George Washington High School
San Francisco, CA
Lesson 1: Documenting America:
The Concrete Image
Type of Lesson
Introduction to elements of literature, schema building
Grade Level
High school juniors
Time allotment
Ten 50-minute sessions
Instructional Strategy
Individual Web research/analytical/activity/group/discussion/lecture
Objectives
Overall Conceptual Objectives
To introduce students to the differences between concrete
language and figurative language, the language of comparison
To introduce students to genre through the introduction of
the realistic genre as well as the documentary or journalistic
style
To introduce students to stylistic analysis of text
To introduce students to documentary and the history of the
documentary
To introduce students to the composition of photographic and
videographic images
Performance Objectives
Students will be able to use specific language in descriptive
writing.
Students will be able to recognize the difference between
concrete and figurative language.
Students will be able to recognize and construct similes,
metaphors, symbols, and allusions.
Students will be able to recognize realistic genre.
Students will be able to analyze text based on stylistic elements.
Students will be able to analyze the composition of visual
images.
Students will be able to explain the history of the documentary
and the elements of a documentary versus a screenplay.
Students will be able to compose and assemble their own images
to tell a documentary story.
Activity 1: American literature
Background
The teacher defines figurative language terminology (metaphor,
simile, symbol, allusion) in contrast to the concept of a concrete
image. The teacher gives oral quiz, using examples from Of
Mice and Men when possible. Students form small teams and
look at photos on the Web (previously chosen by the teacher).
Students describe the following:
Concrete and denotative: What objects are in the picture?
Who is using the objects? Are these objects that you might see
today? Why? Why not? What people are in the picture? What gender
are they? How old are they? How big are they in relation to
each other? Where does this take place? What is the weather
like?
Connotative: What is happening at the moment the shutter
clicked? What happened 5 minutes before and after this was taken?
Who would use these objects? What do the objects stand for in
a symbolic way? Why do you think so? Who are these people? What
is their economic background? What is their social background?
When did this happen? When did they live? Could this have occurred
in your lifetime? What are they doing? Why? What is their life
like? Was this an ordinary event, special occasion, surprise,
accident? What do their faces reveal about feelings, personalities,
mood? What details give you clues about the story behind the
picture? What mood is conveyed by color, light, scenery? Is
there anything else in the picture that can be construed as
a symbol, simile or metaphor?
After writing about these ideas, students come back to their
teams and share. They must defend any difference of opinion and
reach consensus about their final ideas. Information is shared
with the whole group. Students must defend their choices with
evidence from the picture. The teacher draws an analogy between
image in a photo and writing an essay in which the students must
support their assertions with evidence. The teacher explains that
this type of photography is called documentary photography. It
is used to document (tell the story of) a person's life from a
certain place and economic background and to study those stories
to discover motivations and make these lives better. Authors also
write in this style. This style developed when anthropology became
popular and is used in studying life to improve conditions (such
as in the 30's during the depression). The teacher explains that
students will be building a photo documentary of their school.
First homework assignment: Students measure a distance in meters
and then go out and make a photograph in which metric distance
is conveyed by the photograph. This can be done with a digital
camera. They also take a picture of an object that fills the entire
frame of the picture. These pictures should be taken at school.
Students bring in photos at next session.
Activity 2: American Literature
Distance photos: Students bring in photos at next session
and tack photos to the wall as a gallery. Students walk around
and guess the distance in meters of each photo. Students record
their guesses and names on the back sides of Post-its and stick
the guesses around the photos without showing the guesses to others.
Students with the most accurate portrayal of distance are asked
to tutor others. Students who haven't mastered this repeat the
exercise.
Object photos: Students write a story from the point of
view of the object. They describe the feelings of the object.
Students speculate how the objects suggest the school itself.
How do they represent the school? Students pair up, trade pictures
of objects and write the story of the partner's object. The partner
also explains how the object represents the school. Students share
stories, discussing similarities and differences. Students take
stories home and revise freely adding details from stories that
have been shared in class.
Extensions: This activity can be extended into an essay
assignment to help students understand an essay as a list of details.
The teacher gives students a list essay from Blue Highways,
by William Least Heat Moon as a model. Students go out into the
hallways for approximately 15 minutes and make a list of what
they encounter in the hall. They organize their lists by writing
an introduction that provides an umbrella under which the details
hang.
Activity 3: Computer Applications
Students review word processing skills by keyboarding both documents.
Activity 4: American Literature
Students complete a treasure hunt while reading the interview
of Wendy Ewald, a photographer who put cameras in the hands of
students, on the U.C. Berkeley Globetrotter Web site. Using what
they learn about compiling in this exercise, they develop a pictorial
or image story of either the school, an adult friend or family
member, or their community, using less than eight images.
Activity 5: Introduction of Symbol
The teacher brings in photos that are symbolic, such as opposites
(hot, cold), or symbols from the Least Heat Moon book (coyote,
dog, nature, forest, water). Students describe what these symbols
represent in terms of ideas, feelings. They are not to think of
the physical object, but of what the object symbolizes.
Discussion points about how to analyze a symbol: What
does it do? What do we do to it? How does it affect us? How do
we affect it? Its job? Personality? Feeling? Tone? Students are
asked to analyze advertising or WWII propaganda posters.
Homework: Students bring in sample of advertising symbolic
picture that they have analyzed.
Activity 6: Computer Applications
The teacher introduces students to Hyperstudio and scanning.
