Telling Stories With Photo Essays
A Guide for PreK-5 Teachers
"The authors offer a wealth of ways to engage children in expressing meaning and documenting experiences through photographs. They provide all the practical help teachers need to use this exciting medium to expand children's ways of perceiving, representing, and thinking about their world."
—Carol Copple, Director of Publications and Initiatives in Educational Practice
National Association for the Education of Young Children
Give children new ways to express their thoughts and ideas!
When children create photo essays, they are encouraged to share their thoughts in an authentic and personal way. This creative new resource offers teachers ready-to-use tools and strategies for involving children in creating photo essays as a way to communicate ideas, experiences, and emotions.
Teachers will discover how to inspire children to capture the aesthetics of their environment, document historical events and personal stories, keep a record of what they learn, and become advocates for causes as they explore responsible citizenship. The book offers ideas and examples that illustrate how photo essays can be used:
- As part of portfolios to record what children have learned
- To help boost the confidence of struggling writers, including English language learners and children with special needs
- As an alternate assessment format to engage challenged students
- To meet state and national standards
Photo essay activities are ideal for any teacher looking for new ways to nurture student expression, excitement, and creativity in the classroom.
"A beneficial reference to working with photo essays with young children.”
“This book demonstrates the power of the photo essay to help children grow intellectually and emotionally. It includes ideas for a wide array of projects along with plenty of examples of projects students have done in different schools and community settings. The fantastic thing about the book is the commitment to teaching that serves every child—a commitment that arises from a vision of democratic learning.”
"Thompson shows as much as tells what photo essays are and how to use them to enhance and extend children’s understanding of their world. Educators will want this book because of the curricular integration, differentiation, and instruction centered on helping children use all components of literacy, including visual representation.”
“I really like this book, and I’m eager to use it as a supplement for various methods courses in elementary education and early childhood. I would also use it in a special workshop or seminar class.”
"Countless students will be forever changed by this fascinating text and its message that the immense power of images enables anyone to say, 'This is where I am, this is what I see. Look at my world through my eyes.'"
"The authors offer a wealth of ways to engage children in expressing meaning and documenting experiences through photographs. They provide all the practical help teachers need to use this exciting medium to expand children’s ways of perceiving, representing, and thinking about their world."
Sample Materials & Chapters
Thompson_Telling Stories with Photo Essays_Introduction
Thompson_Telling Stories with Photo Essays_Chapter 1