Organising images for a narrative

Organising Images for a Narrative

Lesson idea. This is a very open activity, the students are to take a series of photographs that show a process in science (or possibly in maths) with digital cameras. They they use the computer based image organisation/slideshow software to arrange these images in an order that is able to show/represent the process that they wish to show. Using the software, where possible they add labels and notes to the image. The aim is to allow them to describe a process without the need for significant amounts of text. They could use picasa to do this, or/and one of the other tools below - for example, the use of stop-motion to show growth. Other tools could also be explored, these before/after photos of the Japanese Earthquake (http://www.abc.net.au/news/specials/japan-quake-2011/) give another example of the power of photography for narrative purposes.

Suggested Contexts:

• How shadow lengths vary duting the day
• Any science investrigation/practical activity that the class may be carrying out
• Photographing the germination of a plant seed over time (once a day)
• Photographing a walk around the school grounds looking for animal habitats
• In the science activity (visualising data) students may want to photograph different stages of the measurement
• In maths, students may want to photograph different stages of the stones investigation.

Teaching approach. The lesson encourages students to think about how to portray their knowledge through narrative^(ta) - which may engage some students who would usually be less interested. The lesson encourages students to think about how to capture valuable information and ensure that key elements are highlighted while not 'overloading' the viewer with data. The lesson can be tailored to any age group - for younger pupils the task could be to take before and after photos and label them. More advanced pupils might explore time-lapse photography. Pupils should be encouraged to think about how this relates to the scientific method^(ta) The task is interactive and could be conducted as a group work^(ta) activity or as an element of an inquiry-based learning project. It could also lend itself to whole class^(ta) dialogue^(ta) and the use of ICT⁽ⁱ⁾ including 'clicker' response systems for assessment^(ta) and questioning^(ta).

Resource details
Title	Organising Images for a Narrative
Topic	[[Topics/Using images|Using images]]
Teaching approach	[[Teaching Approaches/Assessment|Assessment]],  [[Teaching Approaches/Dialogue|Dialogue]],  [[Teaching Approaches/Narrative|Narrative]],  [[Teaching Approaches/Homework|Homework]],  [[Teaching Approaches/Questioning|Questioning]],  [[Teaching Approaches/Whole class|Whole class]],  [[Teaching Approaches/Group work|Group work]],  [[Teaching Approaches/Scientific method|Scientific method]]
Learning Objectives	By the end of the lesson pupils should be able to: Outline some reasons for using diagrams and images in scientific work Outline some difficulties with displaying such images accurately - some of the flaws of imaging technology (depending on age group) Understand some ways to show a narrative through the use of images and be aware of at least one piece of software to help them do this
Format / structure	A lesson component, whole lesson, or homework(i)/self-directed task
Subject	[[Resources/Maths|Maths]],  [[Resources/Science|Science]]
Age of students / grade	[[Resources/Secondary|Secondary]],  [[Resources/Primary|Primary]]
Additional Resources/material needed	You could use Picasa to organise photos (See related resources). You could also use time-lapse/stop-motion software or encourage students to do so for homework. See for example (all freely licensed): Stop Mojo, ToonLoop, and the Brothersoft Tools, or for Linux operating systems LinuxStopMotion.
Related ORBIT Wiki Resources	Classifying and organising living things using images
Files and resources to view and download	N/A