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Using Photo Essays to Promote Organizational Writing
E. Francine Guastello
Most Holy Trinity School, Brooklyn, New York
Subject: Language Arts/Social Studies
Grade: 6-7
"Feelings of accomplishment and pleasure were derived from
viewing their photos.... The photos served as a means of communicating
ideas visually and then transferring these thoughts to writing."
Purpose and Description of Project
Francine Guastello used photo essays as a means of assisting students
who speak English as a second language in writing social studies
compositions. Students first photographed life in their inner-city
neighborhood of Williamsburg. The sixth-grade students photographed
the school principal during a typical day, community helpers,
and problem spots in the community. The seventh graders photographed
classmates during a typical school day, local architecture, and
activities during which the school serviced the community. Students
in the sixth grade used their photos to write compositions about
their three topics; the seventh graders wrote on the same topics
without seeing the photos. Next, the procedure was reversed for
the topics photographed by the seventh graders. At each stage
the compositions of the two groups were compared to see if Guastello's
hypothesis was valid: that students would write more effectively
using photographs as a guide.
Activities
Sixth graders were divided into three groups, each being assigned
a topic to photograph. One group accompanied the principal during
her daily tasks, asking questions and taking pictures as they
went. They arranged the photos in sequential order for the narrative
discourse pattern on a photo chart which they used to explain
the principal's function to the entire class. To gather photos
for the second topic, "Problems in Williamsburg," the
entire class toured the neighborhood where the assigned group
of students photographed very depressed sites. Students met with
crossing guards and visited the local fire and police stations,
the post office, and the library where they photographed individuals
at work and asked questions about each community helper's responsibilities.
Seventh graders were also divided into three topic groups. The
entire class walked through the neighborhood while students photographed
different types of buildings for "Architecture in Williamsburg.''
Materials, Resources, and Expenses
Guastello's students used 20 Kodak
cameras
and 20 rolls of 126
film
which were commercially developed. Pieces of oaktag
and markers were used to construct the photo charts.
Employees of the City of Williamsburg served as the essential
human resources. School staff members also provided the students
with valuable information. Guastello asked several teachers outside
the school to evaluate the quality of the students' writing.
Outcomes and Adaptability
According to Guastello, "Teacher evaluation and student self-reports
revealed that the task of writing flowed more easily when aided
by the photos which provided students with detailed content and
organization." Because the photos helped make the students'
experiences concrete rather than abstract, their essays contained
details and facts organized in a coherent manner. She notes that,
"Our students no longer fear writing or experience the frustration
of, 'I can't think of anything to write."'
In carrying out the project, students also learned a great deal
about their community and its people, their own role in maintaining
a safe and clean environment, and the function of their school
and its staff. Because this was the first time many of the students
had used cameras, this, too, was a learning adventure.
Guastello feels the project can and should be duplicated by any
teacher interested in improving students' oral and written discourse.