Digital Activity
Looking at Iran
Objectives
Students will:
- Identify characteristics of contemporary Iran.
- Formulate ideas and hypotheses about contemporary Iran using selected visual images.
- Identify and assess the challenges of using images as a source of information.
Resources
Looking at Iran (web)
This is a digital tool that allows students to generate a photo and print report.
In the Classroom
1. Focus Question
“Is a picture worth a thousand words?”2. Thinking about Iran:
Put the word “Iran” in the center of the blackboard or on a large piece of paper. Give students five minutes to approach the board and write whatever comes to mind when they think of Iran—statements, questions, historical information, etc. Instruct the class to do the exercise in silence. Encourage students to add to each other’s postings as well as write their own independent postings.3. Examining Iran
Divide the class into small groups and assign each group to a computer with Internet access. Using the Choices Digital Tool, Looking at Iran, students will create and print photo presentations focused on contemporary Iran.Note: You might ask each group to explore a different theme such as economic life, politices, or the role of women in modern day Iran.
To guide students in their examination of the photos distribute the Photo Analysis Guidelines to each group of students and instruct them to carefully examine each of their selected photos as a group, discuss their findings, and then formulate impressions. [If multiple computers are not available, a teacher could adapt the materials for use in a classroom with a single computer and projection capability.]
These photographs have been chosen to reflect some of the themes and ideas that appear in the curriculum, Iran Through the Looking Glass, History, Reform, and Revolution. Some students may need hints about what details to focus on.
4. Presentions
After small groups have recored their impressions and generated their presentations, have everyone come together in a large group. Call on small groups to share their presentations.5. Class Discussion
After students have presented their reports, have students reflect on what they have learned from the photos they and others have selected.
- Are there recurring themes and ideas that appear? If yes, what might they be? Write some of them on the board.
- Are there themes or ideas on which contrasting views are presented? What questions does this raise for them?
- Did students feel they could get enough information from the photos to offer hypotheses about contemporary Iran? Why or why not? Where might they go to test these hypothese?
- Do any of their photos appear to have a particularly strong point of view? What do they think the photographer's purpose was?
- Ask students to review their notes on source evaluation. Did they feel that any of the photos gave a selective or misleading view? Do they see any evidence that the photo was staged? Would this make the photo more or less useful to us? Do they see any evidence that the photo has been altered? What would this tell us?
- Have any of the photos changed their ideas or assumptions about Iran? Have the photographs raised any new questions about Iran? Where do students think they might find answers to these new questions?