They learn how to construct their image story in a Hyperstudio
production.
Activity 7: Dream Activity
Students record a dream. Teachers give this assignment up to
a week before the classroom activity so that students have time
to select a dream to use. Students list objects, places, people
and actions in the dream. They look these up in symbol reference
books in the classroom. They write down the meaning of the symbol
and write about the deeper meaning of the dream based on the analyzing
the symbols.
Activity 8: Computer Applications
Students continue to create their stack of documents.
Activity 9: American Literature
Symbolic Poetry - defining self
Background: The teacher tells students that often we have
within us many things that no one else knows about. We see these
hidden parts as symbols. For instance, we may have a wolf lurking
inside us, or a storm, or a rainbow.
Activity: The teacher reads three sample poems -- "In Mind,"
by Denise Levertov, "There is a Girl Inside," by Lucille Clifton,
"Old Song," by Francisco Alarcon -- and students analyze the different
parts of the speaker based on the poem. Students then write a
poem titled "Inside Me" by completing the sentences as the teacher
reads them aloud.
Inside me is a...
Inside me is a kind of weather...
Inside me is a plant...
Inside me is a car...
Inside me is a place...
Inside me is a color...
Inside me is a time of day...
Inside me is a part of nature...
Inside me is an instrument...
Inside me is a painting...
Inside me is an animal...
Inside me is a fruit or vegetable...
Inside me is a boy who...
Inside me is a girl who...
As the teacher reads the list, he or she reminds students that
there are different types of weather or cars. Some students may
feel old-fashioned like a Model T, fast like a Ferrari, or luxurious
like a Bentley. The teacher reminds students to be specific. After
students have completed their poems, have them read them aloud
in groups. Have each group pick one to read aloud to the entire
class.
Homework: Students then add descriptors to the lines
to make the images more specific. Each student picks the one image/line
that most represents him/her and uses that as a personal symbol
for the cover of an individual work folder. Each student writes
another poem using the theme "inside me" based on the line and
symbol that he or she has chosen.
Activity 10: Computer Applications
Students use the drawing program to create visual representations
of their symbol.
Activity 11: Writing an essay
Analyzing Symbols Analysis requires inference. The teacher defines
inference. An inference is a conclusion drawn from what is apparent.
An inference is not stated, it is extrapolated. Example: What
inferences can we draw from a person driving a banged-up car?
The teacher continues by explaining that students will draw inferences
from the symbols selected by other students. The teacher goes
over the elements to be described:
Colors: What colors are used? Which predominate? Where do
they appear? Where do your eyes settle?
What objects, plants or animals are used?
Where is the symbol located?
Is the object, plant, or animal pointing to, leaning on, standing
behind, looking down on or up at something?
What kind of feeling, if any, do you get about the climate?
Why? Infer why?
Colors: Why are certain colors used and what do they represent?
Object, plant, animal: Why this particular thing? ? What do
they do? How do they affect us? How do we affect them?
What is their personality, feeling tone?
What if anything is the representation doing?
Is there a face? If so what expression is on the face?
What is the body posture? Is there an ethnicity?
Setting: Why did the student use this setting?
What mood does it evoke in you? Why?
Does it remind you of anything? What? Why?
The teacher leads a discussion about the format/structure of
the essay, trying to elicit students' ideas (sample format in
appendix). Each student is then given another student's folder
and must write an essay in which he or she makes inferences based
on the folder symbol. Students can also read another student's
"Inside Me" poem, and draw inferences from the written symbolic
imagery in the poem. The essay should demonstrate an ability to
analyze symbols. The analysis must be supported with inferences.
Activity 12: Computer Applications
Students word-process their essays.
Activity 13: Analyzing Text
Students now try their analytical abilities on the Robert Bums
poem, "To a Mousie On Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough,
November 1785," for which Steinbeck named his novella, Of Mice
and Men. Students should write about the meaning of the poem
based on the symbols. The teacher introduces the term 'allusion,'
and explains that Steinbeck's novella title is an allusion to
the poem. Students write about the theme of Steinbeck's novella
based on its use in the poem. They should also write about possible
reasons for this allusion.
Activity 14: American Literature
Stylistic analysis of three texts for patterns, diction, syntax,
point-of-view, figurative language (see appendix for worksheet).
The teacher begins by reading the first two pages of Of Mice
and Men. The teacher talks about the description of scene
being both concrete and symbolic. Students are asked to discuss
both the concrete images as well as symbolic meanings. What is
the symbolic meaning of nature? The teacher begins a structural
analysis of sentences and then introduces other structures such
as introductory phrases, subordinate clauses, periodic sentences,
parallel structure, verbals, noun phrase appositives. The teacher
talks about the impact of these structures in terms of rhythm
and message. She or he talks about symbolic meaning stylistic
differences.
Homework: Students must take home three short excerpts
of American literature: the beginning of the "prelude" to Big
Woods, by William Faulkner, and excerpts from The Great
Gatsby and Of Mice and Men. The subject of these excerpts
is nature or the symbol of nature particularly the land, the U.S.
and its symbolic meaning (suggestion for Gatsby: the eyeglass
billboard). Students must analyze each text using all the terms
they have studied so far.
Activity 15: Formal essay
Students come in with completed analyses to share and discuss
as a whole group. The teacher lists elements from analysis on
the board. Students take notes and write a formal essay using
the guidelines from the symbol essay.
Activity 16: Computer Applications
Students word process essays, using formatting and citation conventions.
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