"Willy Wonka" by Giulia B
Grade 6
Grade 6
"I've heard tell that what you imagine sometimes comes true."
― Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
(Click to read about our previous challenges: Simply Me, I've Got a Feeling, and Battle of the Bands)
Toy Photography was the probably the challenge I was most looking forward to do with the students.
It is actually really hard to pick a favorite since each challenge was amazing in its own way.
This time around I wanted to collaborate with other teachers for a more meaningful project. I talked to the Humanities department and they were more than happy to collaborate! We developed separate challenges for each grade level as you will read below. I highly recommend embracing the power of collaboration!
After sharing last week's challenge video (Battle of the Bands) I begin by asking students to respond to the following question on a backchannel. (I personally like using TodaysMeet.)
Think About It:
Below are some of my favorite responses:
Toy Photography was the probably the challenge I was most looking forward to do with the students.
It is actually really hard to pick a favorite since each challenge was amazing in its own way.
This time around I wanted to collaborate with other teachers for a more meaningful project. I talked to the Humanities department and they were more than happy to collaborate! We developed separate challenges for each grade level as you will read below. I highly recommend embracing the power of collaboration!
After sharing last week's challenge video (Battle of the Bands) I begin by asking students to respond to the following question on a backchannel. (I personally like using TodaysMeet.)
Think About It:
- Explain how you would "breathe life and personality into toys" through toy photography.
Below are some of my favorite responses:
Here are the challenges with a twist for each of the participating grade levels:
6th Grade
Subject: Language Arts- Novel Themes
Materials: Toys and props
Images: minimum of two
Using the novel you have been designated:
Image #1: Depict one of the themes from your novel
*Remember 'theme' is not a word; it is a sentence that can be about the BIG world and not just this particular book
Image #2: Depict your favorite scene from the novel
Can you guess the novels depicted below?
6th Grade
Subject: Language Arts- Novel Themes
Materials: Toys and props
Images: minimum of two
Using the novel you have been designated:
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Where the Red Fern Grows
- Hatchet
- Tuck Everlasting
Image #1: Depict one of the themes from your novel
*Remember 'theme' is not a word; it is a sentence that can be about the BIG world and not just this particular book
- pay attention to the props, setting, background you will use in your image
- please include the theme in your picture
Image #2: Depict your favorite scene from the novel
- be sure to incorporate your favorite quote
Can you guess the novels depicted below?
 Giulia B |  Manoela |
 Livia A |  Roberta |
 Luca |
7th Grade
Subject: Social Studies- Greek mythology
Materials: Toys and props
Images: minimum of two
Choice #1: Depict a Greek god/goddess and recreate a scene from your favorite myth
Choice #2: Recreate two scenes (one Greek and one Trojan) leading up to the Trojan War
Can you guess the gods/goddesses and scenes depicted below?
Subject: Social Studies- Greek mythology
Materials: Toys and props
Images: minimum of two
Choice #1: Depict a Greek god/goddess and recreate a scene from your favorite myth
- demonstrate character traits (e.g. Aphrodite the goddess of love and beauty)
- incorporate god attributes/symbols (e.g. Poseidon's trident)
- incorporate aspect of nature controlled by god (e.g. Zeus controls the weather)
Choice #2: Recreate two scenes (one Greek and one Trojan) leading up to the Trojan War
- identify the main characters involved in the scene with their specific traits (e.g. Achilles' heel; Helen's beauty)
Can you guess the gods/goddesses and scenes depicted below?
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8th Grade
Subject: Language Arts- "House on Mango Street" Vignettes
Materials: Toys and props
Images: minimum of three
Resources: provided by 8th grade ELA instructor
Depict the vignette from "House on Mango Street" you have been given
Note:
I developed a Google Doc with the list of vignettes and assigned a number to each student that corresponded to a vignette.
Subject: Language Arts- "House on Mango Street" Vignettes
Materials: Toys and props
Images: minimum of three
Resources: provided by 8th grade ELA instructor
Depict the vignette from "House on Mango Street" you have been given
- minimum of 3 shots (details leading up to whole scene)
- incorporate the title of your vignette into the final image
- incorporate quotes from the vignette
- create the setting with props that will best depict the vignette
Note:
I developed a Google Doc with the list of vignettes and assigned a number to each student that corresponded to a vignette.
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All students are expected to write a reflective response:
Write About It:
Using Google Docs write a reflection explaining the process and choices made in the "Toy Story" images you developed.
(Title: Your Name + iPhoto Toy Story; example "Joyce iPhoto Toy Story")
Reflection:
- Why you took the picture? Your choices and decisions.
- What you would do to make it better/improve?
Techniques (Process and Effects):
- How you took the picture? Step-by-step process.- What special FX did you apply to your photo?
Apps: Write a list of apps you used to take and edit your images.
Note: You must take/direct all the images to be included in your challenge.
Write About It:
Using Google Docs write a reflection explaining the process and choices made in the "Toy Story" images you developed.
(Title: Your Name + iPhoto Toy Story; example "Joyce iPhoto Toy Story")
Reflection:
- Why you took the picture? Your choices and decisions.
- What you would do to make it better/improve?
Techniques (Process and Effects):
- How you took the picture? Step-by-step process.- What special FX did you apply to your photo?
Apps: Write a list of apps you used to take and edit your images.
Note: You must take/direct all the images to be included in your challenge.
Tips, Tricks, and Inspiration
- 5 Tips for Better Toy Photography
- 70 Creative Examples Of Toy Photography
- 35 Extraordinarily Clever Examples of Toy Photography
- Chris McVeigh- Toy Photography (Legos)
The students were able to apply a variety of photo taking and editing skills and had fun doing so!
We would love to hear your comments and feedback.
This video was created using Animoto.
Song: "Bright Star" by Ashley Collins and Emmanuel North