Posts Tagged ‘Picture This’

Picture This: Raising of the U.S Flag at Mount Suribachi
February 23, 2011

The Battle of Iwo Jima took place in February 1945 during World War II. The battle resulted in the United States capturing the island from the Empire of Japan.

The historic picture below depicts the raising of the U.S flag on the top of Mount Suribachi by a group of U.S Marines and Navy Corpsmen. The image won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography in 1945 and has become an iconic and recognisable symbol of the war.

Credit: Corbis Images

Teaching Activity (age 12-16)

Discuss the impact of iconic historical images such as the one above. Can learners think of any other images depicting historical events?

Ask learners to create a storyboard depicting a historical event that they have studied. Remind them to choose the key moments to illustrate in each frame, and to write a brief caption or commentary to accompany each frame to explain the events chronologically. They could create their storyboard on PowerPoint slides, or could use storyboarding software which is available online, or could work on paper. Learners could research historical images to incorporate into their work or could create their own images.

Learner Outcomes

Handling, interpreting and presenting numerical and chronological data

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Picture This: George Washington’s Birthday
February 22, 2011

George Washington, former president of the United States, was born on 22 February 1732 in Wakefield, Virginia.

In 1783 Washington led the Americans to victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War, having served as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. He later presided over the writing of the Constitution of the United States of America in 1787, the supreme law of the US. Washington officially became the first president of the United States in 1789.

As a leader of one of the first successful revolutions against a colonial empire, George Washington has become synonymous with liberty and patriotism.

Credit: Bridgeman Education

Teaching Activity (age 7-11)

Use key dates in George Washington’s life for a numeracy activity, adapting it as appropriate for your group. For example, they could calculate answers in groups, individually, or in teams racing against each other to complete the challenge. They could use a calculator, mental or written calculation methods, or a combination.
Encourage students to create a timeline covering the relevant span of years with the decades marked, to use as a numberline to support their calculations. Challenge them to find more events in Washington’s life and career and to mark these on the timeline.

• George Washington was born in 1732. How old would he be today?

• George Washington died at the age of 67. Work out which year he died.

• George Washington was President of the USA from 1789 until 1797. How many years was he President?

• How much longer did he live after he finished being President?

Learner Outcomes

Handling, interpreting and presenting numerical and chronological data

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Picture This: Presidents Day
February 21, 2011

Presidents Day is a federal holiday celebrated annually in the US on the third Monday in February. The day was the first federal holiday to honour an American citizen. This American citizen was George Washington, the first president of the United States. The holiday is officially titled ‘Washington’s Birthday’. However, this is somewhat of a misnomer as the day never falls on Washington’s actual birthday, 22nd February.

Credit: Reuters

Teaching Activity (age 7-11)

Use a diary, calendar or online resources to find out which days are public holidays this year in your country and in at least one other country. Discuss the differences and the reasons for those differences, focusing on the different cultures and history of different places. What do the various holidays celebrate? How are they celebrated? Students could make a display highlighting public holidays and how they are celebrated around the world.

Learner Outcomes

Information retrieval; understanding other cultures and perspectives

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Picture This: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn First Published
February 18, 2011

US novelist Mark Twain is remembered for his witty style of writing. His book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first published in the USA on 18 February 1885. It describes life in a small town alongside the Mississippi River, told from the point of view of a young boy. The main character, Huckleberry Finn and his friend Tom Sawyer get up to mischief and scrapes in many memorable scenes, and have become much-loved characters all over the world.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was controversial because it tackled the subject of racism, and because of the coarse language which reflected everyday speech of the time. Mark Twain satirises the racist attitudes of the society where Huckleberry Finn grows up. Huckleberry has to make moral choices where he can either accept the prejudiced racist attitudes around him, or trust his own heart and value his friendships regardless of race.

Credit: Bridgeman Education

Teaching Activity (age 12-16)

Does your school have playground rules and safe play, or policies on showing respect? Why are these important?

