Objectives

1. For students to express in Japanese how they feel and what they think about the photographs they see.
2. For students to talk in Japanese about the photographs they took and selected.

Materials used

“My Three Years Face-to-Face with Photography” (Japanese / English / Chinese)

Plan for Activity

[First class]

Prior to the class, the teacher should read “My Three Years Face-to-Face with Photography” to prepare for step four.

1.

The teacher shows Photograph P16-6 to the class and asks some questions.
[Examples]

• ここはどこでしょう。（どこだと思いますか／どこですか）
• 何がありますか。
• 女の子は何をしていますか。
• どんな気持ちだと思いますか。
• この写真をとったのは、どんな人だと思いますか。

Note:
The objective is for the teacher to ask questions and communicate to the students using Japanese words and phrases with which they are already familiar, thereby stimulating and deepening their interest in the photographs and the theme of the lesson.

2.

Discuss the questions stated in step 1 in groups of three to four students, and have them write in Japanese a description of the photograph (it is best for the teacher to provide a worksheet for them to write on). Each group will then present the description to the whole class.

Note:
The teacher should observe the group activities and help students who are having difficulty writing in Japanese, giving them simple expressions they can use in their descriptions. The students can mix in explanations in their native language for those parts they find it difficult in Japanese.

3.

The teacher listens to the student presentations, and comments on them. (The teacher may point out common interpretations among group members or interpretations that are original and interesting, and should help out groups that are unable to come up with certain expressions in Japanese in order for the whole class to understand their presentation).

4.

After all the groups have finished their presentations, the teacher tells the students what the person who actually took the photograph said about it and asks the students how accurate their interpretations were compared to what the photographer said. (In Japanese 「では、この写真について実際に写真をとった人が説明していることをみなさんに紹介しますね。みなさんの予想はどのくらいあたったでしょう」)

Note:
Based on the information obtained by reading “My Three Years Face-to-Face with Photography” beforehand, the teacher explains the photograph to the students using Japanese easy enough for them to understand. The teacher should try to keep this interactive by asking them questions and helping them to figure out the answers by themselves.

[Examples]

• これは、日本のお店です。何のお店だと思いますか。
  (Pointing at the picture of an octopus on the shop curtain.) この絵は何ですか。たこです。
  でも、ここは、魚屋・・・ではありません。
  たこやき屋です。
  (Show the picture of takoyaki, and explain what it is to the students.)
  
  たこ焼きは、大阪の名物で、子どもも大人もみんなたこ焼が好きです。
  このお店は、大阪の下町にあるそうです。
  この女の子は、「のれん」で遊んでいます。
  楽しそう？・・・・ちょっと淋しそう？
  この女の子のお母さんは、お店の中で働いています。
  　
• この写真は、日本の高校生がとりました。大阪に住んでいます。
  写真部のメンバーです。ニックネームは「みどりんぐ」です。
  「みどりんぐ」はどうしてこの写真をとったのでしょう。
  どんな気持ちでこの写真をとったのでしょう。

5.

Ask the students for their impressions—how they felt and what they thought—about the photograph.

Note:
Copies of “My Three Years Face-to-Face with Photography” may be made and distributed for the students to read. They can then talk about what they thought was interesting and the feelings they shared with the author (photographer) after reading about the story of the Japanese high school student's experience with photography. This allows them to associate themselves with the theme of “photography” and deepen their interest.

6.

The teacher asks the students about their experiences with photography, and assigns them to bring their favorite photograph that they have taken before.
[例]

• みなさんは写真をとるのがすきですか。
• どんなときに写真をとりますか。
• どんな写真をとりますか。
  ↓
• 宿題です。
  次の授業で、自分でとった写真で好きな写真を、持ってきてください。
  写真を見ながら、話をしましょう。

[Second class]

7.

Divide the class into groups of three or four, where the students describe in Japanese a photograph they have brought. (If a student is having difficulties coming up with a description in Japanese, he/she may ask for help from the teacher or his/her group members).

Note:
As they discuss their photographs before they write about them, students may come to realize the main points they want to express and what kind of words and expressions can be used to describe them, thereby clarifying and deepening their thinking and improving their use of the language.

8.

Have the students paste the photograph on a letter-size (or A4 size) paper, and write the description below in Japanese.

9.

Students make presentations about their photographs using the description written in step 8.
The teacher encourages other students to ask questions and make comments about the presented photographs.
* If there are many students in the classroom, you can have the groups select a single photograph to be presented.
* You can turn this activity into a contest where they can compete for the best photograph and the best description.

10.

Introduce information such as purikura and cell phone cameras, according to the interests of the students.
[Example 1] The teacher reads “The Joy of Photography” section and shows the students the photographs while pointing out the key points.
[Example 2] Let the students read “The Joy of Photography” put on display in the classroom (it can be downloaded from the TJF website).

Note:
The objective here is to help the students think from multiple perspectives in light of their interests by giving them new information about cell phone cameras, purikura, and other items.

Message

“What does this photograph show?” “What is the little girl doing there?” —the photograph showing the little girl at the door of a takoyaki shop is a photograph that, as photographer Midoring says in her essay, awakens many thoughts and images in the mind of the viewer.

I hope the qualities of the photograph will capture students' interest and that it will help them put into words the feelings of curiosity and wonder they experience as they look at it. I hope the qualities of the photograph will capture students' interest and that it will provide a medium through which the teacher can help them enjoy expressing their feelings in words.

I also believe that the activity where the students introduce their own photographs will help them to realize for themselves that what is difficult to express in words alone may be expressed more easily with a photograph. What I am trying to do in this activity is to make the classroom a place where each student can express what is in his or her mind by using words and photographs.