Why we Look the Way we do, and How to Represent

Diversity in art

Objective: To show students variations in human features, explain why there’s

such variation, and how to represent them in drawings.

Materials/Equipment: Google Slides, drawing app (if the student owns

an iPad or drawing tablet) or pencil and paper, reference pictures, phones (to
search for reference pictures)
Instruction: 1. Tell the students what we’re going to be doing in class that
day, asking them to be respectful of the subject matter and of others.
2. PowerPoint
2a. Go over the fact that people are different
2b. See why people are different in the sense of height, skin color, and
body shape
2c. Talk about diverse characters and color-coded characters
4. Introduce the assignment
5. Let students work on assignment for the rest of class

Closure: Everybody is different, and representation is important. Students

and adults alike need to learn about people who aren’t like them.

Evaluation: Students have to design a character based on a region or ethnic

group. Students will have to identify the ethnicity/region they chose, and will
have to use reference pictures that focus on things like skin tone, facial features,
and height. Students’ characters don’t necessarily have to dress as if they were
still in that region (ex. Somebody from Africa who moved to America and
converted to Islam, so they dress modestly while following American trends, or
somebody from Sweden moving to the Carribean islands, so they wear
less/cooler clothes than they would back home, and maybe they have tan lines).