Understanding Community through Pictures

1. Understanding Community through Pictures Abby Baker October 15, 2011

2. Why community? • Classroom community can evolve from learning about each student’s community. • Pictures can help define a community through its problems and strengths. • Defining community through pictures can enhance the pride a student feels for his/her home. • Cultural traditions • Heritage and symbols • Clothing, family, religion, foods

3. The Lesson: Writing • Begin by having students write about their community. • Their audience: An unknowing reader • Provide a sample for students, perhaps one about your own community or the community where you grew up. (You will compose one today that you may want to use!)

4. Composing Community: • Describe your community using your five senses: • What does it look like? (Use rich adjectives) • What sounds do you hear? (During the day? At night?) • What smells remind you of your community? • What do you see on a daily basis? (Use explicit descriptions since your audience is unknowing) • What do you touch in your community? (literal or figuratively speaking)

5. The Lesson: Choosing Triggers • Next, ask students to circle triggers in their writing of things they could safely photograph. • Students should then make a T-chart of everything they can think of in their community. • Likes Dislikes

6. The Lesson: Photographs • Students choose 3-5 items to photo (from their writing and/or list) • For things that are difficult to photograph (i.e. drug use), students can take pictures of the effects of the item. (i.e. the effects of drug use)

7. The Lesson: Learning about each other’s community • Students then choose from the photos 5 that tell the story about their community. Arrange in a sequence to create a narrative • Students assemble pictures from all students into one big pile. • List themes and controversial issues (on board or projector, have students complete first, then go over as a class)

8. Creating a story from pictures: • Using the sample set of photos below (pretend they have been placed in narrative sequence), write the story of the pictures.

9. Extension Activities: • Create a story for a partner’s picture narrative. • Create a second story for your narrative, but from a different perspective (a visitor from another country, a police officer, a mother, etc.) • Swap photos and create a fictional sequence and story about a place unknown to them.

10. Questions??