured paper over your background paint?”
• Offer affirmations: “I love how you used circles around your head to show unity.”
• For students who finish early, invite them to add a background pattern or small symbolic doodles.

Clean-Up & Transition:

• Allocate the last 2 minutes of this segment for students to return materials and wipe down tables.
• Encourage them to leave their work safely on drying racks or table corners for the next phase (caption writing).

Trait Caption Booklet

Use this booklet to capture the traits you illustrated in your self-portrait and to reflect on your choices. Take your time expressing why each trait matters to you!

1. Trait & Color Connection

For each trait you chose, record the matching color and explain your choice.

Trait 1: _____________________________
Color for Trait 1: ____________________
Why I chose this color for Trait 1:

Trait 2: _____________________________
Color for Trait 2: ____________________
Why I chose this color for Trait 2:

(Tip: Refer back to the Color & Character Deck for ideas on color meanings.)

2. Caption Writing

Write 2–3 captions that describe the traits you showed in your portrait. Start with “I am…” and add why the trait is important to you.

1. I am __________________________________________ because __________________________.

1. I am __________________________________________ because __________________________.

1. I am __________________________________________ because __________________________.

3. Reflection Questions

Think about your completed mixed-media portrait and your captions.

1. How did your color and material choices show your traits?

1. What surprised you about creating this portrait?

(Hint: Look at your work from the Mixed-Media Portrait Station to jog your memory.)

4. Peer Compliment

Record one compliment a classmate gave you and explain how it made you feel.

Compliment I received: ______________________________________
How it made me feel:

5. Self-Assessment & Next Steps

Use the Self-Portrait Assessment Rubric to check your work.

What score would you give your self-portrait for completeness and creativity?
My score: _____ Why I chose this score:

What is one thing you’d like to try differently next time?

Great work reflecting on your unique traits! Use these insights to learn more about yourself and your classmates every day.

Self-Portrait Assessment Rubric

Use this rubric to evaluate each student’s mixed-media self-portrait and captions. Scores range from 4 (Exceeds Expectations) to 1 (Needs Improvement).

Scoring Guidance:

• Add up the scores from each of the five criteria for a total out of 20.
• Encourage students to compare their self-assessment with your scores and discuss next steps.

Teachers can adapt this rubric to emphasize particular learning goals (for example, weighting reflection more heavily) or to simplify for younger learners by focusing on fewer criteria.

Compliment Chain Activity Guide

A quick cool-down to end class on a positive note by sharing and celebrating each other’s strengths.

Materials

• Colored paper strips (approx. 2"×8")
• Markers or colored pencils
• A large ring, string, or bulletin board space to display the chain

Instructions

1. Pair Up: Have students find a partner.
2. Share a Compliment: Each partner tells the other one thing they admire or appreciate about them (e.g., “I like how you always help others,” “Your drawings are so creative”).
3. Write It Down: On a colored strip, each student writes the compliment they received.
4. Link the Strips: Loop the strip and staple or tape the ends to form a link. Add each new link to the growing compliment chain for the classroom.

Reflection (Exit Ticket)

Invite students to complete the prompts below in their journals or on a mini whiteboard before they leave.

1. One compliment I gave today:

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2. One compliment I received today:

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3. How did giving or receiving a compliment make me feel?

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Display Tip: Keep the compliment chain in a visible spot to remind everyone of the positive qualities in our classroom community.