Overall, students will develop oral vocabulary necessary to critically analyze photographs and therefore strengthening this strategy to transfer to other areas of study.
Unit Objectives
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· The students will examine and discuss a variety of photographs.
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· Through carefully guided discussion, the students will evaluate the photographs to discover how and why the image was taken.
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· The students will create a visual and written account of their own lives.
Using photographs
Photographs are a universal medium that everyone can relate to. People collect pictures of moments to remember in their lives, or display pictures that somehow reflect something personal about them. As one flips through a stack of photos, many memories ascend. Children are no different. Children collect images that show milestones in their own lives or to remember people and places that mean something to them.
Our children are surrounded by images every day. They have simple icons they can recognize like the "Golden Arches" or the square form of a favorite sea-dwelling cartoon character. Children register several messages with a simple glance at it these types of images. There is no need for the child to pause and interpret the image. However, photographs, even in our personal collections, require a deeper viewing for a better understanding of the image.
Photographs can elicit many responses and trigger discussion among a group that may need some coercing to speak. They are not as straightforward as they seem. They are excellent open-ended resource; there classroom implications are endless. Since the population in this class is comprised of many English language learners, photographs are the perfect medium to extract oral production.
Examining the Photographs
Several images have been chosen to evaluate during this unit. The images are all of children engaging in work, leisure or play. Some photographs were chosen for their 'shock' value or for the depiction of visual content. The photographs all include a subject that interests children. The students can relate to the subject matter, they see themselves mirrored in the curriculum and this makes the learning more meaningful. Since the students in my classroom are primarily Hispanic and black, some images have been chosen that represent their culture. The photographs can be changed to reflect the culture in any classroom, or to introduce a new culture.
These images will be shown either using an LCD projector, on large posters or regular snapshot size pictures depending on the learning activity. Each image can be grouped with several other images, and this unit is not limited to only the ones described below. Many of the images are of some sort of historic interest, so a discussion or background information into some of these images is necessary. Students will want to know when a picture was taken and why some of the images serve a purpose to the viewer. This can be either explained to the students or they can research information on their own.
Lewis Hine: Sadie Pfeifer, 48 Inches Tall
Taken in November of 1908 this photograph shows a girl at work. These types of photographs were part of an effort to end child labor. Several photojournalists including Lewis Wickes Hine took pictures documenting the exploitation of this group. Children, many of which are under the age of ten are shown working in textile mills, coal mines and sweat shops. Several pictures were taken at this time showing children in various deplorable conditions
This is a photograph of a little girl working on a textile machine. The machine extends from the left side of the photo and disappears into the background, behind the girl's head. The image shows a row of windows behind the girl, undoubtibly illuminating her machine as she works. Her hand, which is completely in focus, touches the machine almost in the center of the photograph. She stands several feet down from another worker, possibly a supervisor. She is facing the camera showing a tattered dress and a face that looks beyond her years.
When children in second grade view this photo, they are able to tell you what the initially see, but in order to get the students to develop a deeper understanding of this image, and a method to explore other images later on in this unit, the teacher must guide the first viewing. This image has a certain 'shock value' and that is why it should be shown first. As they view the photograph they will be encouraged to guess what this child's life is like.
This image will be shown alone, using an LCD projector. By enlarging the image the students can visually examine and reflect on the photograph, rather then glance at the image and toss it aside. As a larger image several aspects of the photography become more noticeable.
Before the students are exposed to this picture, it is necessary to review how they are going to view the image. A mini-lesson on looking versus glancing using various iconic symbols can be used. The teacher can flash a few cards with pictures of McDonald's golden arches or cereal boxes and ask the students what they are. Then the teacher can show a picture briefly (perhaps one of Lewis Hine himself taking a photograph of children) and ask the students what that was. Most likely the students will be unable to give an answer as strong as the first two answers. The teacher should show the students how important it is to look at all parts of the photograph as well as the whole photograph.
When the photograph is first introduced, the students should take one or two minutes to view the picture without saying a word. This is to give them time to absorb the entirety of the image without bias from other viewers. They won't have to sway their attention to what the speaker is saying. Then the students should be given one question to discuss with a partner. The question is: "What do you see here?"
As the students discuss the picture, the teacher can mingle among the students asking questions, or probing further into the student's thought. The teacher can ask the students' to describe what they think is happening here, and to explain why they think so. What is it about the photo that makes them think one thing or another? There may be several questions coming from the dyads and as they ask, the teacher can write them down to be posted. These questions generated by the students themselves are excellent interjections into conversations later when discussions begin to dull.
John Gutmann: The Artist Lives Dangerously (1938)
The next photograph to be highlighted is a photo titled
The Artist Lives Dangerously
by John Gutmann. This picture shows a boy drawing in chalk in the parking lane of the street. There is a car passing him as he draws his figure of a man on the pavement. The figure accompanied by a smaller figure of what can be viewed as a child who is standing with the man.
This picture is chosen for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is a picture of a child doing a common activity that children do, although the picture was taken during another time period. Present day students can relate to this. Also, the child seems to be about seven or eight years old and is drawing a recognizable figure on the street.
The picture is also interesting because of the location and composition of the photograph. The figure in the photograph is almost more visible than the child drawing it. It is almost as if the boy is part of the street and the figure is not.
