Mary Ellen Hawkins   recent discussion Compare and Contrast Activity using Dorothea Lange photographs reminds me of an activity I previously posted. This lesson is designed to support Close Reading skills; Letting students discover their own patterns, then asking students to describe, compare and defend what they found.

Lesson context: Students are studying the Great Depression and the plight of migrant farm workers displaced by the Dust Bowl.

Set up: Tell students that it's 1938 and they work for Life Magazine as photo editors.

Task: A documentary photographer has brought in 4 photos and you have to decide which one to use to illustrate an article on the plight of the migrant workers. Find images here

Delivery: Do not use any teacher-driven rubrics for judging photos. Remember the intent "what does it mean to me?" Depending on time and class logistics they can work as individuals / small groups. You could use voting. Then let students explain why they chose a particular image as "best."

Follow up: Only after they have evaluated and discussed images 2-5, show image 1: Dorothea Lange's famous Migrant Mother and discuss what elements made that image iconic.