PHOTO STORIES: Follow-up Assignment #2

Greetings Digital Storytellers!

It looks like you did a fantastic job of teaching about the DRAMATIC ARC! 

Now, we want you to help your classmates use that information to create PHOTO STORIES.

Overview

1. Students will work in teams to create a PHOTO STORY about one of the team members.
2. The story will be about about something the person learned or achieved.
3. Each story will contain 6-9 original photos. (Nothing from the Internet!)
4. Each photo will have written captions to help tell the story.
5. Each story will follow THE DRAMATIC ARC! (Photos should be numbered in order.)
6. Teams will screen completed stories for the whole class and on the Collaboration Center.

*Here is an example of a PHOTO STORY from Nicaragua (click to open slideshow)

Juana’s Story: Learning Independence

1. (Hook) When I was a little girl my mother taught me that girls could do anything! I knew I could stand on my own two feet!

2. (Background) My name is Juana. I am 16 years-old and I live in Masaya, Nicaragua. I love my town. The houses are painted all the colors of the rainbow.

3. (Background) If you drive up into the mountains near my town, it is so beautiful. There are volcanic lakes and fields of coffee and corn.

4. (Rising Tension) But as I grew up I also saw some of the problems in my town. Many men have to leave the country to find work and sometimes the families are left behind without much money.

5. (Rising Tension) I saw a lot of my friends had to quit school to work and earn money for their families.

6. (Climax) But one day my mother learned about a women’s cooperative that was helping women to make and sell crafts and earn extra money for their households.

7. (Resolution) The girls in my neighborhood started helping with the crafts on weekends so that the group can make more money and more girls can stay in school.

8. (Conclusion) By working with the women’s cooperative, my friends and I are proving that girls can work hard and succeed at anything!

Now follow the steps below to lead this activity with your class:

Preparation:

*Review lesson plan and PHOTO STORY example (JUANA’s STORY).

*Make copies of STORY IDEA WORKSHEET and PRODUCTION WORKSHEET for each person in the class. (Click below)

Lesson Plan (2 class sessions plus homework)

I. Review (10 minutes): 

1. Remind the class that the foundation of good storytelling is the DRAMATIC ARC. Draw the DRAMATIC ARC on the board and ask the class to help label each part.
2. Explain the assignment to the class. Show them the example above (Juana’s Story: Learning Independence). Read the captions out loud.

 II. Activity (30-40 minutes plus homework):

1. Divide your class into teams of 2-3 people and explain that each team will be telling a personal story about one member using photos and captions. The story should be about something that the person learned or accomplished.
2. Hand out the Story Idea Worksheet and ask each student to complete one individually.
3. Ask teams to discuss their story ideas within their group. Each group should choose one story to focus on.
4. Walk around and help the students choose a story that (1) shares a specific example; (2) Has a strong dramatic arc; and (3) can be told with original photos. Make sure there is a mix of boys’ stories and girls’ stories!
5. When each team has chosen a story, hand out the PRODUCTION WORKSHEET and ask each group to plan and divide up tasks.

III. Homework

1. Each team should complete a photo story and post it on the Collaboration Center.
2. Assign a due date for the completed Photo Story (1 week).
3. Remind students to follow the tasks on the PRODUCTION WORKSHEET.

IV. Screening 

1. Screen and discuss the completed PHOTO STORIES with the entire class.
2. Share the PHOTO STORIES on the Collaboration Center.

Be Creative and Have Fun. We can’t wait to see your PHOTO STORIES!