Students can relate to this photograph. They've drawn on sidewalks and driveways with chalk, so they will find this boy's actions familiar. Students will probably notice the obvious: the child is on the street, not on the sidewalk. The title of the photograph should be highlighted as the students discuss the picture in a small group. The car passing in the photograph looks as if it is terribly close to the child. This photograph can generate several questions and much discussion.
Alan Lomax: Mexican Girls, San Antonio, Texas and Jack Delano: Children in slum, Utuado, Puerto Rico
These two photographs were chosen to use as a comparison exercise to generate discussion and analyze. Alan Lomax took the first photograph in 1934 and it is of two girls dancing in San Antonio, Texas. The girls look about ten to twelve years old and are wearing dresses with white socks and Mary Jane style shoes. One girl is hopping with a foot out in front of her and the other looks as if she has just finishing moving, as her dress is still blown up in movement.
The expression on the girls' faces is the reason for the picture being chosen. Both girls have an expression of slight amusement, but they seem to be serious about their role in the picture. It seems as if someone told them to dance and that the picture was very important. They are standing straight up, looking directly at the camera.
The second picture is of two Puerto Rican children taken by Jack Delano in 1942. The two girls stand against the boards of the side of a house. The resolution of the picture is so clear, one can see the grain of the wood and almost feel what the girls feel as they lean against the house. One girl looks about six years old and the other looks about three. They are wearing tattered dresses, but seem to have the most genuine grin, as if someone had just told them something very flattering.
Both of these photographs have a certain 'feel' to them. Although the younger girls in the slum are wearing tattered dresses and the word 'slum' is used to describe it, the girls seem happy and loved. The girls in the Lomax photograph seem neat and clean, as if they are at a party. Both photographs have a familiar feel to them, almost like they are part of the viewers family and this is a photograph of a family event.
These pictures can be used to compare the subjects and compositions of the photos. The pictures are both of two girls, apparently from the same time period, but are so drastically different. There are the obvious reasons such as the age and dress of the girls, but there is also a difference in resolution, use of shadow and light, and point to which the eyes are drawn. The students can compare these two photographs and discuss them using questions they generate themselves and those the teacher facilitates during the discussions between partners.
Artist Unknown: Dr. Martin Luther King and the Children's Crusade
During the civil rights movement, children played an important role in the struggle for freedom. Children were called upon to protest against segregation and they showed extraordinary courage under very dangerous circumstances. Children as young as six years old were imprisoned for protesting or pummeled with high powered water hoses as they peacefully demonstrated resistance and civil disobedience. There are several images that were recently made available from an Alabama newspaper. However, it is a picture of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. walking with children that will be the introductory photograph for discussion followed by one of the Alabama newspaper images.
This picture was taken with Dr. King and several other African American and white adults and their children. They are shown walking in the street and the line of people seems endless. Dr. King has his arms on the back of two of the three children and they are holding notebooks and a briefcase. The children's faces show expressions of fortitude, just as the adults who are walking behind him. The picture is taken at an angle that makes Dr. King and the rest of the followers seem larger in the head and shoulder area and smaller or shorter in the legs and feet area. It is almost as if the picture were taken from the back of a truck and the photographer is placed much higher than the subjects and is shooting down.
It is assumed that students in the second grade already know Dr. Martin Luther King by sight. It is unfortunate if they don't, but it does happen and perhaps before the discussion of this photograph the teacher can review with the students this important contributor to the civil rights movement and his accomplishments in American history.
This picture should be discussed with the teacher in a small group. The teacher with a group of four or five students can discuss what they are seeing in the picture. Since the students have already discussed the first image, the teacher can use some of the questioning techniques from the first viewing to promote discussion of this photograph.
This picture should be coupled with the second picture of this movement period, the photograph of children being sprayed by a high-powered water hose. In this picture children about high school age are running from a fire hose being sprayed at them. As stated before this picture was recently released with a collection of staff photos taken during this struggle. Children played an active role during this movement. Not only did they support adults as they challenged the laws and customs of Alabama, they risked their lives to during the events of that time.
Artist Unknown: John F. Kennedy Jr. Salutes His Father
Many Americans alive in the 1960's can remember the day John F. Kennedy was shot and the image of his son saluting him as his casket moved by during the funeral procession. There are many images of this child's pose and the one that has been chosen for this unit includes JFK Jr. standing next to his mother and sister. Included in the image are several of his family members behind him, as well as some servicemen.
This image tells a story even to those who are unfamiliar with it. John F. Kennedy Jr,'s mother is standing next to him dressed in black. Jacqueline Kennedy has a black veil draped over her head indicating a mournful stance. Although she is centered in the photograph, it is clearly John F. Kennedy Jr. who is the subject. He is wearing a light blue coat, and seems to be standing a foot in front of the line of his mother and sister. This three year old is not holding his mothers hand, as most small boys would. His stance is that of a soldier. One hand is saluting, while the other is straight down the side of his body.
The students should examine this picture as partners or in small groups with the teacher. Since Jacqueline Kennedy is in the picture and is draped in black, the students can discuss when this picture was taken, what may be going on and why this photo is so famous. Other images of the Kennedy family can be included when examining this photograph, so the students can get an idea of how the Kennedy family was in constant public view. They were one of the first examples of image quality in a now highly visible world. (Lubin, 2006)