My lunch bunch groups were talking about what makes us special and unique. I recently did a lesson with them that teaches about seeing beyond our first glance and looking deeper.
To begin, I had students take a piece of paper and their favorite color marker. I asked them to hold their marker just above the center of their paper and close their eyes. I then said “Go” and gave them about 5 seconds to scribble on their piece of paper before telling them to “Stop!”
When they were done, everyone held up their scribbles. The girls giggled as they looked at how “funny” or “ugly” some were.
Next, I asked them to really look at their DRAWING and to turn it into a piece of art they would be proud of. I watched them as they rotated their scribbles and searched for something they saw in them.
Color was added, a few extra lines, and soon each one had a masterpiece.
When they were done, I asked them these questions:
- What did you think when I first asked you to turn your scribble into a piece of art?
- How difficult was it to look past the scribbles and find something special in what you had drawn?
- How are our scribbles like people?
- How are our masterpieces like us?
- What have we learned from this?
It was neat to hear them talk about how we all have hidden talents inside of us. One 6th grader told me, “Some people may think you look ugly, but they’re only looking at the surface. Others will look deeper and see you as beautiful.” This is exactly what I wanted them to think about.
Here are their masterpieces. Each one is as unique, individual, and beautiful as my girls.
I wrote down some of their thoughts next to their drawings.
Let me know what you think of this lesson!
How do you help students see their inner beauty? Leave a comment below and let me know.
