My students need a digital camera and 40 picture mats to express themselves and tell their own visual stories. They also need 5 high quality photography books as inspiration for their work.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
Maya Angelou said "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." As an elementary art teacher I help children tell stories with pictures. I want to further empower my students by giving them the freedom to express themselves through photography.
My students are creative, curious and motivated to express themselves.
They love to look at art, talk about art and especially make art with all kind of materials.
We are a socially and economically diverse Title I school. Many students have limited access to art and technology at home.
My Project
With the donation of a digital camera and a collection of inspiring, child-friendly photography books I will create a "lending library" for motivated 4th and 5th grade artists. Students will develop personal themes and topics for a series of photographs they plan to explore. The purchased supplies will be packed in a secure tote bag for students to use at home for a period of two weeks. The students will have a tutorial on camera use and care and will work during these two weeks on their independent project. At the end of their independent project students will upload their images to our school computers, edit their images and select a series of images that best tells their story. Students will write an artist's statement describing their series. These photographs will be printed, mounted and displayed at our school and in our community for March's Youth Art Month celebration.
Maria Montessori said about children, "the things he sees are not just remembered; they form a part of his soul." By giving a child a camera we are not only able to see what they see but feel what they feel.
By feeding their desire to communicate and express themselves it is my hope that we are also better able to understand and support them creatively, socially, emotionally and instructional.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Barlett and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
