Reading Photographs to Write With Meaning and Purpose, Grades 4–12

Are you looking for ways to get your students to write with meaning, voice, purpose and passion—and to enjoy doing so? In this practical, activity-filled resource, you will learn how to use photographs in your classroom as a tool to inspire your students and motivate them to produce writing that is organised, creative and effective.

Author Leigh Van Horn demonstrates how to 'read' photographs—to critically approach, analyse and think about photographs in innovative ways. Through reading photographs, your students will discover new things about themselves and the world around them, and you can use their discoveries to develop authentic and creative writing experiences that focus on:

• Memoir
• Personal writing and identity exploration
• Biography
• Writing about social issues in the community
• Narrative.

All of the writing activities can be easily incorporated into your existing curriculum and used with learners of any ability level. And because these original, inventive, and skill-building activities are centered on individual students—their lives, their thoughts, their interpretations, and their perceptions—the questions 'How long does it have to be?' and 'What do you want me to write?'  will disappear from your classroom.