Unit sequence
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1. Introduction: the students will identify the essential elements of the photograph as they develop the skills needed to examine the pictures throughout the unit.
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2. Essential Questions: the students will use essential questions in guided discussion to evaluate the images.
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3. Application of Skills: the students will apply observational skills to cooperative learning activities.
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4. Synthesis of Unit: the students will create photo stories illustrating their lives using the styles of photography studied.
Activity plan: Introduction to unit
Content Objective:
The students will examine two photographs.
The student will compare common visual images to the photographs.
Language Objective:
The students will discuss a photograph as they view it.
The students will generate a list of questions and strategies of how to view the image.
Procedure:
To demonstrate to the students that they have memorized many images, the teacher should flash a few images to the students, in a whole group and elicit responses. Images should include those that the students see everyday, for example, McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, Sponge-Bob Square-Pants, and other such images that the students instantly know. Then the teacher should explain that sometimes, when we look at pictures, we need to stop and give it a "closer look." The picture of Lewis Hine should be flashed to the student in the same amount of time as the icon images. The teacher then asks the students what they saw. As the student realize that they haven't seen enough the teacher should further explain that some photographs are important enough to look at a different way.
Since this unit allows students to reflect on their view of the world, the students will begin by learning how to examine the photograph. In a whole group, the students will look at the photograph, which ideally would be enlarged and projected using an LCD projector. This allows the entire class to participate and for those students that may be reluctant they can listen as the class generates questions and explores the photograph beyond the initial or superficial glance.
During this lesson,
Sadie Pfeifer, 48 Inches Tall
should be viewable by the whole class. Firstly the students should take one minute to look at the picture. This should be timed. Then they should discuss with a partner what they see. The teacher should circulate through the group listening to the students as they talk about the image. After a few minutes, the teacher should ask the students to tell the group what they see. The teacher should introduce the essential questions, or the questions that will be asked during the entire unit. The teacher should ask the students those questions in reference to this photograph but should also tell the students these questions will be used every time they view a photograph. The students may be able to generate their own questions. The following list is only a preliminary list. Other questions can (and should) be added to it.
List of Essential Questions:
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1. What do you see? Describe everything you see in the photograph.
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2. Why do you think the person/people in the photograph are doing, thinking, looking at, and saying?
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3. Why did the photographer take this picture? What was the photographer thinking?
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4. Why do you think this photograph is special? Why would someone hang this on a wall?
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* Questions are simple, but open-ended to produce conversation.
Activity plan: Essential questions
Content Objectives:
The students will apply the essential questions as they view a photograph.
Language Objective:
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The students will practice discussing the photographs in a small group.
The students will record their impression of the photograph.
Procedure:
Students should meet with the teacher for an instructional conversation. While the rest of the class is engaged in activity centers, the teacher should meet with no more than four students to guide them in an exploration of the photograph. The teacher should first review the essential questions with the students. Perhaps posting the questions on chart paper for the students to refer to during the conversation will stimulate the natural flow of the conversation.
The teacher should introduce the photograph
The Artist Lives Dangerously
, by John Gutmann. This photograph should be reproduced so each student has a copy to hold in his or her hands and examine. Within the small group, the teacher is the facilitator, navigating the conversation so all students have an opportunity to speak and all students answer the essential questions. During the course of the conversation, very often students will generate their own questions or critique of the photograph. This is the foundation of the unit. The students should be encouraged to record their thoughts in a journal, possibly with the reproduction of the image affixed to the page.
This activity can be used several times before the students participate in a cooperative learning activity. When the teacher is present in the small group, much of the necessary modeling and practice for independent work can be mastered. The other photographs highlighted in this unit can be used with the groups, until the students have mastered not only the procedure for examining the photograph, but the mere skill of listening and participating as a valued member of a learning community.
Activity plan: Application of skills
Content Objective:
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The students will compare two images to identify similarities and differences.
Language Objective:
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The students will discuss their comparison of the images.
Procedure:
At this point in the sequence of the unit the student have evaluated several photographs now have the necessary skills to examine the photograph with a critical eye. The students will now compare two photographs to examine their similarities and differences. This activity can be done in a number of ways, however the students will gain so much language development if they are allowed to work together to produce a graphic organizer such as a Venn diagram outlining the photographs. The students will work in groups of four and will be responsible for producing the graphic organizer. They will be responsible for a visual representation of the graphic organizer as well as an oral portion. The teacher can either require that they students present the graphic organizer or simply observe students as they work collaboratively.
Activity plan: Synthesis of Unit.
Content Objective
The students will create a short photo essay illustrating their environment using the styles of the photographers studied.
Language Objective
The students will prepare and present a short explanation of their photo essay to the class.
Procedure
Since the student have now examined, interpreted, compared and evaluated photographs from different periods, the students by now will be eager to record and share their world. This portion of the unit not only requires student to self reflect, but it can also serve as an assessment piece. When the students finish their projects, the teacher can evaluate the images the students have chosen to share but also their in-class presentation can give the teacher an indication of the students' oral development.
Depending on the budget, this activity can be done in one of two ways. One way is to ask students to choose photographs they have taken themselves to present to the class. The students should be told that the pictures must be able to answer the essential questions and they must be taken by them. This presents a few problems. Students are tempted to bring in pictures of themselves, so they can share an important event in their lives with their friends. Although this activity is valuable, it is not part of the purpose of this unit.
Since I work in a low socio-economic area, funds to buy each student a camera can be hard to come by. A call to a national retail chain may help absorb some of the cost of disposable cameras, and perhaps asking the PTO to fund the remainder of the project. Some parents may be able to donate a camera, and fund-raising can provide additional finances. Each student should have their own camera with a minimum of 12 exposures.
The students should review each of the previous activities, the essential questions and all the photographs explored throughout the unit. Then, students should be instructed on how they are going to document their world. The students should be reminded that a good photographer does not simply take a snapshot of their family and friends. Photographers carefully examine their surroundings and finds what represents their portrayal of the world. An interesting photograph leads the observer to look closely and critically at the image.
The students should be given a camera and told to take pictures of their surrounding world. Their assignment is to document their world, what they see everyday, what they want to share with everyone that tells the observer about them. Out of twelve photographs, the students should pick their five favorite pictures, caption them with any description and mount. The photographs can be presented to the class in a formal presentation or they can be displayed like a gallery where family and friends can view the students work and listen to the presentations.
An example of this project can be found at www.cap.ac.uk/.