National Gallery of Canada
Make a Pinhole Camera
Introduce your class to photography by asking them to construct their own pinhole cameras. After putting together their own devices, pupils take and develop pictures and analyze the results. The plan provides step-by-step instructions...
National Gallery of Canada
The Camera Obscura
You can create a camera with even the most unassuming materials. Learners view photographs and talk about the art. Some background information is included about the camera obscura for you to present before individuals make their own...
National Gallery of Canada
Shadow Chasers!
Experiment with light and shadow with a photography lesson. Learners first view several artistic photographs. They then play with different levels of light and various objects, eventually putting together compositions and taking pictures...
Curated OER
Story Telling with Black & White Photography
4th-8th graders will explore Wright Morris' photography and create their own black and white photographs. They will then use the photographs to portray a message they want communicated by writing a narrative telling a story about the...
Curated OER
Turning a Room into a Camera Obscura
Students and teacher begin a discussion about photography and look at the images listed using the questions provided to guide the discussion. They then create a camera obscura in the classroom and experience how many images are affected...
Curated OER
The 35mm Camera Lesson
Ninth graders explore the 35mm camera. They discuss and identify the various parts and characteristics of the 35 mm camera. Students examine the two aspects of a 35 mm camera that control the light.
Curated OER
A Glimmer of Beauty: Lesson Plan
Fully analyze the elements of art and unexpected beauty in the William Merritt Chase's Still Life with a Fish. The class will examine the painting very closely, then use photography to express unexpected beauty in still life. This is a...
National Gallery of Canada
Urban Panorama
How can a photographer use images to represent a topic? Over the course of three days, learners discuss various photographs and practice their picture-taking skills with an outdoor, panoramic photography session. They use the images to...
Curated OER
A House Divided: Photography in the Civil War
Students study Civil War photography and write captions for each picture based on context. In this Civil War photography lesson plan, students match photographs with their original captions. Students read included short biographies of...
Curated OER
Picture Yourself in Time
A super lesson that integrates technology and career exploration! High schoolers use graphic organizers and brainstorming to first analyze Time Magazine covers, then they think about what they want to be doing in 10 years. They research...
Curated OER
Detectives in the Landscape
Fourth graders explore landscapes. In this landscape instructional activity, 4th graders investigate different elements of landscapes. Students design a visual presentation using photographs taken during a nature walk.
Curated OER
Creating a digital Self-Portrait
Sixth graders use a digital camera and take photographs of each other wearing a "costume" of their choice in front of a blue screen. They work cooperatively to complete the photographs by placing it into a background and setting...
Curated OER
Who Am I?
Students complete an acrostic poem and use digital photo activities for the poem. For this acrostic poem and technology lesson, students use Word Art and digital cameras to create a technology integrated acrostic poem.
Tennessee State Library & Archives
Vietnam War
A picture can speak 1000 words. Scholars research the Vietnam War through the lens of a camera. Examining photos from the collection of Christopher D. Ammons allows open interpretation of life during one of America's darkest conflicts....
Curated OER
CCTV: Privacy or safety?
Students read and evaluate a proposal to put CCTV in their school classrooms. Students use a highlighter pen and a map to identify places on the school campus that should have cameras to stop bullying. Students read a message from the...
Curated OER
Through the Viewfinder: Learning to Think Like a Professional News Photographer
Students investigate the skills for photo composition to become quality photojournalists. In this photojournalism lesson, students cut out photographs from magazines and decide on the best ones, as well as determine what makes them good....
Curated OER
Digital Photography Project: My Special Place
Learners read an except form, "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros, as a prompt for a family discussion about the history of their name. They use this discussion to express their personality by creating a Power Point slide...
Curated OER
Documenting the Great Depression
Students compare and contrast two photographs from the Great Depression, and identify the ways in which the photographers depicted the hardships of everyday life during this period. They hypothesize about the story behind each photograph...
National Research Center for Career and Technical Education
Photoshop Scale
Say cheese! Can your class take a great photo and size it to fit any need? A career and technology-centered lesson plan demonstrates the correct way to resize images in Adobe Photoshop. Scholars view a presentation and work individually...
Curated OER
Double Exposure Lesson Plan: Eye on Your Community
Students demonstrate their knowledge of a camera by taking pictures of people, places, and things that make up their neighborhood or school. They select the photographs that tell a better story than others and explain their reason.
Curated OER
The Rule of Thirds
Young scholars identify the rule of thirds and use it when taking photos. In this photography lesson, students discuss dynamic photography and find example images from various sources. Young scholars discuss the rule of thirds and...
Curated OER
Magnetism and Electricity
Students demonstrate a comprehension of the properties, position, and motion of objects and materials, and of light, heat, electricity, and magnetism. They use materials to assemble an electric circuit and test materials, including...
CPALMS
Point of View: A Close Reading of Two Bad Ants
Chris Van Allsburg's Two Bad Ants provides third graders with an opportunity to examine point of view and how the point of view of others may differ from their own.
Curated OER
6 Word Digital Memoirs
Students discuss the idea of 6 word memoirs. In this technology lesson, students explore how using a small number of words sometimes is the best. Students practice using 6 word memoirs writing six words for various nursery rhymes and...