LESSON 1
ABOUT ME

Who am I?

1. To have students practice using the present tense conjugation of the verb to be with adjectives, play the “I am, He/She is” memorization game.
2. Have students sit in a big circle so that each student can see one another.
3. Tell students to think of an adjective to describe themselves.
4. One student in the circle should start by saying his or her name and one adjective to describe himself or herself. For example: “My name is Josie. I am happy.” The person next in the circle repeats what the first student says and then adds his or her own introduction. For example: “This is Josie. She is happy. My name is Raul. I am funny.”
5. The game keeps going around the circle with each student repeating what has been said by changing the verb tense of to be and then contributing his or her own introduction.
6. Tell students they cannot repeat an adjective already used.

1. A portrait is a work of art that shows a person (usually the person’s face). Show students examples of portraits. Examples are provided on page 17.
2. Tell students they will be drawing their own self-portraits. Ask students to think about how a self-portrait can reflect different moods or attitudes. To provide examples, show students the images at the end of this lesson. Ask students how each of these images differ and what each one conveys.
   Optional Extension:
   a. If available, bring mirrors to the classroom, or ask students to bring small mirrors from home, and place them around the classroom for students to look at and study their features before they begin drawing.

   b. Elicit from students vocabulary for facial features, such as eyes, nose, ears, lips, cheeks, and teeth.

   c. Have students draw their portrait on a piece of paper.

   d. If resources are available, have students add color to their portraits with crayons, markers, or colored pencils.

1. When students are finished with their portraits, divide the students into small groups.
2. Tape the drawings on the board or classroom wall.
3. Assign each group three or four drawings to look at. Students should consider the mood of the person displayed in the portrait and then write speech bubbles for their assigned portraits.
   
4. Have students write their speech bubble on a piece of paper, cut it out, and tape it to the portrait. Refer to the speech bubble example to the right. If available, use sticky notes for this activity.
5. Have students walk around the room reading the speech bubbles the other groups have added to the portraits.
6. Take down the speech bubbles and assign each group new portraits to create speech bubbles for.

1. Tell students they will create an “I Am” bio-poem to accompany their portrait. They should not write their names on this poem.
2. Write questions on the board to help students brainstorm ideas for their bio-poem. Prompts might include:
   What are three adjectives that describe you?
   What are the names of your family members?
   What are three things you like?
   What are three things you dislike?
3. Have students answer the prompts orally.
4. If desired, ask students to share or compare their answers to the questions.
5. Next, show students the pattern for a bio-poem. Reproduce the pattern on the next page on the board for students to copy, or duplicate the blank pattern at the end of this activity in the Reproducible Worksheets section.
6. If needed, review or teach the present tense conjugation of the verb to be.
   To be
   I am
   you are
   he/she/it is
   we are
   you are
   they are
7. With students, brainstorm a list of adjectives that describe people and that can be used with the verb to be. Tell students to think about adjectives that were used in the first activity, the “I am, He/she is” memorization game. The brainstormed adjectives can be used in “I Am” bio-poems.
   Examples of Personality Adjectives
   clean
   messy
   happy
   sad
   grumpy
   rude
   smart
   hungry
   young
   old
   funny
   friendly
   polite
   selfish
   *NOTE: The adjectives above may not fit the level and needs of your students. Modify as needed.
8. Have students write their bio-poems.
   Bio-Poem Pattern

   Line 1:	I am _______________, _______________, _______________, and ______________.
   	(Write four traits that describe you. For example: kind, honest, playful, or serious.)
   Line 2:	I like ________, ________, and ________.
   	(Write three things, people, ideas, or places that you like.)
   Line 3:	I feel ________, ________, and ________.
   	(Write three emotions.)
   Line 4:	I am afraid of ________, ________, and ________.
   	(Write three things you are afraid of.)
   Line 5:	I want to see ________, ________, and _________.
   	(Write three things or places you would like to see.)
   Line 6:	I live in _______________.
   	(Write the place you live.)
   Line 7:	I am _______________, _______________, _______________, and ______________.
   	(Repeat the four traits that describe you. For example: kind, honest, playful, or serious.)
   Line 8:	I am _______________.
   	(Repeat Line 1).

   ^* Adapted from “Biopoem,” p. 51, Writing Simple Poems, by Vicki L. Holmes and Margaret R. Moulton
9. If needed, add or delete lines of the poem to make the poem suitable for the level of your students.
10. Collect the bio-poems and then re-distribute them to each student, making sure that students do not receive their own poems.
11. Have students read the poems.
12. If necessary, review “Do you?” and ”Are you?” question prompts. Write these two phrases on the board. Have students practice these prompts with the person sitting next to them for two minutes.
13. Have students go around the room to look for the person the poem describes by using the prompts above.
14. Once students find their partners, have students make mini-presentations about their partner, practicing to be. (For example: “This is Jane. She is kind, honest, and playful.”)
15. To complete this activity, have students take turns telling the teacher one thing they learned about someone else today.

SKETCHES & PORTRAITS

ALL ABOUT YOU! BIO-POEM

My Bio-Poem