Look at your school’s existing policies. Are they written from the point of view of those in charge, or from the point of view of the students?

Write your own Student Charter from a student point of view. It should summarise the treatment and behaviour that students at your school can expect from each other and from the staff. Include information on what students can do if things go wrong.

Test your Charter on your friends. Would they be happy to sign up to it?

Make a short video that explains your Student Charter to new students joining the school.

Learner Outcomes

Understanding and respecting diversity; planning and making a video

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Picture This: End of Prohibition in 1933
February 17, 2011

The sale of alcohol was banned in the USA in 1920. Public health advice had attempted to frighten people about the possible effects of alcohol consumption. In response to growing public concern about the damaging effects of alcohol and its impact on society, the National Prohibition Act was passed, banning the production and sale of alcoholic drinks.

A dangerous but lucrative trade grew up in the illegal production of alcohol, with gangsters at the centre of the industry. The unregulated production of liqor that was unsafe for consumption led to illnesses such as paralysis and even death. Many felt that the prohibition was having an even worse effect on society, so the National Prohibition Act was repealed on 17 February 1933 by the Blaine Act, which legalised the production and sale of alcoholic drinks.

Credit: Corbis Images

Teaching Activity (age 14-16)

Research examples of recent and historic public health advice on the dangers of alcohol consumption.
Think about what tactics have been used at different times (for example, instilling fear, giving balanced information, showing medical evidence, using graphic images, humour).

Which approach do you feel was most persuasive?

Prepare a brief multimedia presentation either:

(a)    to explain how public health advice about the consumption of alcohol has changed over the years
(b)    to inform people of your own age about the dangers of alcohol consumption.

Learner Outcomes

Understanding techniques of persuasive texts; creating a persuasive text or historic narrative account; preparing a presentation

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Picture This: Fidel Castro Becomes Cuban Prime Minister
February 16, 2011

Fidel Castro became Prime Minister of Cuba on 16 February 1959. He remained in power as Prime Minister, and then as President, for the next 49 years, making him the world’s longest serving political leader.

Fidel Castro was a revolutionary with strong affiliations to the Communist Party. He wanted to eradicate poverty from Cuba and declared the country a socialist republic. A hostile relationship between Cuba and the USA culminated in the threat of an American invasion of Cuba in 1962. Castro responded by allowing the USSR to deploy nuclear missiles on Cuba. The crisis brought the two superpowers to the brink of nuclear war.

Relations between Cuba and the USA remain difficult, with US trade embargos and travel restrictions being used to pressurise Cuba to reform its political system.

Credit: Corbis Images

Teaching Activity (age 14-16)

Share the above information about Fidel Castro and explore the journalistic and political language of the text. What do the class understand by the following terms?

• revolutionary
• affiliation
• eradicate
• culminate
• deploy
• superpower
• embargo

Learner Outcomes

Understanding key concepts in history; vocabulary extension

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Picture This: Galileo’s Birthday
February 15, 2011

Galileo Galilei, the famous astronomer, mathematician and physicist, was born on 15 February 1564.

He was the first person to develop and use a telescope to observe the night sky, but is remembered also for the persecution he endured for declaring that the sun, and not the earth, was at the centre of our solar system.

The theory had been developed by Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, who realized how controversial this discovery would be, and remained discreet about his findings.

However, Galileo, amongst others, publicly insisted that the theory was correct, and added further controversial suggestions about the scale of the universe. He was charged with heresy and was imprisoned and kept under house arrest for the rest of his life.

Credit: Corbis Images

Teaching Activity (age 9-14)

A pendulum is a mass which swings to and fro on a rope or string. Explain that Galileo investigated the factors that affect how a pendulum swings.

Set up a simple pendulum with a mass (e.g. a metal nut) suspended on a string. You will also need a timer.

