TEKS

5.1.A - Perception - The student is expected to communicate ideas about feeling, self, family, school and
community, using sensory knowledge and life experiences.

5.2.C - Creative expression/performance - The student is expected to: create original artworks and explore
photographic imagery, using a variety of art materials and media appropriately.

5.3.A - Historical/cultural heritage - The Student is expected to: compare artworks from several national
periods, identifying similarities and differences.

5.3.C - Historical/cultural heritage - The Student is expected to: identify the use of art skills in a variety of jobs.

5.4.A - Response/evaluation - The student is expected to: analyze personal artworks to interpret meaning.

5.4.B Response/evaluation - The student is expected to: analyze original artworks, portfolios, and exhibitions
by peers and others to form conclusions about properties.
Objectives
TSW - communicate through photojournalism their ideas about feeling, self,
family, school and community, using sensory knowledge and life experiences.

TSW - create original artworks through exploring photographic imagery, using

media appropriately.
Language Objectives (ELPS)
3g: Express opinions, ideas and feelings ranging from communicating single
works and short phrases to participating in extended discussions on a variety
of social and grade-appropriate academic topics

1A: Use prior knowledge and experiences to understand meanings in English

1C: Use strategic learning techniques such as concept mapping, drawing,

memorizing, comparing, contrasting, and reviewing to acquiring basic and grade
level vocabulary.
Vocabulary
● Photography ● Background
● Types of Cameras ● Foreground
● Flash ● Focal point
● Natural Light ● Rule of thirds
● Photojournalism ● Point of view
● Photojournalist ● Focus
● Storytelling ● Portrait
● Iconic
Dorothea Lange

Gordon Parks
Inspiring Artists
Materials
● Camera
● Literature
○ Gordon Parks: How the
Photographer Captured Black and
White America
○ Dorothea’s Eyes
○ Dorothea Lange: The Photographer
Who Found the Faces of the
Depression
Lesson Sequence
Introduce key vocabulary words

● Students will need to familiarize themselves with the

basic functions of a camera and the terms used by
photographers.
● Focus
● Flash
● Capture
● Point of View
● Rule of thirds
Lesson Sequence
Teacher Modeling (I do):  
Introduce Photography and our two artists, Dorothea Lange and Gordon Parks to the
students by reading from the selections of books listed above. Show students a variety of
photos from the two artists to familiarize themselves with the styles and stories of the
two artists.
Guided Practice (We do):
Together we will discuss ways to take an effective photograph (rule of thirds).
Discuss the stories that the photographs at the end of this powerpoint tell. Students will
brainstorm stories that they can tell with their own photographs.
Independent Practice (You do):
Students will work together in groups to take a narrative photo with an iPad.
Students will also be asked to practice take photos at home with a phone or other
camera. Once students have taken photos, students will analyze each other’s photographs
and share their stories.
Warm ups
1. “I am…” Character Poem (Print out Located in
Google Drive)
2. Photograph Analysis (Print out Located in
Google Drive)
3. Observation four-square (Print out Located
in Google Drive)
 Introduce
Photography by
showing this
Brainpop Jr. video
titled “Taking
Photos”
Background:
Introduce Photographs to students.

Dorothea Lange: Photographer known for documenting the Great

Depression.
➔ Dorothea’s Eyes by Barb Rosenstock
➔ Dorothea Lange by Carole Boston Weatherford

Gordon Parks: Film Director, Fashion Photographer

➔ Gordon Parks by Carole Boston Weatherford
Dorothea Lange - 1895 - 1965
She was hired by the government to
document the lives of the poor,
Americans who were unemployed during
the Great Depression in the 1930s. Her
most famous photograph is “The
Migrant Mother”

Art with Mati and

Dada: Dorothea
Lange (YouTube)
 DOROTHEA LANGE

DOROTHEA LANGE BY
CAROLE BOSTON WEATHERFORD

DOROTHEA’S EYES BY
BARB ROSENSTOCK
Dorothea
“pretends to be
Invisible”

Most
importantly is
that “Dorothea
sees with her
eyes and her
heart”
DOROTHEA LANGE - 1895 - 1965

The book documents the

capturing of “The Migrant
Mother” photograph in an
easy understandable and
yet compelling story.
Dorothea Lange’s images are immortalized for capturing the moment, as if she
were not there. She prided herself on being “invisible.”
Gordon Parks - 1912 -2006
● African-American portrait and fashion
photographer, later became known to
photograph racism and poverty in
America. His most famous photograph is
“American Gothic.”
Gordon Parks

Gordon Parks

By Carole Boston Weatherford

Compare Dorothea
Lange and Gordon
Parks using a Venn
Diagram
Dorothea Gordon
Lange Parks
 WHAT DO THEY HAVE IN COMMON?
Take a moment and ask yourself:

● What do Dorothea Lange and Gordon Parks have in common?

● What story is the photo telling?

● What did they do in order to take their photos?

 WHAT ARE THEIR DIFFERENCES?
Take a moment and ask yourself:

● What are the differences between the two photographers?

● What differences do you see in the photos background, society, or

surrounds?
Each student has a different story to tell based on:

● Community and their neighborhood

● Location
Communities and Neighborhoods

○ How are the living conditions in their neighborhood?

○ Do they live in homes, trailers, apartments complex

○ What are the things that happen in their communities?

Location

○ What are they proud of in their city

○ Any location give a sense of nostalgia

 Questions to think about

Each student has a story to tell...

● How can the student convey their message through

photography?

● Who is the student telling the story to (Audience)?

● How will the student tell the story through a visual?

 Questions to think about

Each student has a story to tell...

● Students should find inspiration through photographers

to tell their story.

● Students should research more photographers in order

to:
➔ Find a personal connection
➔ Learn techniques and methods
 COMPARISONS TO CLASSICAL ART

“AMERICAN GOTHIC” “AMERICANGOTHIC”

Gordon Parks Grant Wood
“Lunch Atop a Skyscraper”
Charles Clyde Ebbets
September 20, 1932
“The City in Motion”
Thomas Toft
December 9, 2013
“V-J Day in Times Square”
Alfred Eisenstaedt
August 14, 1945
Eve Arnold
1960
“A Man on the Moon”
Neil Armstrong
July 20, 1969
 Usain Bolt of Jamaica
competes in the Men's 100
meter semifinal on Day 9 of
the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
in Rio de Janeiro on Aug.14,
2016.
Photographer: Cameron
Spencer