https://www.nytimes.com/column/learning-whats-going-on-in-this-picture

https://www.nytimes.com/section/learning

Why I chose this website:

I used this in a grade six classroom.  Some of the activities lend well to any age, though navigating the website in my opinion is appropriate for ages 12 and up.  It is easy to navigate, and the depth of materials is wide-ranging so this will take some time.  I used this website for their “What’s Going on in this picture” activity.  Teachers use a writing prompt called “Talking to the Picture” which is useful to know if searching for picture prompts on other teacher websites.  

Talking to Picture Procedure:

Display the picture on the screen as a writing prompt.  Allow students a few minutes to look at the picture and imagine the background story.  Then brainstorm together what is happening in the picture (brainstorm bubble) to display as a class example.  Thinking aloud teaches how to perceive the picture using imagination and logical reasoning, concise word choice.  Students may be surprised how much information they can fill in about a picture using the questions 5 W and 1 H.  Students should be encouraged to start with brainstorming, then focus on clarity by selecting only the relevant 5 W and 1 H questions to use in their picture retell.  An expectation should be set, such as answering three of the six questions.  Once ideas are down, they can write in sentences.  They can share with a partner last so they keep their own ideas and find out afterwards how others perceived the same picture.  After completing a half dozen of these prompting pictures over several weeks, writing becomes more automatic so they can skip the brainstorming section and go straight into their writing.  They could also select one of their favourite pieces to expand into a longer story. 

A “talking to the picture” example of the soldier who is sleeping could be:

Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

This is a photo of Tom Malone who just got off the battlefield in Afghanistan.  He saw some horrific sites and was suffering PTSD.  Just prior to the photo being taken, he had been trying to imagine himself in a beautiful location.  This was a meditation technique taught in the army.  As he was doing so, he felt so exhausted that he fell asleep right there on the hard concrete.  The technique he used to clear his mind had worked so he gained some much needed rest prior to moving on to the next mission for the day.  Everyone was careful not to disturb him as they side-stepped carefully around him with hushed voices. 

Once familiar with the process, students can use the website for homework writing purposes.  This builds autonomy over time as they learn the structure of writing picture prompt responses.

The website provides many examples of others’ interpretations on pictures.  The topics cover every writing genre, from argument to opinion. 

I like the New York Times because they frequently post pictures which are relevant to current events or holiday themes.  The “What’s Going on in this Picture” activity, for example, is a feature they term the Visual Thinking Strategy.  They suggest using three questions: 1. What’s going on in this picture? 2. What makes you say that? 3. What more can you find?  They post a picture of a current event after removing the writing used in their New York Times article.  They leave up previous pictures so if you’re not using it for a current event, you can access thousands of other pictures.  New pictures are posted on Sunday and starting Monday there is a live discussion about the picture where students are invited to contribute until the title and real background story is revealed on Thursday.  I would do the writing Monday and have them join the discussion forum with their ideas only after to ensure they generate their own ideas. 

I also like this website because they are not as American-themed as other American websites.  They have activities with characters or scenes seemingly from all ethnic groups.  The New York Times is reputable, and I did not detect cultural bias.  The beauty of it is teachers can assign individual pieces which they think may speak to a specific student, or their student can find something that resonates with them.  I have assigned specific pieces which I felt would appeal and found that students appreciate you paid attention to remember their interests or background. 

There are many ways to incorporate “hands on” learning, such as this assignment asking students if they can create a dish using seven ingredients.  There are numerous ways to connect with the language curriculum.  Students could take pictures of their food and explain what their friends or family thought of their dish to post on blog.  Or, if the assignment were procedural writing, students could give the step-by-step instructions on how they created their dish. 

There are teacher instructional videos to access.  They are excellent and describe the research behind the activities as well as videoed lessons showing engagement of learners.   The Communicative language teaching approach is evident, with a focus on meaning and developing description.  These activities encourage engagement and build confidence.