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Communication Through Photography

Ellen L. Milgrim
Susan T. Blevins, Stetson Middle School, West Chester, Pennsylvania,

Subject: Language Arts/Interdisciplinary Grade: 8

"The students' positive attitude toward the project caused improvement in writing skills and goal-oriented behavior. The disparity in ages did not hinder productive communication."

Purpose and Description of Project

Susan Blevins' three eighth-grade communications classes participated in this three-week project. During this time students analyzed photos, which were used to complete a group story with photo. The project was designed to develop skills in and positive attitudes toward reading, writing, and oral presentations, and to encourage students to work together in a cooperative, noncompetitive manner.

Activities

A local newspaper photographer kicked off the unit with a discussion of photographic techniques, career opportunities, and his personal experiences. He also explained the use of his own equipment as well as the cameras that the 53 students would use during the project. As a class, they critiqued the writing of newspaper articles, headlines, and captions, looking for clarity, interest, and inclusion of vital information; they judged whether or not the photos conveyed the intended message. During the individual critiques, they separated each photo from its article, and wrote their own versions of the caption and article; then they read and evaluated the actual articles and captions.

The students divided themselves into groups of three or four and selected a topic for their group's article and photo. Each group had access to a Kodak camera, which the members used to take individual photos related to their topic; the group selected the best individual photo for the final project. Each group member wrote an individual article to accompany the photo. The group combined the best elements from each individual story into a group story. Finally, each group presented its work to the whole class, which critiqued the results using the same criteria as they did for the professional newspaper articles.

Materials, Resources, and Expenses

The local newspaper photographers helped to introduce the photography unit while several school staff members served as subjects for the students' articles and photos.

Outcomes and Adaptability

Milgrim and Blevins noted a number of important positive outcomes from the project:

Milgrim and Blevins state, "The success of this project, with regard to both affective and achievement domains and with a diverse population, indicates that it could easily be replicated or adapted in other instructional settings with a variety of student populations." The teachers suggest that adaptations could be made due to limited equipment and resources, but believe that any adaptations necessary to accommodate other student populations would be minimal because of their previous success with such a diverse group. Special Education students and lower academic achievers had equal opportunities for success.

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