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Photography in the Elementary School
Jane E. Johnston
Arthur Circle School, Shreveport, Louisiana
Subject: Language Arts
Grade: 5
"This project helped the children to see that there are other
ways than oral reports and posters to present material."
Purpose and Description of Project
Jane Johnston's students learned how to operate a
35 mm camera,
take black-and-white pictures, and critique photographic quality
as preparation for learning to develop slide presentations with
scripts. It was Johnston's goal to help these students-all part
of the school's Discoveries Unlimited program for high-achievers-become
aware of the value of all kinds of media for communicating information,
including that involved in their school assignments and projects.
"The students began by taking black-and-white photos around
the school and, once they felt secure in their new talents, went
on to taking slides about school activities of particular interest
to them. They then wrote accompanying scripts including both description
and dialogue, evaluated each other's presentations, and then shared
the slide shows with the whole school.
Activities
Students first made a pinhole camera to see how an image is made on
film,
and then were taught camera use and photographic techniques
by an instructor of photography from Louisiana State University
and by a professional photographer. They tried out their skills
by taking five photos each around the school, critiqued each other's
work and were advised by the professional photographer, and applied
what they had learned in taking five more pictures. They also
learned how to develop film.
In preparation for their slide presentations, the students also
practiced writing dialogue, wrote mini-slide presentations about
pre-existing slides, and divided into groups of three or four
to decide on topics. They decided to focus on activities going
on at the school and made checklists of the pictures they would
need for their presentations.
Once the slides had been taken and developed, the students wrote
their scripts and organized their slides to correlate with the
scripts. After the class evaluated each other's work, the presentations
were shared with the rest of the school.
Materials, Resources, and Expenses
Human resources were the photography instructor and professional
photographer who taught the children about camera use and how
to evaluate the elements of good pictures. Equipment and materials
included two 35 mm cameras, KODAK TRI-X Pan Film, KODAK EKTACHROME 200 Slide Film, a flash unit, a slide projector, and a slide table.
Outcomes and Adaptability
Johnston says that she "saw many wonderful things come out
of this project. I saw children who were afraid to pick up a camera,
afraid that their pictures weren't going to come out. Children
who at first didn't know what to do, came into my office and begged
to get the camera and go out around the school to take pictures."
She also says that the children's scriptwriting was "much
more creative than I had given them credit for" and that
they completed the projects easily because of their preplanning.
They learned the importance of organization in carrying out a
project and also discovered new ways to express themselves.
The teacher does warn others who would like to do a similar project
that it would be better done with a group of about 10 students
rather than the 25 she worked with. And she also notes that spring
is probably a bad time to try "something as intensive as
this" because of the many other special school activities
scheduled during that time.