A Picture-and a caption--Are Worth a Thousand Words

A Picture-and a caption--Are Worth a Thousand Words

For a couple years I taught yearbook (ugh!). In teaching yearbook, we spent a lot of time on photography and caption writing and I found that captioning could be a very effective instructional strategy in my other classes engaging students with the content and a simple way of writing across the curriculum.

Captioning tips:

  • Avoid stating the obvious.
  • Use a variety of ways to start captions. Prepositional phrases and -ing words are great starters.
  • Use 2-3 sentences.

ABCD Method

A: Attention grabber, write a lead-in that grabs the readers attention.

B: Basic information, use the first sentence to tell who and what is happening

C: Complementary Information, use the next sentences to add information that is not obvious to the reader and provide additional details.

D: Direct quote, include a quote from someone in the photo or another person providing information about the photo. This sometimes may be contradictory to the other information.

Ideas for Usage

Notice and Wonders: Captions can be used by students to explain what they notice and wonder.

Math: Captions can explain how the problem was solved. Students can make up quotes pretending they are a number or a function.

Science: Captions are often used to explain graphs and charts. Creativity can come in by having students make up quotes. For example, in a visual of the water cycle, the students could pretend to be a raindrop.

Social studies: Obviously, historical pictures lend themselves to this instructional strategy. Students could research quotes or make up their own.

Opinions: Hero vs Villain, Positive vs Negative Characteristics, Modern Issues

Social emotional learning: Find a funny picture and have students use their creativity to write captions and share them with their peers. Another idea is to have students take photos of themselves and their families and have them write their own captions, or you could have the students partner up and have the partner interview the other student to create a caption. Having younger students create a Day in the Life of a Virtual __ Grader would be a great way to learn about our students and their family.

Educator Wellness: Creating Boundaries and a Hard Stop

Creating boundaries around how much time at home (yeah, this is a little different teaching virtually) is devoted to work-based tasks can help provide a break from work stressors. Somewhere I remember reading about creating a line and when you crossed that line, you agreed to leave work at work.

For me that line didn’t mean that I was not going to do any work at home but it meant I was committed to starting the day anew and leaving the stress of work at work. In my front yard we had a giant tree and I made a point of tapping the tree as I entered my home to remind myself that my work stressors were behind me.

Here’s an idea from Everyday Self-Care for Educators

  1. Look at your calendar, so you have a week’s worth of commitments.
  2. Identify the number of evenings that you will “bring” work home.
  3. On your calendar/phone, indicate a HARD STOP at the desired time.
  4. After that hard stop, indicate the no zone for work at home.
  5. Indicate the NO ZONES on your calendar.
  6. Share your HARD STOPS and NO ZONES with spouses, roommates, etc.

Information

Friday is a division PLC day in the AM and teacher work day in the afternoon.

Tuesday: Elementary PLC

Wednesday: CRT and the Brain Book Study

Thursday: Secondary PLC

Secondary teachers: reminder that any grade changes for first semester must be emailed to me.

Elementary Announcements

Monday: https://youtu.be/KXYS-SMCzuI

Tuesday: https://youtu.be/0zaE8O5VytY 

Wednesday: https://youtu.be/3nL3aMyQoBc 

Thursday: https://youtu.be/7knAczJWIW0 

Secondary Announcements

Monday: https://youtu.be/Q2JcNIzYg1g 

Tuesday: https://youtu.be/eKIMJcUfpV8

Wednesday: https://youtu.be/y9N88MbU7W4 

Thursday: https://youtu.be/9p1IBnrWnyA 

Mental Messages

Day

Message

Possible Question Stem for Students

Monday

Be a bringer of light. Make the world bright.

How do you plan on making the world a better place?

When do you/can you bring the light?

Tuesday

Be brave enough to be who you are.

What does this message mean to you?

We frequently think of bravery as something heroic. But that’s not always the case. When are some times that you have been brave?

Wednesday

I am enough.

What does this mean to you? What is something you’re proud of about yourself? What happens when we try to be more than enough? Are there times where we should try to be more than enough?

Thursday

Even in the little things we can find joy.

What are the little things that bring you joy?


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