ACTIVITY 1: Brainstorming Session

Objectives:

Students will examine their community from a journalistic perspective. Students will brainstorm a list of interview questions for parents and community members.

Estimated Time Needed for Activity:

One 45-minute class

Notes:

Students may also do this assignment on their own rather than in teams of two.

Addressing Cultural Diversity in the Learning Environment:

• Students will have the opportunity to take a second look at their community through this project.
• Exploring individual family history and learning more about community members will broaden students' knowledge base of family life and culture.
• Encourage students to use their own cultural experiences to celebrate their ideas and perspectives through this project.

Materials Needed for this Activity:

• notebook paper
• pencil

Additional Resources:

• Phone book

Procedure:

1. Before the video ask students, "Do you know what the term 'photo essay' means?"
2. Define photo essay as: Using a sequence of photos which tells a story
3. Students will then watch the video of Oregon photographer and photo essayist, Herman Kreiger.
4. Discuss the artist and his style of photography. (photo essays about local people)
• What style of photography is used in the video?
• How does Herman find the subjects for his photo essays?
• Why do you think Herman Kreiger takes photos?
5. As a class, brainstorm a list of possible jobs in the community to explore for photo essays. Working in teams of two (writer and photographer), students choose their interview assignments- i.e., minister, principal, basketball coach, postmaster, etc. Teams may be student or teacher selected.
6. As a group, brainstorm interview questions for the upcoming assignment.
7. In each case, students will first interview their parents to make them comfortable with the process and to help them learn more clearly what work their parents are involved in. (parent interview is part of activity #2)

Assessment

• Use the Group Discussion Scoring Guide to assess this activity.

Extensions and Adaptations

• Students may:
• work alone rather than a group
• use a tape recorder or video camera for interviews

ACTIVITY 2: People Pictures

Objectives:

• What makes a good "people" picture?
• Review interviewing questions and skills.
• Emphasize: inquiry and organization techniques as students plan their assignments.
• Camera skills: Identify the parts of the camera and demonstrates loading and operating procedures.

Estimated Time Needed for Activity:

60-90 minutes

Notes to Teachers:

Good sources of information about taking good "people" photos may be found at: Kodak.com If needed, enlist the help of a staff member, professional photographer, or newspaper journalist, to instruct students in using camera equipment and taking "people" pictures.

Addressing Cultural Diversity in the Learning Environment:

This unit encourages students to experience storytelling as a visual art form rather than the usual written method. Visual learners will revel in this opportunity while students with other more dominant learning styles may need more encouragement to "step out of the box". Students may be encouraged to refer to their own family cultural experiences for ideas.

Materials Needed for this Activity:

• digital cameras to be shared by students
• students may also bring their own cameras for this project
• tape recorders and cassette tapes
• computer with photo software

Additional Resources:

• Refer to "How to" type photography books for guidance
• Internet sites: Kodak.com

Procedure:

Camera and tape recorder

1. Students will view examples of "what makes a good photo." You may present these in the form of: slides, prints, books or a PowerPoint presentation.
• Discuss: lighting, composition, angle, mood, background, balance, emphasis, foreground, and depth of field.
• Refer to www.Kodak.com for further information if unfamiliar with above listed photo techniques.
2. Discuss how to use a digital camera and download images into student files.
3. Give information about: interviewing skills, writing letters of introduction, meeting people confidently, and developing a questioning strategy.
4. Each student will serve as writer and photographer during this project.
• Writer: Tape record interview
• Photographer: photograph the interviewed person
5. Each student will take 6 photos of the interviewed person. Encourage different angles and composition of the subject. This activity may be done in pairs or alone.
6. Review tape recording procedures. Students may check out recorders from the library or use their own for recording the interviews.
7. Students will contact potential interview subjects by phone to set up an interview time and date. This will be followed up with a letter of introduction and a confirmation of the interview.
8. At home, students will use interview questions to conduct a practice interview with a parent.

Assessment

• Use the Group Discussion Scoring Guide to assess this activity.

Extensions and Adaptations

• Students may select to work alone on this assignment, completing the role of both writer and photographer.

ACTIVITY 3: Assemble final project

Objectives

• Students will write first drafts of interviews on the computer.
• Students will download digital images to their computer file.
• Students will make photo selections and submit a layout draft to teacher.
• Students will revise corrected draft and submit a final report of the interview.
• Student will complete and present final photo essay on determined date.

Estimated Time Needed for Activity:

Four to seven 60-minute sessions

Notes:

Students may also present their finished projects to the class for extra credit.

Addressing Cultural Diversity in the Learning Environment:

Throughout this unit, students are encouraged to consider the cultural diversity in their town. Students may consider photographing elderly, people of color or people of special needs as some possibilities for this project.

Materials Needed for this Activity:

• large sheet of tag board for each student
• glue
• computer for word processing

Additional Resources:

• Student Self Evaluation sheet (MAKE THIS A LINK)

Procedure:

1. Before students begin their project, discuss the ways that students can ask people if they would like to be interviewed and photographed. Make sure students know how to do that respectfully. (For example: smile, "Hello, my name is ____ and I'm doing working on a photo essay for a class at ____ school. May I have permission to take candid photos of you in ____ activity?")
2. Give 2-5 days for students to photograph and tape interviews.
3. Using the class interview questions, students will prepare transcripts of the tape-recorded interviews and begin their first story drafts.
4. Each student will select 3-5 photos to be included in the final project.
5. After the first drafts of the stories are corrected, students will enter them into their computer file.
6. Rough draft of student interviews will be checked by instructor and returned to students within 2 days.
7. Finally, the printed articles and photos of the interviewed people will be mounted on a large piece of tag board and displayed in the city library, city hall, a downtown shop or the school library.

Assessment

• Students will complete the self-evaluation form to score themselves on this photo essay project.
• Interview typed neatly, correct grammar, punctuation and spelling
• Photos and interview story arranged in good composition on tag board.
• Good craftsmanship: careful use of glue, clean up pencil marks, etc.
• Assignment turned in a timely manner
• Use the following scoring guides to asses this activity:
• Creation Scoring Guide
• Photo Essay Scoring Guide