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Robin Adamopoulos
Mini-Lesson Plan
EDUC 547 ESOL Methods
Fall, 2004
Rhetorical Structures Photo Essay: Language Experience Activity
Audience: ESL class, or English/Language Arts Class with high concentration of ELLs - Upper Elementary/Middle School Grades 4-7
Proficiency: Beginner/ intermediate
Objectives:
1.) Students will acquire an understanding of rhetorical structures in text to help build
strategies for reading comprehension and organization in their own writing.
2.) Students will create a photographic personal narrative using an organizational
structure selected from three storyboard patterns. (See attached)
3.) Students will write a narrative based on their photographs. This narrative can be
dictated to the instructor, as a Language Experience Approach activity, or written
by the student with assistance from the instructor or a mentor/peer tutor.
Materials:
Disposable cameras: enough for the students to each have one or at least one to share
between no more than 3 students.
Poster Board, Markers and Glue stick
Or: Digital cameras, scanner and software (such as Adobe Photoshop) to organize the
photos.
Procedure:
1.) Students will be introduced to the project through a model prepared by the
instructor.
2.) The student can decide an organizational schema for his/her storyboard based on
the chart attached (Sinatra, Beaudry et.al. 176). An alternative plan, depending
upon the proficiency of the students, would have the teacher dictate the
organizational schema. The model for this lesson is based on a thematic
organization or item (B) in the figure attached (Sinatra, Beaudry et.al. 176).
3.) Students can either “cut and paste” their photos on to a poster board, using
markers to write their headings, or use the digital technology to compose their
project with integrated text and images.
4.) When the photo essay is complete, students will use the essay as the basis for
constructing a short narrative. Themes for the narrative could include:
a.)
Describing why the student chose these particular pictures and
why he/she chose to organize them in this manner.
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b.)
Answering the question :What I need to live -- and why these
objects/people in the photo essay are important to the
student’s life.
Time Frame:
1.) Students will need adequate time to take photos and/or gather photos of their own to
include in the composition. This unit allows three weeks for this process: to give
time for students who may need to share cameras and allow time for photo
processing. Digital technology would enable the project to be completed in a
shorter time frame.
2.) The actual construction of the project could be done in a 50 minute class period or
divided between two days. This unit allows two days, taking into account the
shorter attention span of young students.
3.) The writing of the narrative could be done over two class periods. The students
would dictate or write the draft of the narrative on one day, and revise the draft to
complete a final, finished product on the second day.
Assessment:
Formative Assessment:
The instructor should monitor the progress of the project at various stages and consult
with students about their plans. The instructor should note which students are having
difficulty with organizing the project, and if this is due to language proficiency issues.
Summative Assessments:
The narrative will be assessed based on a process writing approach – content and
organization will be scored first with grammar and style as secondary concerns.
A suggested rubric for the photographic essay follows.
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ASSIGNMENT
Photo Essay:
1.) Variety of photos
presented.
OUTSTANDING
(5)
TARGET
(3.5)
UNACCEPTABLE
(1)
More than 3
photos for each
category
3 photos only
Less than 3 photos
2.) Photos are
consistent with the
theme.
All photos
consistent with
the theme.
Fewer than three
photos consistent
with the theme.
3.) Follows
organizational
schema.
Excellent
organization.
Audience can
easily follow the
organizational
schema without
explanation from
photographer.
4.)Neatness/Creativity
Very neat.
Photographs are
labeled
appropriately.
Visually pleasing.
Most photos
consistent with
theme. One or
two that may
not be
consistent.
Organization
is consistent
with the
theme. One or
two photos
may need
some
clarification of
the
photographer’s
choice.
Neat. One or
two labels
may be
missing or not
spelled
correctly.
Visual
appearance
must be
acceptable.
Poor Organizational
Schema. Difficult
to understand the
reasoning for the
placement of the
photos.
Sloppy. Photos are
not placed well. No
labels or very few,
poorly written.
Reference:
Sinatra, Richard, Jeffrey S. Beaudry, Josephine Stahl-Gemake, E. Francine Guastello.
(1998) “Combining Visual Literacy, Text Understanding, and Writing for
Culturally Diverse Students.” Literacy Instruction for Culturally and
Linguistically Diverse Students. Ed. Michael F. Opitz. Newark, DE:
International Reading Association, 173-179.
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