The description of your client and the instructional problem
The problem that I have been tasked to fix is to increase visual literacy and analysis in a
second year A.P. U.S. History teachers instruction. This educator has taught History for a total
opf five years, however has been teaching AP for the last two. Over these two years she has
broken down that whenever there have been visual images for analysis and for the AP exam
DBQ’s in particular your students are just not showing improvement or signs of success. I have
taken a look at her lesson plans and unit plans that she has created. I have also looked over her
own analysis and scores to gather my own data for this re-design. This comprehensive plan will
not only outline a way for her and her students to show and have success but also give her
examples that she would be able to use in her class.
A description of the re-designed lesson
This educator is very passionate and skilled in her knowledge of historical fact and analysis.
However I noticed that in all of her lesson plans there was only two lessons that incorporated
visual analysis and understanding. She had many lessons that incorporated visuals for examples
but never for pure analysis themselves. I also looked at her mock testing habits and DBQ’s and
there is only one section of photo analysis and it is only two photos with mostly written pieces to
help you use those photos as examples instead of the main point.
After my analysis and discussion with this educator I identified a plan to help her achieve her
goals and see greater success of the AP exam. I have designed a plan for her to follow to
introduce photo analysis as well as a classroom activity she can complete and have students
complete in groups or individuals. There will also be a written component that this educator can
use in a exam or exam prep.
The methods to assess/evaluate the lesson
The method for myself and this educator to judge and evaluate this lesson and plan that I will
help put in place is thorough a classroom activity followed by a assessment. I will then be able to
look over the assessment data and see if there was understanding and comprehension. I will also
have a survey the students will be instructed to complete before and after the lesson as presented
to gauge their reaction to the new information and new style of analysis many are not familiar
with.
The Artifact
Below you will find the photo sequence and instructions that were given to the students.
This activity was given after a proper introduction to visual literacy had been given through
examples and a you tube video that will be attached. Also there has been significant study on the
Trust Busting cases of the early twentieth century so this unit can be used as both remediation,
acceleration and differentiation.
They will also be able to choose from two secondary written sources for their project. These
written sources are to be used to substantiate their ideas and claims forms there photos as well as
add a new level of information to their project.
http://www.ibmag.com/Main/Archive/Rockefeller_and_his_Oil_Empire_12187.aspx
Rockefeller and his Oil Empire. (n.d.). Retrieved July 22, 2015.
http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/publication/2008/04/20080423212813eaifas0.42149.ht
ml#axzz3gaTE7ySf
IIP Digital | U.S. Department of State. (2008, April 3). Retrieved July 22, 2015.
The Lesson:
The instructor will bring a photo of John D. Rockefeller on the smart Board and they will
discuss his company standard oil and the idea of a having a monopoly and or trust over a certain
product. This discussion is accruing after two days of Instruction and watching small sections of
The Men Who Built America. The students will then be either put into groups or by themselves to
break apart the photos that I are attached to the Worksheet.
Name:____________________________________ Date:__________________
Step1: Take the photos that you are given and place them in order by date, importance and or significance. Analysis
each photo with a paragraph length analysis telling why it is important? Why it would have been chosen? How does
it results to Trust or Monopolies?
Step 2: I would like you to tell a story about what you see in the photos and make sure you use the following names
in the story. John D. Rockefeller, Teddy Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, Standard Oil. You may use your classroom notes
and your secondary sources to assist you in the story. Make sure you
After the students have completed the first part of the worksheet shown above they
should have a good understanding of how to use a photograph to help in analysis and analyze
itself. There are other questions that the educator has added in addition to the steps I have created
for her classroom lesson. Her PowerPoint and lecture are very inline with the proper standards
and did not have to be modified however the addition of these steps in the project brought it from
using the photos to answer questions to them becoming questions themselves.
In taking time and sitting through the classroom instruction really made me look at what
needed to be changed. With this educator it was just a few fixes here and there nothing major. I
took what she has already laid down with the foundation of her instruction and expanded it to use
photographs and other secondary and primary sources. The DBQ and analysis practice she has
already in place is perfect but not good enough for visual analysis and literacy. I have modified
and designed a lesson in which she can use her existing material and use my additions and make
a strong lesson. I have used the video in which we were instructed to watch on visual literacy in
the beginning of this class do to the young student giving the talk. The students responded well
to this introduction and I believe it helped them in their lesson on visual and photograph analysis.
Analysis
This project and lesson design really hit home for me and this educator in our discussions
because of reading Assessing Ways of Seeing the Past: Analysis of the Use of Historical Images
and Student Performance in the NAEP U.S. History Assessment by Suh and Grant I have found
that even though there are visual images on the AP exams and DBQ’s that there are only a few.
This showed why the educator in which I was assisting was not focusing on the visuals, even
though they are not used as much as written documents, when they are used the students have
little practice with their analysis and because they lack these skills they do not do as well as with
written documents. I shard this article with her as well as The Images of Our Time: Using Iconic
Photographs in Developing a Modern American History Course by Lindquist, because it helped
her take what I have changed for her in the classroom and take it to the next level. I went over
how this researcher has developed a method in which you can use to incorporate photo analysis
and visual literacy in the classroom far beyond what I could do with only one lesson.
This modification of instruction aligns perfectly with the ACRL Visual and Literacy
Competency Standards that we have studied. This lesson aligned with standard one and two very
well hitting a many of the learning targets that are achieved through using the standards. In
looking over the targets I found that this also aligned with what Lindquist was talking about in
his article in which we need to focus on visual image comprehension. There were many
challenges that were faced in completing this modification such as trying to fit into the standards
and the AP guidelines for the unit as well as not over stepping the educator in her own
classroom. I did have challenges in choosing the proper photos for the sequence and designing a
solid pre and post survey for the students that would indicate that there had been growth in the
knowledge of visual literacy and a new appreciation for visual literacy and understanding.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this project and working with my close friend on improving her
classroom lessons and curriculum.
This project really helped me as a educator because I was able to really show off my
knowledge in a none over baring way. I was able to assist in the betterment of both a fellow
educator and her students as well as instruct a fellow educator on how to properly use visual
literacy in her classroom to increase scores. I also found that in re-designing her lesson that I
could modify and change many of the same lessons in which I teach. Using the visuals and
connecting that to written information really helps the students to connect what they learning.
Standard oil - Google Search. (n.d.). Retrieved July 23, 2015.
Photos in vietnam - Google Search. (n.d.). Retrieved July 23, 2015.