"No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts off from its youth severs its lifeline. --Kofi Annan
This post from Free Technology for Teachers inspired me to rethink the opening of my Social Studies and Civics classes. On many occasions, I have used a news clip to start my lesson, but what if every class started with a photo taken in the past 24 hours? What a conversation starter!
Richard Bryne (at Free Technology) uses BBC's In Pictures, but another excellent resource is the blog, The Big Picture, which posts amazing (although sometimes disturbing) imagery of what is in the news. You can use Google Reader to subscribe to both resources.
Connecting with current events visually brings the stories alive, leads students to ask questions, and puts global citizenship at the forefront of the classroom--a great way to make Social Studies meaningful.
References
BBC. (2011, November 18). Day in pictures: 18 November 2011. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-15791213
Byrne, R. (2011, November 18). Using pictures for current events [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/11/using-pictures-for-current-events.html
Nelson, P., Turner, L., & Young. L. (2011, November 15). Dangerous work: "the mine" in Guatemala City [web log post]. http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/11/dangerous_work_the_mine_in_gua.html
What a great idea, Jennifer! As elementary teachers, my colleagues and I often comment that you can teach any concept with the right picture book. Unfortunately,the use of illustrations (including photos) seems to decline as students get older. Images really do capture our imagination, allow us to make connections and offer individual interpretations. Using images for starting discussions is great way to incorporate visual literacy in social studies.
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