Bisby
Photo Story 3 Project
High School Redesign Lesson
Kelly Bisby
Photo Story Poetry*
11th grade English
Rationale and Learning Outcomes:
The relationship between literature and technology is often quite fragile, especially since
many people hold to an “either/or” mentality – either you are a reader of classic
literature or computer savvy, a writer of elegant prose or a reader of celebrity blogs. But
in a world that is constantly changing, we teachers need to realize that technology is the
bridge by which we will reach our students. By giving them the opportunity to use the
computer as an interactive learning tool, they will be able to demonstrate their
understanding of a given text on multiple levels, including the project described in this
lesson. Over a three-day period, students will learn the various steps involved in
interpreting a work of poetry, from reading and analyzing the work to representing the
main themes of the work through photography and art. The students will then learn how
to create a Photo Story 3 movie focusing on a work of the Harlem Renaissance.
Product:
Students will work in cooperative learning groups to create a Photo Story 3 Poem that
analyzes a given work from the Harlem Renaissance through visual, verbal, and audible
cues.
Student Learning Expectations:
OV.1.11.2 Present a formal multi-media presentation
OV.2.11.5 Demonstrate critical listening skills and productive participation in selfdirected work teams for a particular purpose
W.4.11.15 Use available technology for all aspects of the writing process
R.9.11.4 Analyze how works of a given period reflect author’s background, historical
events, and cultural influences
R.9.11.5 Draw inferences from a complete selection and support them with text
evidence
R.9.11.6 Summarize, paraphrase, and critique complex structures in informational and
literary texts, including relationships among concepts, details, and visual components.
R.9.11.11 Analyze and compare the author’s use of figures of speech and sound
devices
R.10.11.3 Read a variety of poetry, including free verse
R.10.11.4 Analyze an author’s use of poetic conventions and structures
R.10.11.5 Analyze and compare characteristics of free verse
R.10.11.6 Analyze traditional and contemporary works of poets from many cultures
R.10.11.7 Analyze the author’s possible use of persona
R.10.11.8 Analyze techniques poets use to evoke emotion in a reader
R.10.11.10 Paraphrase and interpret to find the meaning of selected poems
* This activity is inspired by lessons developed through ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education).
Bisby
Photo Story 3 Project
Rigor:
Students will:
 analyze poetry using steps beyond TPCASTT and SOAPSTONE;
 use higher-level thinking skills to discuss and interpret poetry;
 decipher the underlying symbolism of Harlem Renaissance poetry;
 learn the steps involved in effectively using Photo Story 3 for Windows;
 and work collaboratively on a Photo Story 3 project.
Relevance:
Students will:
 use background knowledge to analyze a work of literature;
 work collaboratively on a detailed project;
 use technology to communicate a specific idea;
 and communicate effectively with peers and teachers
Assumptions:
The classroom has:
 been granted the 1:1 Laptop program funds (a laptop computer for each student
and wireless internet for my classroom);
 studied Harlem Renaissance poetry for at least two weeks;
 developed an understanding of figurative language, poetic elements, etc.;
 and been formed into cooperative learning groups.
Materials Needed:
 Laptop computers or computer lab available for two consecutive days
 Overhead wireless projector and teacher laptop w/Photo Story 3
 Copies of the following poems: “Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes,
“The Bean Eaters” by Gwendolyn Brooks, “Saturday’s Child” by Countee Cullen,
“If We Must Die” by Claude McKay, “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar, and
“Mother Night” by James Weldon Johnson
Day One (45 minutes):
 Students will begin the class by breaking themselves into groups based on the
poetry they’ve been assigned:
 Group One – “Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes
 Group Two – “The Bean Eaters” by Gwendolyn Brooks
 Group Three – “Saturday’s Child” by Countee Cullen
 Group Four – “If We Must Die” by Claude McKay
 Group Five – “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar
 Group Six – “Mother Night” by James Weldon Johnson
 The teacher will guide students through a short poetry annotation activity at the
front of the class using a Claude McKay’s “Tropics of New York.” After identifying
the images and symbolism of the poem, the teacher will point out that each
element can be turned into a visual image. The teacher will then display
examples of slides and photos that enhance works of literature (William Blake’s
illuminated plates, nursery rhyme illustrations, etc.) to facilitate a discussion of
* This activity is inspired by lessons developed through ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education).
Bisby
Photo Story 3 Project
the attributes of each interpretation and how it helps students construct meaning
from text.
 Students will then focus back on their groups. One student will read the poem
aloud as the rest of the group scans for literary elements and rhyming patterns,
highlighting as they go along. Groups will identify and analyze all key elements of
the poem and discuss whether these elements are used effectively.
Day Two (45 minutes):
 Teacher will distribute handout of project requirements (see attached)
 Students will use their laptops and wireless internet access to search for images
that seem to enhance the elements they have extracted from the poem. Groups
will discuss why an image would be appropriate or inappropriate for the
assignment, an approach that encourages persuasive and creative discussion
amongst group members. For example, if two group members believe a
particular image is “perfect,” but the remaining two do not, the students will need
to work out a compromise. During the process, students will save the images
they find on a group wiki (such as pbwiki.com). By the end of class, students
must have at least ten images available to use in their story.
 Once these ten images have been collected, students may begin to work on the
Photo Story 3 project. They will be encouraged to assign group roles such as:
writer of script, speaker, film editor, and/or facilitator.
Day Three (45 minutes):
 Students will work in groups of four to finish their final Photo Story 3 project. The
final product must contain a multimedia “movie” with a reading of the poem,…,
ten images that represent elements or themes within the poem, and a one-page
typed analysis...
 When each group is finished, they will save the project to the class wiki AND
send it as an attachment through e-mail to the teacher’s school account.
 An additional day will be used to view and discuss the movies.
* This activity is inspired by lessons developed through ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education).
Bisby
Photo Story 3 Project
Day One –
William Blake’s
illuminated plates
Nursery Rhymes and
Children’s Books
* This activity is inspired by lessons developed through ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education).
Bisby
Photo Story 3 Project
Day Two – Poem and Selected Images (student example)
“The Bean Eaters” by Gwendolyn Brooks
They eat beans mostly, this old yellow pair.
Dinner is a casual affair.
Plain chipware on a plain and creaking wood,
Tin flatware.
Two who are Mostly Good.
Two who have lived their day,
But keep on putting on their clothes
And putting things away.
And remembering . . .
Remembering, with twinklings and twinges,
As they lean over the beans in their rented back room
that
is full of beads and receipts and dolls and cloths,
tobacco crumbs, vases and fringes.
* This activity is inspired by lessons developed through ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education).
Bisby
Photo Story 3 Project
(New Page)
Seeing Poetry
Multimedia Poetry Project for Ms. Bisby’s English III Classes
Group Members:
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
Poem: _______________________________________________________________________________
Multimedia: Photo Story 3, Internet Explorer, Paint, etc.
Process:
1. Read through your selected poem
2. Identify all figurative language
3. Identify all symbols, themes, motifs, and archetypes
4. Search for visual representations (photos, graphics, artwork, etc.)
5. Compile into Photo Story 3 project
6. Write final analysis of poem with rough transcript of Photo Story 3 project
Project Rubric
CATEGORY
20
15
10
5
Images
Images create a distinct
atmosphere or tone that
matches different parts of the
poem. The images clearly
communicate the meaning of
the poem.
Images create a distinct
atmosphere or tone that
matches different parts of the
poem. The images adequately
communicate the meaning of
the poem.
An attempt was made to use
images to create an
atmosphere/tone but it needed
more work. Image choice is
logical.
Little or no attempt to use
images to create an
appropriate
atmosphere/tone.
Point of View Awareness of
Audience
Strong awareness of audience
in the design. Students can
clearly explain why they felt the
vocabulary, audio and graphics
chosen fit the target audience.
Some awareness of audience
in the design. Students can
partially explain why they felt
the vocabulary, audio and
graphics chosen fit the target
audience.
Some awareness of audience Limited awareness of the
in the design. Students find it needs and interests of the
difficult to explain how the
target audience.
vocabulary, audio and graphics
chosen fit the target audience.
Economy
The project was created with
exactly the right amount of
detail throughout. It does not
seem too short nor does it
seem too long.
The project is typically good,
though it seems to drag
somewhat OR need slightly
more detail in one or two
sections.
The project seems to need
more editing. It is noticeably
too long or too short in more
than one section.
The project needs extensive
editing. It is too long or too
short to be interesting.
Voice - Consistency Voice quality is clear and
Voice quality is clear and
consistently audible throughout consistently audible throughout
the presentation.
the majority (85-95%) of the
presentation.
Voice quality is clear and
consistently audible through
some (70-84%)of the
presentation.
Voice quality needs more
attention.
Written Analysis
Poetic analysis is well-written
but does not enhance the
multimedia project.
Poetic analysis is neither
well-written nor does it
enhance the multimedia
Poetic analysis is well-written
and clearly enhances
multimedia project.
Poetic analysis is well-written
and somewhat enhances
multimedia project.
* This activity is inspired by lessons developed through ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education).
Bisby
Photo Story 3 Project
(New Page)
Written Analysis
Ms. Bisby
March 12, 2009
Group 4: Alexandria, Carrie, Nick, and Kelly
Throughout our study of “The Bean Eaters” by Gwendolyn Brooks, our group came to realize that
the simple, basic images of Brooks’ poetry symbolize her views of American culture. She grew up during
the height of the Harlem Renaissance, and was fortunate enough to meet Langston Hughes and James
Weldon Johnson when she was just a teenager. As she grew, she began to take part in poetry workshops
throughout her city, and eventually became one of the foremost African-American poets of the 20th century.
“The Bean Eaters” begins with a very simple scene: “They eat beans mostly, this old yellow pair /
Dinner is a casual affair.” However, one finds significant meaning within those words. The reader assumes
that the “yellow pair” is an elderly couple living alone after their children have grown up and moved away.
Now the couple stays at home eating the same thing day after day, growing older each moment. Yet, the
next few lines indicate something more substantial in their lives, as it says, “Plain chipware on a plain and
creaking wood / Tin flatware.” There is a lot of repetition in these lines (chipware/flatware, plain/plain),
which mirrors the repetition of the couple’s lifestyle.
The poem continues by describing the couple as “Mostly Good,” yet they continue to store up
memories of the past instead of embracing the present. In fact, the poem states that they are found “putting
things away” and “remembering.” Metaphorically, the elderly couple are storing away their lives in the
baubles and knick-knacks of their happier days. The “beads and receipts and dolls and cloths” of their
rented back room are actually symbols of the festive, carefree lifestyle that they once knew.
The repetition of life and the value of memories are two themes that clearly stand out in Brooks’
poem. By illustrating the day-to-day lifestyle of this “yellow pair,” Brooks allows the reader to see the
meaning behind the small, seemingly unimportant moments that we pass us by each day.
* This activity is inspired by lessons developed through ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education).