Racism. No Way - Anti-racism education for Australian schools

1.6: Class collage

Lesson overview

Theme:Being comfortable with difference
Age Group:Year 1
Learning Area:Personal Development, Health and Physical Education
Outcomes:INS1.3

Content descriptor

Students develop positive relationships with peers and other people.

Teachers notes

  1. Teachers should ensure that descriptions and artwork about students are positive.
  2. Encourage students to observe and discuss shape, colour and position of facial and other features during the drawing/model activity.

Resources

Tin or box, paper or cardboard, butcher’s paper, A4 paper, coloured pencils, crayons and textas or paint.

Activity

  1. Write/ print students’ names on separate pieces of paper (or cardboard) and place them in a tin.
  2. Ask students to each select a name from the tin and ask them to write down three positive things to say about this person. Ensure that all students are paired up so that no child is excluded. If numbers are uneven, make a group of three with each student creating a collage and having a collage on them created. Example:
    1. I chose Amy.
    2. She is kind.
    3. She has nice blue eyes.
    4. She lets me play games.
  3. Ask students to sit in a circle and share what they have written.
  4. Ask students to find a friend and create a drawing or paper model of each other. Under the artwork, students should write positive descriptions of their friend. Example:
    1. This is Mary.
    2. She has __________ hair.
    3. She has _________ eyes.
    4. She is ______________ and _____________.
  5. After this activity, ask students to brainstorm all the good things about their class and how the individuals in it contribute to making it a great class. Record students’ responses on the board or on butcher’s paper.
  6. Jointly construct an exposition “Our class is a great class because…..”
  7. Display the exposition and the student artwork in the classroom.