This lesson was created by educator Raksha Joshi and artist Monica Jahan Bose and is appropriate for students in Grades 3-8. In addition, this lesson can be adapted to both an in-person or remote classroom environment. In this lesson, educators will have access to an art-making lesson that connects personal memoir and self-expression. The art-making steps for this lesson includes how to write a six-word memoir based of a personal object and a co-created fabric scroll representing individual identity and classroom community.  

This lesson includes: 

• A broad overview of the big idea and goals 
• Detailed steps for a two-part lesson
• Guiding questions for discussions with students 
• Recommendations for art materials and picture books 
• Links to works of art by Monica Jahan Bose 
• Social Emotional Learning graphics 

This collection is a part of the “Making Art + Global Interconnections” module series presented by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access. To learn more about the project and to see other collections, please visit https://smithsonianapa.org/learn/making-art/. 

This project is supported by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative.