Language Arts Unit: Blogging With Photovoice – What is courage?

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Blogging With Photovoice: What is courage?

Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural Project (ORSMP)

Blogging Through Photovoice: What is courage?

Unit Planning Framework

Stage 1 – Desired Results
Established Goals: Students will:

  • Connect their own experiences and community to texts using both images and words
  • Increase knowledge and technical skills by using blogging and photo editing websites to edit and post images, thoughts and reflections
  • Explore an abstract concept visually by taking pictures that represent it
  • Analyze original images to determine which pictures best represent an abstract concept and writing about their choices
  • Analyze the work of peers by posting responses to a blog posts
  • Connect photos to texts read in class through writing an essay
Understandings:Students will understand that…

  • Courage is an abstract concept that can be represented through photos and writing
  • Each person has their own interpretation of what courage is based on their experiences, beliefs, and prior learning
  • Critical reflection through writing and photos on a blog allow students to explore their identity and represent their communities visually and globally
  • Electronic discussion can facilitate community building and help students to collectively construct meanings and make connections
  • Characters in texts can be related to local communities
 Unit/Essential Questions:

  • What is courage?
  • What does courage look like?

Stage 1 – Desired Results (cont.) Learning Targets (Standards deconstructed below)

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence (Appropriate to the target type: Refer to Stiggins p.94)
Knowledge

  • Students will be able to explain what courage is by taking photos and writing reflections.
  • Students will be able to explain how a character from a text showed courage by writing an essay.
Written assessment: Photos, blog post, essay
Reasoning

  • Students will be able to analyze photos by writing reflections.
  • Students will be able to compare characters from a text to photos through writing and posting on a blog.
  • Students will be able to analyze the work of peers through writing responses to blog posts.
 Written assessment: Photos, blog post, essay, comments on blog post
Skills

  • Students will be able to represent courage visually through taking original pictures.
 Photos
Products

  • Students will be able to share their work with others through publishing on a class blog.
 Blog post

Stage 3 – Learning Plan
What learning experiences and instruction will enable students to achieve the desired results? How will the designW: Help the students know Where the unit is going and What is expected? Help the teacher know Where the students are coming from (prior knowledge, interests, Funds of Knowledge, Smartnesses)H: Hook all students and Hold their interest?E: Equip students, help them Experience the key ideas and Explore the issues?

R: Provide opportunities to Rethink and Revise their understandings and work? (Disequilibrium, Student Voice)

E: Allow students to Evaluate their work and its implications? (Student voice)

T: Be Tailored (personalized) to the different needs, interests, and abilities of learners including connections to the communities?

O: Be Organized to Maximize initial and sustained engagement as well as effective learning?

Types of technology to support learning in this unit:

Types of technology

What activity type(s) does this support?

How will this support learning?

Anticipated planning and learning necessary in order to support students
Cameras (Personal phones, digital cameras, and film cameras owned by students, digital cameras loaned from media loan, disposable cameras provided by teacher) -Written divergent knowledge expression: Create a physical or virtual image-Visual divergent knowledge expression – Develop a metaphor: Devise a metaphorical representation of a topic or idea This supports students in sharing their own interpretations and representations of courage through original images. -Focusing, positioning and lighting considerations when taking photographs.-Scanning film pictures
Websites for blog: Blogger, WordPress, LiveJournal -Language Arts Post-reading activity types a) Sharing/Collaborating: Sharing and collaborating on a class blog, b) Discussion: Discuss a concept found in a text through commenting on blog posts This supports students in processing the reading from a previous unit and extend their understanding of the concept (courage) through online discussion (commenting) and writing blog posts. -Creating a blog website-Publishing blog posts and uploading images
Word Processor -Language Arts Post-reading activity type: Creating Text-Related Artifacts: Writing an essay-Language Arts During Writing activity types: a) Drafting b) Revising c) Editing– Language Arts Post-Writing activity type: Publishing This supports students in demonstrating their understanding of the text and concept of courage. This also supports students in revise their writing according to purpose, audience and format and attending to language conventions. -Formatting and editing features
Websites for photo editing: Pixlr -Visual divergent knowledge expression – Develop a metaphor: Devise a metaphorical representation of a topic or idea-Conceptual Divergent Knowledge Expression – Produce an Artifact: Create a virtual artifact This supports students in sharing their unique interpretations of the concept of courage. They will be able to use the photo editing website to emphasize elements in their photos that help them express this. -Using the photo editing software/website – basic elements (e.g. cropping, balance, exposure, focus) and stylistic elements (e.g. filters, effects)
Website for examples: Photovoice.org -Read text: Extract information from digital formats This supports students in knowing what one of the end results of this unit will look like. -Locating the website and writing guiding questions for students to focus while exploring the website
Projector -View Presentation: Gain information from teachers This supports students in learning the features of the blog and photo editing sites. -Steps to walk students through locating the blog and photo editing site and navigating the features.

 

2 thoughts on “Language Arts Unit: Blogging With Photovoice – What is courage?”

  2. Pingback: Unit plan & ideas for meaningfully integrating technology | Investigations in Our Town

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