A step-by-step self-portrait lesson helped students with their listening skills, following directions, expanding their art vocabulary, and using a variety of art media and techniques. This article describes a simple lesson that enabled a teacher to have an excellent relationship with her first grade students. The teacher who wrote this article found that guiding students learning, making them individually responsible for their own behavior, and giving them a chance to discover new concepts on their own went a long way toward establishing a controlled and interactive learning environment.