Photography: Visual Storytelling

UNIT PORTFOLIO PRESENTATIONRachel Brown-Wilson

Unit Summary

• Lights…Camera…ACTION! In this unit the student will assume the role of a photographer, editor, and producer of a short “visual story”. The student will apply and demonstrate 21st century skills throughout the unit, in the form of research, image production, and presentations. The student will also demonstrate their understanding of the elements and principles of design in the form of a three (or more!) image fine arts “visual story” to present to the class for a final critique.

Curriculum Framing QuestionsEssential Question:

Unit Questions:

Content Questions:

• Why are images important?

• How do photographs reflect or change culture?• What makes a photograph a piece of art?• How are images related to you?

• What kinds of photography exist and why?• Who are the most influential photographers and what did they

create?• How is a photograph created, downloaded, edited, and saved

(using digital media)?• How are the elements of design applied to photography and

how do you critique those elements?• How and why do you post and share photographs and how do

you ensure your safety when sharing photographs online?

Vision for unit

By creating this unit, I want to: • Create a more practical approach to teaching photography.• Design/practice activities that engage my students in critical

thinking and problem solving. During this unit, I want my students to:• Learn the basics of digital photography, while using creative

problem solving to visually represent a story with images.• Gain a greater understanding and respect for the technological

tools and skills of the 21st Century.• Become independent thinkers that use higher-order thinking

to process and create their work.

Project approaches

As my students work on this unit, they:

COLLABORATE with classmates!

SHARE THEIR WORK with classmates, peers, and other viewers through the internet!

CREATE FINE ART to demonstrate what they have learned!

MAKE CONNECTIONS between photography, social media, and story telling!

21st century learning

Students will develop higher-order thinking and 21st century skills in this unit as they:• Research, present, and discuss the history, significance, and types of

photography. • Design, shoot, and edit their visual story.• Post their images to our class wiki, where they will complete weekly

critiques of one another’s work.• Present their visual story to the class for a final critique.• Evaluate the safety of the internet and other social media that are

used to display their images.

Gauging student needs assessmentUse CFQ’s to learn:• I will learn how much information my students already possess about

photography , questions they have about it, and fundamentals of design they need to revisit.

Assess 21st Century Skills:• I will learn if my students already know how to use a camera.

I can use the information from this assessment to:• Design my instructional strategies for teaching students how to use an

image to define a feeling or emotion.

Students can use the information from this assessment to:• Set goals for discussing art and begin thinking about what photographs

mean.

Tommy Ingburg

Gauging student needs assessment – cont.

Assessment Document

Click in the cloud to see how I will assess my students >>>

Additional Images

Yulia Gorbachenko Angela Bergling and Carsten Witte

Requests for feedback

I need help with:

Ideas for formative assessment that will keep my students engaged and tell me what I need to know about their progress.

Sources for photographs that are student friendly.