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Project Pride

Megan S. Price
Culver Elementary School, Evansville, Indiana

Subject: Language Arts
Grade: 1

"Project Pride caused Culver School to be neater, cleaner, and more organized just by the fact that roving photographers were on the loose!"

Purpose and Description of Project

Megan Price and her 27 first-graders set out to learn more about the operations and personnel of their school and to share what they learned with other students and teachers and the community at large. Their photographic odyssey culminated in the creation of a three-sided mural made up of 4' x 6' display panels with appropriate captions for the 65 color photos covering these panels.

Price's project was designed not just to instill in her students a sense of pride in their school but also to reinforce the importance of the recently completed school as a commitment by the community to an economically depressed area in the inner city. Other goals were to help the first-graders learn about the personnel, services, and special areas of the building; improve the youngsters' language and grammar skills.

In the course of the project, says Price, the students gained skills, confidence, and pride, and other classes became so much involved that they organized special events just to "get in the picture." Their imposing mural now stands in the central entrance of the school and is the center of attention among students, teachers, support staff, parents, and other visitors to the school.

Activities

The project went into action after only five 15-minute discussion/demonstration lessons on camera operation-even though none of the students had ever taken a photograph. Students practiced handling and operating a box camera first, moved on to 35 mm equipment, and then ventured out on their roving reporter assignments (accompanied by an adult).

During their photo excursions, the students took pictures of different areas in the school, of special events, and of people doing things-from lunchroom personnel during food preparation to students using shop equipment and computers. Class discussions were held to plan the subjects needed for the display.

The children were also very much involved in the final selection of shots to be printed from contact sheets. They learned about how to judge technical qualities, such as focus and composition, as well as to suggest how photos should be cropped. An overall selection factor was the relationship of each shot to the theme of school/community pride.

Once the final enlargements for the mural had been printed, the students worked on captions to complement each photo. They had practiced by writing about each photo they had taken. The mural that displayed all their hard work included at least one photo taken by each child and was constructed of three large panels formed in a triangle.

Materials, Resources, and Expenses

In addition to cooperative school personnel, the primary human resource for this project was a nearby university professor who not only loaned the 35 mm camera equipment necessary but processed the film, printed contact sheets, and printed enlargements of various sizes up to 8" x 10." Seven rolls of KODACOLOR 100 and 400 Film were used.

Outcomes and Adaptability

Price reports that her first-graders learned to identify personnel in the school; operate a camera and select photos that are of good quality and convey the desired message; and developed language and grammar skills through writing about their pictures and preparing thank-you notes to those who cooperated with their efforts. The youngsters no longer viewed the school as a huge, impersonal facility," says Price. "They became more concerned about the appearance of the school," she adds, and regularly picked up trash and cleaned writing from walls." In addition, since the school is used for many community functions, the students mural was the topic of much discussion and pride among adults.

Price believes that this kind of project could be valuable for any school as a means of building pride and promoting accomplishments. After all, if first-graders can get the job done, think what exciting modifications older students could come up with.

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