Photo Analysis Unit - Media Literacy and Analyzing Photographs (Print & Digital)

Extend your students’ media literacy skills with this Photo Analysis unit. Students develop a vocabulary for analyzing photographs and art (Elements of Art and Principles of Design), strengthen understanding through nonfiction readings and practice activities, and complete individual analyses. 

Key Takeaways for students:

✅ Analyzing photographs is like analyzing a text

✅ Elements of art are like figurative language for photographs

✅ Photographers consider audience, context, and purpose

This collection of lessons helps improve media literacy by having students analyze photographs as texts. Analyzing photographs (unlike literature) convinces students that there are no "right answers" and that analysis is, instead, all about your evidence. 

Each photo analysis activity is independent, making this an easy unit to teach analyzing photographs and media literacy during standardized testing or other times that you may not have all students in the classroom at the same time. Everything is highly scaffolded so that students can work on it independently, and can easily pick up where they left off. 

Perfect media literacy unit for:

✅ 7-10 ELA

✅ Pre-AP

✅ Yearbook & Journalism

This photo analysis unit includes:

⭐️ A Photo Analysis project where students try their hand at photography (students each take one photograph and then they analyze a classmate's. This isn't a subjective good/bad judgment, but rather "student as the artist" and another student analyzing the "text" presented)

⭐️ Interview a Photographer project & rubric

⭐️ Elements of Art & Principles of Design (terms & practice)

⭐️ Writing an Analysis of a Photograph (scaffolded practice)

⭐️ Psychology of Color (nonfiction article) & practice

⭐️ Photographer Biography: Gordon Parks & scaffolded analysis

⭐️ Psychology of Perspective (nonfiction article) & practice

⭐️ Two independent analyses and guided peer conferencing

⭐️ Two optional quizzes. Editable in PowerPoint.

⭐️ Teacher's Guide with answer keys, student exemplars, and rubrics

⭐️ Low-ink options, with slideshows of photos to project

⭐️ Digital Versions of the student workbook in Google Slides and the quizzes in Google Forms

All resources are available in an editable (PowerPoint) workbook so that you can sub in any photos you choose. You can also upload the workbook to Google Slides if you prefer.

If you're looking for engaging ways to teach students to write an analysis, this unit is for you!

What Reviewers Are Saying:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "This resource includes everything I need to teach a basic photo analysis unit: suggested lesson plans, quizzes, answer documents, photos, reference sheets, rubrics, and informational texts. The best part is that this can be taught alone or as a complement to a larger unit! I can't wait to use this unit in my classroom!" -Krisanna M., 10th-11th grade ELA

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Great media literacy activity for any time of year! I like that it is short and helps build the skills and stamina that we can later bring to their reading.  I use it to introduce our classroom community and procedures we use all semester.  Great pictures, articles, and directions! I love that it is editable but also ready to use with everything you need." -Jeni L. 9-12th grade ELA

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "As consumers of an increasing amount of digital images as texts, students need to be able to think critically about different types of visual texts. This unit breaks the photo analysis process into manageable steps to help students understand the artist's message and purpose. I have no doubt that students will see the application easily because of filters they already use on photos they publish to their social media accounts!" -Christine B., AP Seminar, 11th and 9th grade Honors ELA

About This Photo Analysis & Media Literacy Unit:

Your resource contains a mix of editable documents (editable in .PPT or a clone) and print-and-go PDFs. You can choose any photos you want for students to analyze - use mine, or choose your own! You can edit the project instructions and rubrics. The Teacher's Guide is a print-and-go PDF. Please email me if you have any questions! :)

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-Danielle @ Nouvelle ELA