Over the summer, our middle school relocated to a newer building. This would be our first year in the new location. With that in mind, we wanted to do something special to orient the students and ourselves to the building and incorporate the curricular strands. As a result, the photo essay project was created. This project required the students to compile a photo documentary using the five themes of geography (they were learning this in social studies). They were placed into cooperative learning groups of three to four students and provided a detailed list of instructions that included sample photo essays.
How did we begin? We started with quotes related to photography and then moved on to show the students sample photo essays. We discussed the significance of photographs with famous examples. The goals of this project were to practice subject-verb agreement, analyze and critique both print and non-print sources, collaborative learning, and become more oriented with the school. We developed students' writing skills as they were required to say a lot with only a few words. It also became interdisciplinary because we added the five themes of geography component to the requirements.
How did it all come together? Well, we asked the students to decide who would bring in the digital camera and if they did not have one, we used ours or borrowed from the school's resources. Each group had at least one camera to take pictures with and when finished, we uploaded those photos to our share drive at school. I know what you are thinking, "How many computers did that take?" Well, my classroom is a one computer classroom, so we had to schedule lab time or add photos one group at a time on my computer. We also used Google Docs for students to upload photos from home and share with group members.
This project turned out really well, and the students became more critical of word choice and application. In addition, they worked on their collaborative group skills and became more familiar with the school.
Quotes we used for the discussion seminar: The camera can photograph thought. ~Dirk BogardeA photograph is memory in the raw. ~Carrie Latet
A picture is worth a thousand words; a slide show is both. ~Author Unknown
Sample photoessay used as an example: (There were some "don't"s included in this because we used it to discuss design elements as well as how to create the photoessay.)
How did we begin? We started with quotes related to photography and then moved on to show the students sample photo essays. We discussed the significance of photographs with famous examples. The goals of this project were to practice subject-verb agreement, analyze and critique both print and non-print sources, collaborative learning, and become more oriented with the school. We developed students' writing skills as they were required to say a lot with only a few words. It also became interdisciplinary because we added the five themes of geography component to the requirements.
How did it all come together? Well, we asked the students to decide who would bring in the digital camera and if they did not have one, we used ours or borrowed from the school's resources. Each group had at least one camera to take pictures with and when finished, we uploaded those photos to our share drive at school. I know what you are thinking, "How many computers did that take?" Well, my classroom is a one computer classroom, so we had to schedule lab time or add photos one group at a time on my computer. We also used Google Docs for students to upload photos from home and share with group members.
This project turned out really well, and the students became more critical of word choice and application. In addition, they worked on their collaborative group skills and became more familiar with the school.
Our planning process:
Quotes we used for the discussion seminar:
The camera can photograph thought. ~Dirk BogardeA photograph is memory in the raw. ~Carrie Latet
A picture is worth a thousand words; a slide show is both. ~Author Unknown
Poignant photos used for class discussion:
Tips for Photoessays:
Sample photoessay using the 5 themes of Geography:
Sample photoessay used as an example: (There were some "don't"s included in this because we used it to discuss design elements as well as how to create the photoessay.)
The assignment:
The rubric:
Student sample: