Lesson Title: "What is a photo story?"

Grade Level: Beginning Journalism

9th - 10th grades

 

Before Reading
After Reading
During Reading

BEFORE READING:

I. Motivation

A. "What are the first things your eyes travel to when you look at a newspaper?" Headlines, photos, stories, bylines, page numbers, folios, etc. "Studies show that photos, graphics, illustrations and art draw a reader to a page and a story. It is the text in the form of a story or cutline that 'keeps' the reader on the page."

B. "Today we are going to study the most exciting and stimulating part of a newspaper! You all know how to write a story to engage a reader through informational and effective writing. Now, we are going to discover how to tell a story through photos! We are going to look at some photo stories and talk about them from a reader's perspective. We are also going to talk about how we can create photo stories for our own high school newspaper. But let's see how much you already know about photojournalism and photo stories."

 

II. Prior knowledge

A. "What role does a section editor play in creating a photo story?" Making assignments, overseeing the project, making sure the pages get to press on time, etc."What role does a graphic designer play in creating a photo story?" Putting the photos on the page, meeting deadlines set by the section editor, etc."What role does a photographer take in creating a photo story?" Taking the photos, minor interviewing, information gathering, etc.

B. "All of those answers were very good! In fact, they were all correct but there are some details that we will cover later in the lesson. There are several people in a professional newspaper that are involved in creating a photo story. Each of these people, the section editor, the graphic designer and photographer, work together to make sure all corners are covered when it comes to publication of the final product."

C. "If you were in charge of planning this Photojournalism Unit, what would you like to learn about?" Finding a topic, finding people to shoot, choosing dominant photos, editing the photos, layout and design, etc. "We will touch upon all of those things, especially finding and shooting the photo story. We will learn more about editing and layout and design later in the Unit."

 

III. Purpose

A. In this lesson, students will learn the definition of a photo story. They will discover personal testimonials with examples that illustrate each of the concepts presented in the text. There are several types of photo stories; ones that profile people, cultures, events, a place, a mood or a "story". All of these concepts are presented via text and examples.

"Today we will only through the Photo Story chapter as a class. Even though it seems we are covering a large portion of the text, there are lots of great examples of photo stories in the text and we will discuss as we read"

B. "The purpose of reading this Photo Story chapter in the textbook over the next few days is to look at examples of stimulating photo stories and be informed about how they were developed. The chapter from the text will tell us about how to find stories, tell the story through photos, give us examples of personal testimonials and help us compare and contrast photo stories versus packages with text."

C. The selected text is expository and from the textbook Photojournalism: The Professionals' Approach by Kenneth Kobre. The chapter is entitled "The Photo Story" and is found on page 136.

D. This lesson may (or may not) be part of a photojournalism unit. I have not decided.

 

IV. Strategy Instruction:

A. "After we read from the text, you are going to complete a strategy called GIST. The purpose of GIST is to teach you to summarize and paraphrase the context with a clear purpose in mind. You will do this by skimming and focusing on main information in order to comprehend what you are reading."

B. "I am going 20 word-sized blanks on the board that we will use as a practice first. You will also get a copy of the GIST template to use at your desk. You will then read a selection, focusing on the gist. Next, you will collaborate on the board to come up with one 20-word gist. The gist can be one sentence or two. You will then read a second selection and repeat this process, combining the new information into the old gist using the template, but you still only get 20 words!"

C. The teacher should preview the GIST strategy by first completing the activity on an overhead or seperate section of the board before the students begin independently. This allows students to see a model of how the GIST should read. It also reinforces the purpose of only 20 words can be used!

PowerPoint for GIST Strategy

Alternate GIST template

D. "Lets read the first selection aloud as a class. After reading the selection, we will complete the gist together on the board."

E. After the model and guided practice: "Are there any questions?" If no questions or concerns: "Go ahead and continue the rest of the reading independently using your GIST template. You will not be graded based on what you actually write, but on how you completed the activity. I want you to complete the gist in the way that works best for you, but while following the directions for the strategy.

F. Metacognitive reflection at END of the lesson in the form of a reflective paragraph.

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DURING READING

Citation: Kobre, K (2000). Photojournalism, The professionals' approach. Burlington, MA: Focal Press.

Readability of all text:

 

"For many photographers, telling whole stories with pictures is the ultimate professional experience. Sometimes stories can be built in a matter of minutes; sometimes storytelling can take years. Although Jim MacMillan of the Philadelphia Daily News photographed this story about a hostage situation in fewer than five minutes, Alan Berner shot his essay about the New West during a six-month sabbatical from the Seattle Times. Brian Plonka, of the Spokane (Washington) Spokesman Review, spent two years documenting how alcoholism is passed from one generation to another. Showing perhaps the ultimate dedication to a picture project, Cristina Salvador photographed "Gypsies in America" on her own dime and on more than four years of her own time."

FK: 12.0

Cues to be considered:

  • Graphic: photos and graphics enhance the readability of the text. In fact, the readability would be worse without the graphic elements.
  • Semantic: there are certain vocabulary words that may be difficult to understand, however the use of context clues provides for easy definition.
  • Syntactic: the text is written to a higher level of reading, so summarizing and questioning may be necessary to understanding more dense sections.
  • Schematic: while students have all of the prior knowledge needed to beging comprehension of the text, they will need to be initially stimulated to do so. Graphic elements will achieve this goal.
  • Text Structure: the selection is written with clear headings and subheadings seperating concepts or topics.
  • Legibility: the text is written in a large, legible font but appears dense and intimidating in some areas.

 

Differentiation:

a. Students with different levels of comprehension will be given a sheet of important vocabulary and concepts so they may pay particular attention while completing the lesson. If necessary, the selected reading will be summarized and/or put on tape to cater to different learning styles. This should be done by the teacher, so the same text and concepts are used for all students, but simply presented in a different manner.

Alternate On-Line Text

b. Students will be given a personal agenda to "fill out" with the teacher before the lesson begins. Here, the student and the teacher can set goals and a plan of action in order to ensure student success.

c. Students will be given the opportunity to work as a group and individually. Group work will be done at the beginning of the lesson (which will also ensure understanding) and independent work will be done towards the end of the lesson to evaluate student learning. Rubrics that match and identify the varied skills of the students will also be used to grade student work.

d. All materials will be provided for the student, other than the basics; pens, pencils and lined paper. Students will have all resources necessary for success. There will be areas in the classroom for interaction and collaboration, in addition to areas for quiet study.

 

V. Text Structure

 

Expository; Descriptive, informational, professional examples and personal testimonials

"You will be reading text that contains a lot of information and description about photo stories. The text is organized to give you information about certain concepts and to use real examples of photo stories to model those concepts that are presented. You will learn and comprehend a lot more by seeing what is being described in the text."

 

VI. Vocabulary

"There are some words you may have encountered while reading the text. We are going to define them by using context clues provided in the reading. I have listed some vocabulary words on the board with a corresponding page and paragraph number. Find the vocabulary word and see if you can define it by using the context clues. You may work with a neighbor."

(Words that are critical to understanding the unit, topic, or lesson are provided [bolded] in context.)

"By staying with the doctor for six-weeks in all, and by recording the doctor's everyday activities as well as the emergencias and traumas he faced, Smith built a [realistic] story about the dedicated health worker."

"Staying close to his subject and observing carefully, Smith [fashioned] a revealing story about the life of the rural doctor."

"A [trend story] identifies a gradual but demonstrably real change that might include shifts in the public's buying preferences, lifestyles or a technological shift in industry."

"A [picture story] has a theme. Not only are the individual pictures in the story about one subject, but they also help to support one central point."

"Whethere you are an employee or a freelancer, an editor is more likely to use your pciture story if it has a ['newspeg']. A newspeg tells the reader why the story is being seen now instead of six months in the future."

"A [personality story] investigates the life of a little-known person who is an example of a new trend or developing style."

"Are there any other vocabulary words in the text that you did not understand?" Students have the opportunity to share. We will perform the same activity of using context clues to find a definition of the vocabulary word.

 

VII. Content

Comprehension Strategy:

"I have a few questions for you to make sure you've comprehended the information from the book."

"How can you find photo stories?"

From personal experiences, assignments, topical trends

"What is essential to tell a story using only pictures and a few cutlines?"

A newsworthy element (newspeg) or if the photo story can have an applicable, appropriate, catchy headline. If it is impossible to make a headline for the whole photo story, than the topic may be too broad, narrow or need re-evaluation.

"Aside from these questions, what are some things we can do together in class to make sure you understand the reading?"

