Title of Activity: Living Portraits

Objective: Explore people and characters, Explore themes, Listening and observation skills
Target age: 11 years
Number of Participants: Groups of 4
Room arrangement: Large open space, room for a circle
Materials (if any): Portrait reproductions, costume items (optional)
Source: http://www.utexas.edu/cofa/dbi/node/42
Description of the activity: Divide the class into groups of 4. Give each group a portrait
reproduction. Ask groups to look at their assigned portraits carefully and determine some of the
qualities of the person depicted. Have them choose 3 adjectives (descriptive words) that best fit
this person. Direct the groups to create a new portrait with their bodies that exemplifies the 3
adjectives they chose. For each new portrait, one person will be the model and the other students
will be the artists. The artists will decide how the model must look and pose (body placement
and facial expression). Groups may use costume items to help communicate the adjectives they
have chosen. Once they have determined the models appearance, each group will share their
creation and explain their choices to the rest of the class.
Curricular connection: Language art (grammar), social studies (historical portraits)
Variations: Let the other groups look at the image before explaining the choices to the rest of the
class. Ask the other groups: What do you see? What could that mean? What adjectives do you
think the group may have chosen for their portrait? After the class answers the questions, have
the performing group explain the adjectives they chose to the class.
Have the portrait come to life and have the class interview the living portrait. When the groups
present, have the rest of the class guess the adjectives the group is trying to portray. Think about:
How would you describe the person in the portrait? What do the details tell you? In what other
situations are judgements used based on images?