Challenge the class to find out how the period of swing (i.e. the length of time from one extreme of the swing to the other) is affected by changing the following variables:

• mass on the end of the string

• the angle of the string at the start

• the length of the string

Learner Outcomes

Conducting an experiment, making and interpreting observations

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Picture This: Roses for Valentine’s Day
February 14, 2011

The feast of St Valentine, the patron saint of love, young people and happy marriage, is celebrated on 14 February.

It is not clear who the original St Valentine was, but he may have been a 3rd century martyred priest. One legend says that the imprisoned priest sent a farewell note to his jailor’s daughter, the night before his death, signed “from your Valentine”. According to another story, the jailor’s daughter was blind and Valentine miraculously restored her sight.

Now, millions of cards, gifts and flowers, especially red roses, are sent to loved ones on Valentine’s Day.

Credit: Corbis Images

Teaching Activity (age 7-11)

The red rose has been seen as a symbol of love for many years. Briefly discuss why the red rose is an appropriate symbol for love, prompting the class to think about the negative features (thorns that hurt; the flowers will wither and die) as well as the positive features (beauty, colour of blood / the heart; fragrance).

Invite the class to suggest flowers and plants that they are familiar with, and briefly discuss the features of each.

What kind of feelings or events could each flower or plant represent? Do any of the plants remind the class of a person? Why? Encourage them to associate specific features of the plant and the feeling or person.

Which plant / flower would represent you / your best friend / the school principal / your pet? Why?

Encourage the children to write a short poem using a flower or plant image.

Learner Outcomes

Creative and inventive use of expressive language to explore feelings and ideas

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Picture This: Nelson Mandela Released From Prison
February 11, 2011

On 11th February 1990, Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years in prison. He had been jailed for his part in a plot to overthrow the South African government violently, in the long struggle against the regime of apartheid in South Africa. His release marked the start of the process of forming a new democratic South Africa.

In 1994 people of all races voted in South Africa’s first democratic election and Nelson Mandela was elected President. He is now widely regarded as a figurehead for democracy, freedom and equality.

Teaching Activity

Ask groups to discuss how people can bring about change, as individuals and collectively. Suggest a context for each group’s discussion, including organisations on a range of scales. Encourage them to think about competing perspectives.

Examples:

• How might students (staff, parents, governors, the local community, the government) influence change in a school?
• Members of a club
• Members of a family
• Employees
• Citizens of a country

Bring the class back together and share opinions. Are the suggestions democratic? Do the class consider any of the suggestions unacceptable? Why?

Learner Outcomes

Understanding participation in democracy, diverse viewpoints and competing rights.


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Picture This: First Fire Extinguisher
February 10, 2011

The first fire extinguisher was patented on this day in 1863 to Alanson Crane of Virginia. It wasn’t until World War II that Dr. Percy Julian, using a soy protein, invented an aero-foam extinguisher that could suffocate gas and oil fires.

Credit: Corbis Images

Teaching Activity

To know how fire extinguishers work, students must first understand the nature of fire. Explain to your students that three factors must be present simultaneously in order for a fire to exist:

• Oxygen to sustain combustion. When fuel burns it reacts with the oxygen in the surrounding air to create combustion products such as gases and smoke. The process is known as oxidation

• Fuel that is combustible, for example coal, wood, petroleum etc. Fuel is characterised by its moisture content which affects how easily it will burn

• Heat to ignite, maintain and spread the fire. Heat helps spread fires by removing moisture from surrounding fuels, which in turns allows them to burn more quickly

It’s important to emphasise that all three of the above must be present in order for a fire to exist. Explain to students that fire extinguishers work by essentially removing one or more of the above factors from the mix.

Tell your students that for different types of fires (such as those triggered by organic materials, liquids, electricity, and chemicals) there are different types of fire extinguishers such as C02 (carbon dioxide) extinguishers, water extinguishers, dry chemical extinguishers, metal/sand extinguishers etc.


Learner Outcomes

Increase knowledge and understanding of fire and fire safety


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