Class Portrait Poster
School: The College School
City/State: St. Louis, MO
Grade(s): K
Format(s): Poster: General
Subject(s): Visual Arts
Project Overview
Kindergarten students at the College School in St. Louis, Missouri, created this oversized poster of individual student self-portraits. The portraits were part of an investigation of the students in the class– their similarities and their differences – that included reading, writing and math as well as art.
Each student created a portrait of him or herself through multiple drafts. As a school with heritage of both EL and Reggio Emilia – an approach to early childhood education pioneered by the public preschools in Reggio Emilia, Italy that is distinguished by sophisticated thinking and artwork – the students were guided to pay great attention to detail and technique.
Each student’s work was then collaged into an over-sized poster. The product was produced as a high quality, glossy full-sized poster and was hung outside the classroom and at other sites in the school.
How This Project Can Be Useful
- Exemplifies an extremely appealing format – high quality color, glossy product that would be engaging for students, teachers, parents and other school/community members
- Shows how a simple idea can be very powerful
- Combination of drawings and handwritten names lends a realistic feel to the poster
- Highlights the power of critique and revision – even with kindergarten students
- A format that can easily be applied to any subject area or discipline
- An example of a “sellable” product – one that people would be willing to pay for
- The different styles and sophistication of illustration allows the viewer to get a sense of the range of students in this class
Common Core State Standards
| Standard | Long Term Learning Target |
|---|---|
| SL.K.5 |
|