In this art and career guidance workshop, guided by the evocative illustrations and words of the picture book “Io e la mia scelta” (My Choice) by Yle Gao, we addressed the themes of personal growth and self-awareness. Through the use of visual metaphors and pop-up techniques with 6th-grade students, we transformed abstract concepts like desires, fears, skills, and future choices into a true three-dimensional paper sculpture. An interdisciplinary project combining artistic expression, critical reflection, and civic education, allowing each of us to explore our unique, ever-evolving identity.
Required Materials:
- Picture book “Io e la mia scelta” by Yle Gao
- Colored cardstock of various thicknesses
- Drawing paper
- Markers, colored pencils, and black permanent fine-liners
- Scissors and glue
- Ruler, pencil, and eraser
To begin our project, we looked at the cover of the picture book, letting ourselves be challenged by the title and images to form initial hypotheses about the book’s theme. Next, we read the story once to grasp the plot, and a second time focusing on the details and visual language of the illustrations.
After reading, we had a class brainstorming session guided by a few inspiring questions: I asked students about the daily choices they have to make at their age, from the simplest to the most important. Together, we reflected on how we feel when faced with choices, uncertainty, the fear of making a mistake, or having too many (or too few) options.
Below you will find the lesson plan carried out in class with the guiding questions and steps in Italian language (let me know if you need the translation):
Inspired by the main character of the book, who chooses a small seed to cultivate, we began designing our own personal seed. On one half of a 24×33 cm drawing sheet, we drew and cut out a shaped, intricate seed shell, choosing a maximum of 4 main colors (optionally, you can enrich the decoration using mixed media and adding different materials like textures, threads, beads, and foil paper to represent the origin of our personality).
From inside the seed, we sprouted our imaginary plant, drawing its shape completely freely and unrealistically while keeping the palette of 4 colors chosen at the beginning. The constraint imposed by the size of the pop-up card is that the plant must be a MAXIMUM of 11 cm tall. Through the shape of the plant, we gave physical form to our growth journey: straight, twisted, branched, or linear depending on how each of us perceives the path toward their goals. On the branches, we integrated whimsical flowers, leaves, and fruits, letting ourselves be inspired by the shapes, colors, and graphic elements of the seed to give voice to our desires, dreams, and even uncertainties about the future.
We then moved on to constructing the pop-up card structure. We used two pieces of colored cardstock: an outer one for the cover, onto which we glued our seed, and an inner one where we cut the classic step fold that allows the plant to rise up whenever the card opens.
Finally, we assembled all the three-dimensional elements on the pop-up base and completed our artwork by writing the guided statement on the card: “My choice is…” and “My choice makes me feel…”. Even if the final plant turned out different from how we originally imagined it, we learned to embrace and value it, because it represents our identity and our very own personal journey of growth.
