Unit Title: Tell Me a Story A Unit of Study on The Art of Visual Storytelling. Photography I Grades 7-‐9 Unit Overview: I often tell my photography students that the difference between a “picture” and a “photograph” is whether of not the image tells a story. In this unit students will explore the many ways visual narratives can and have been created and discover how they can apply these ideas to their own work.
Enduring Understandings: • • • •
Stories can be depicted in many different ways. Photographers' work often contains visual narratives. Photographs can depict both fiction and non-fiction stories with their cameras. Not all pictures taken are stories worth telling.
Essential Questions: • • • •
What makes a great visual narrative? Where can stories/visual narratives be found? What stories are worth telling? How have others told stories?
Prior to this unit students need to: • •
Understand basic digital camera operations Have completed the prescribed lessons of the Photoshop workbook provided in class.
Goals for this unit: • • •
Create well-composed photographs Understand the importance of creating a visual narrative to create interest. Learn how to create meaning with photography.
Evidence that shows students understand the art of visual storytelling: Lesson 1: Intro. To Storytelling Question: What is Visual Storytelling? How have others told stories through visuals? Artists: Anne Hardy, Mary Ann Reilly, Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison. Materials: Pinterest board of images depicting visual narrative. Activity: Students view three photographs that depict a visual narrative than discuss each image based off of the questions listed below as presented by the teacher: o What do you see? o What is happening? o Is there more than one happening taking place? o How is this happening? o Why is this happening? Formative Assessment: Teacher observes for understanding based on level of participation in discussion and quality of comments given by student. o o
Lesson 2: Find a Story Questions: What stories are worth telling? Where can stories be found? Artists: Tarah Rider Berry, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Akintunde Akinleye, Paola de Giobanni. Materials: digital camera, iPhoto. Activity 1: Students view and discuss examples of non-fiction photography using the same questions listed above in addition to questions from Lesson 1. Activity 2: Students view a photo slideshow of the work of Paola de Diobanni. Activity 3: Students create a photo slideshow of at least 10 of their own nonfiction images that show an obvious visual link/narrative/story from photo to photo. Formative Assessment: Teacher observes level of understanding based on the level of participation in discussion and quality of comments given by student. Teacher will also circle the room to assess if any students need additional help with iPhoto. Summative Assessment: Students will be graded on their overall completion of Activity 3 based off of criteria in a rubric. Images must tell a story, be in focus, and be well composed. o o
Lesson 3: Create a Story Question: What is real/fake? How can you create a work of fiction through visuals? What makes a great visual narrative? Artists:Sandy Skoglund, Kirsty Mitchell, Mike Nelson. Materials: iPad app Faking It, iPad lab, Photoshop, digital camera, computer. Activity 1: Using the iPad app Faking It, students take the Spot the Fake quiz. Activity 2: Students view and discuss fictional images created by the artists listed above. o o o
Activity 3: Option 1: Students use layer functions and their favorite selection tools in
Photoshop to create their own fictional image. The final image must be composed of at least three separate photos, have all layers merged down, and be submitted as a jpeg. Option 2: Similar to the work of Sandy Skoglund and Mike Nelson, students create a fictional environment that tells as story to document with their camera. Formative Assessment: Teacher observes for understanding based on the level of participation in discussion and quality of comments given by student. Summative Assessment: Students will be graded on their overall completion of activity 3 based off of criteria in a rubric. Images must tell a story, be in focus, and be well composed.
Lesson 4: Tell Me What You See Questions: What do you see? What does the image remind you of? How does the image make you feel? What is happening? Activity: Students trade images taken from Lesson 3 and write a three-paragraph narrative that answers the questions listed above. Summative Assessment: Students are graded on their completion of this assignment. o o o o
References: Patterson, L.(2013, October). Story Telling. Retrieved from http://www.pinterest.com/lpatter6/story-telling/