Flow Chart of Comprehension Monitoring Behaviors

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AFTER READING

VIII. Questioning

The following questions are posed with Bloom's Taxonomy - Higher-order thinking in mind
The question-answer-relationship, QAR, may be applied if students have received previous QAR strategy instruction
The below questions may be used as part of an in-class discussion with the teacher serving as the facilitator
The questions below may also be re-worded and used as an assessment tool

 

1."How do you tell stories with pictures?"

Test the theme with a headline or find a newspeg.

Example

 

2. "What types of people make the best photo stories?"

People who are well-known, interesting, a representative of a trend, a representative of an abstract object.

Example

 

3. "Who would be an interesting person in our school that would be a candidate for a photo story? Why?"

A principal - well known; A teacher/student with a unique hobby - interesting; A faculty/staff member or student who serves as a representative of a board or club - representative of a trend; A student who facilitates or serves a role (ie., watchdog or magnet) - representative of an abstract object.

 

4. "Can you list the 6 things a viewer sees in most pictures?"

Person, object, mood, theme, perspective, camera technique.

Example

 

5. "What are some elements that make up a narrative photo story?"

They convey a plot through: complication, a resolution, a combination of a complication and resolution, a natural narrative, compressing a narrative time into photos, the appeal of a narrative photo story over other types (human interest).

Example

 

6. "How does a narrative photo story compare/contrast with a narrative news story?

They both tell a story and have some sort of order or organization. For example, both may tell the chronological story of an event or the life of a person who fits the criterion listed above (!)

 

7. "What are some elements of a documentary photo story?"

They convey a point of view through observing: a lifestyle, a place, an issue.

Example

 

8. "If you were to re-make a news story into a photo story, would it be a documentary or narrative photo story? Why?"

Documentary. News stories are told objectively through the eye of the reporter. Observation and inquisition are qualities needed to tell the story accurately without bias.

 

9. "If you were to re-make a feature story into a photo story, would it be a documentary or narrative photo story? Why?"

Narrative. Feature stories have more room for "fluff", or the parts of a story that make it human interest. A feature usually tells a story in a more creative form, which is what a narrative photo story does.

 

IX. Writing to Learn Activity

"Now that we've talked as a class about the different types of photo stories and the defining qualities of each, I would like you to apply what you've learned today by writing in your Reporter's Notebook. At the top of a new page, write: your name, the date, the class and the topic. Today's topic will be to brainstorm 5 photo story ideas and list why they would be relevant to our high school newspaper. I have included a model for you. Let's look at it and discuss what you are to do for the assignment."

Teacher will discuss and review the assignment, using the model as a supplement. The teacher will answer any questions students may have. They can use the rest of the class to work.

If grading, students should get 1 point for the initial idea and 1 point for strong supporting details as to why the idea would be applicable to the high school newspaper. There should be a total of 10 points possible.

 

X. Closure

Conclusions and reflections on content:

"What did you learn about photo stories from the reading?"

How to find a topic for a photo story, what makes a good photo story, how to localize broad topics.

"What do you wish was covered in the text?"

More examples of how we can localize broad issues, how to set up a photo story, tips for shooting a photo story over a short period of time.

"Is there anything you wish we would have covered in the discussion?"

Tips for the reporting aspect of shooting a photo story, discuss how a photographer becomes a reporter for the purpose of the photo story.

 

Probing the purpose of the reading:

"Why was reading this text important to understanding the purpose of a photo story before we actually create our own?"

Because we need foundational knowledge in understanding all of the aspects of a photo story before we actually start on our own!

"What made the real examples (models) of photo stories that were included in the text helpful (or not helpful)?"

They gave us ideas for different topics, they showed us different techniques used by the photojournalists, we got to play the role of the reader in order to understand all perspectives included in a photo story.

 

Metacognitive Reflection (Assessment of strategy):

"How did the GIST strategy help you summarize the text?"

It gave us the opportunity to concisely summarize the lengthy text, so it would be easier to remember this information when doing assignments, tests or shooting our photo story.

"Did the GIST strategy help you differentiate between main details and supporting details?"

For sure! We had to identify the main details first and incorporate it into the GIST, then identify the supporting details that will help complete the 20-word thought.

"What could we have done to make this strategy help you retain and comprehend more from the text?"

Have some sort of assessment or evaluation where we are required to retain this particular information. OR, make a poster of some sort with the GIST information and post it around the classroom so we can be continually reminded of main details from the photo story text.

Before Reading
After Reading
During Reading
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