Teacher Preparation

       Image selection: Look for pictures with recognizable imagery, rather than abstract works. Research shows that beginner viewers will be most engaged by pictures in which they can find stories or speculate about situations that are familiar. Avoid pictures that are strictly illustrations, however. An illustration of an event or story may have such specific meaning that students are mislead by guessing and speculating. Your object is to provide an image that will allow them to look carefully, discuss, and raise many valid points.

       Discussion activity: This requires the whole group (12-25 students) to view one large image together. If you have the equipment to project images from this Website or from a CD-ROM, that is one option. If information appears before or after the image, leave that aside unless students raise questions and want to see this at the end of the discussions. You might also use slides and a slide projector. Use the procedures described in E below to facilitate a discussion of each image. Expect students to spend approximately 15 minutes discussing each image; two-three images may be used per discussion.

       Writing activity: Group a few students around the computer monitor and have them look at an art image from this site or a CD-ROM. Make the image as large as possible. If there is descriptive information posted with the image, leave that aside unless students raise questions and want to see this at the end of the activity. Ask them to look very carefully and to look again frequently as they write. Write the first two questions (see E below) on the chalkboard. Ask them to write about the object in response to the first question, and to keep answering the second question as they write each of their ideas and observations. After everyone has finished, experiment with having students share by asking each to read either his/her entire response or parts of it for the group.

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