Home > Teacher Lesson Plans > Archives > Language Arts, Visual Arts , Technology > Lesson Plan

Subjects

• Language Arts
• Visual Arts
• Ed Technology

Grades

• K-2
• 3-5
• 6-8
• 9-12

Brief Description

Students of all ages will benefit from reflect on and chronicle their lives from A to Z.

Objectives

• create a pictorial autobiography using the letters from A to Z.
• develop narrative writing skills.
• plan/create visual images that represent significant life events and interests.

Keywords

narrative, writing, autobiography, ABC book, icebreaker

Materials Needed

• drawing paper, writing paper
• art supplies, as needed
• scanner (optional)

The Lesson

Have students write the 26 letters of the alphabet down the left-hand side of a sheet of writing paper. Then have them think of a word or phrase that expresses something important in their lives -- an event, a person, a skill, a favorite something, a word that describes them …

For Younger Students
Young students might select, or be assigned, 2 or 3 letters to plan, write, and illustrate. Combine all students efforts to create a nice A to Z bulletin board display.

For Older Students
Upper elementary and older students might plan to create A to Z books in which each letter stands for a word or phrase about them. They might write a sentence or a paragraph to explain the importance of each word/phrase that was chosen. (Caption length will vary by grade/ability level.) They might include photos, artifacts, or drawings to bring the pages of their books to life. They might be required to use technology (computers, a digital camera, a scanner…).

If this becomes a major student project, you will want to provide students with a timeline that details when they should have their draft/design plan completed and deadlines for captions/narratives and drawings/images. The timeline might require students to hand in pages A to H one week, I to P the next week, and Q to Z the final week.

If students create personal ABC books, you might have each student

• design an original cover page.
• come up with a title for her/his book.
• share his/her book with classmates.

In addition, you might videotape the students' oral presentations and create a CD of the best books and/or book pages.

This lesson is a nice self-esteem builder. It can also make a good getting-to-know-you activity at the start of the school year.

Assessment

Submitted By

Leah Bivins, Colfax Elementary School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania