#1479. Using pictures

Language, level: Middle
Posted Sat Jan 1 08:42:26 PST 2000 by Linda (lcnm@koyote.com).
Greenville Middle School, Greenville, TX
Materials Required: pictures cut from calendars, magazines, newspapers
Activity Time: varies
Concepts Taught: grammar, vocabulary, writing

First, I save every picture from every magazine, calendar,
and newspaper. I have my student aide cut them out and then
I laminate them. I sort them into big manila envelopes
into 1. people 2. animals 3.landscape scenes
4. single objects 5. situational scenes in which
people may be talking or laughing or crying.....
(can't think of the others).
Then I use them for EVERYTHING.
1. Kids get into groups and are given a stack of pictures
into which I have put pictures from each of the above
category. I usually put around 15-20 in each stack.
When we do nouns.... I will place big signs on the
board with "common" "proper" "abstract" "concrete"
"plural" and any others we are studying.
Their group has to go through their stack and find one
to correspond with each topic AND they have to have a
justification for each.
2. When I do prepositions, I give each student a situation
picture and have them list as many preps. as they can find
in each picture. I give a prize for the most found.
3. When we study characterization, I give each student one
picture from the "people" envelope and have them write
a brief character sketch based on what they perceive.
4. When I do verbs, I will give each row ONE picture.
I tell the students in the first seat of each row to take
out one piece of paper. When I say "GO", the first person
looks at his picture and comes up with one action verb.
Then very quickly writes it donwn and passes it back.
The next person has to write down another action verb
and pass it back to the next. It just keeps going.
The person in the back runs the picture up to the front
person. I usually start another picture back as soon
as the first person passes it to the next. In about
4-5 minutes, I stop and the row with the most
and the most accurate verb list gets a prize or pig points.
5. When we do short stories, I give each person an envelope in which
I have put 2-3 people (characters), 1 place picture
(setting) and 1 picture from the situational. After we
have discussed the "elements",they begin to write their
own short story based on what they have in front of them.
6. When I teach a vocabulary word that is a little more
difficult, I always go to my stack to find one that
illustrates it. For example, I found a perfect picture
of a clear blue lake with not one ripple to show
them "placid". They never forgot that word.
7. In spelling, I give them a picture and tell them
that all their sentences have to revolve around that
one picture.