"A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words"

by Jennifer Jordan, History and Latin teacher

Writing is an essential communication skill that students of all ages need to master. We teach writing in middle school in the form of paragraphs, building up to multiple paragraph essays.  However, sometimes essays do not require well-crafted paragraphs to explain a position or argument. Sometimes photos can illustrate such points. As the adage states, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. 

Currently in U.S. History, 8th graders are creating photo essays about influential early 20th century Americans. After reading and researching either Jane Addams, Henry Ford, or the Wright Brothers, our students are choosing the best picture representations of these figures’ mark on history. This task may prove more challenging than summarizing information in writing, as a photograph must tell a story in a single image. To gather several photos to present one person’s effect on America requires even deeper analysis and evaluation.  I look forward to “reading” our students’ photo essays and seeing their creativity in applying essential communication skills in a complex manner.