Visual Thinking Activity

Standards:GHW.7.2 Analyze the physical and human factors involved in conflicts and violence
related to nationalist, racial, ethnic, religious, economic, political, and/or resource issues in
various parts of the world, over time. Assess the human and physical environmental
consequences of the conflicts identified for study.
Goals: SWBAT analyze facts and details about events and recognize that conflicts and violence
are a result of a myriad of issues and is universal to humanity.
Enduring Understandings: Be critical of out-of-context information and look for underlying
human and physical root causes.
Assessment: Students will turn in their expository pre-planning notes and then create a
multimedia expository story about their even
Teachers are asked to use three open-ended questions:

What's going on in this picture?

What do you see that makes you say that?
What more can we find?

Students are asked to:

Look carefully at photograph

Talk about what they observe
Back up their ideas with evidence
Listen to and consider the views of others
Discuss many possible interpretations

Materials:
Terrorist Picture attack with image URLs.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1sFo0qOs5GeEdQkShKNLhW3z4CFDBuWv_VaLH1Ro
eJqM/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000
Event Map Graphic Organizer for Narrative:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxNWwcan_o2bSnE3Q3lheG5mQnM
How to Reverse Image Search on Google:
https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/1325808?hl=en

Grouping:
Divide into groups of 4 (maybe card strategy) and let each group choose one laminated photo
for them to use
Caption and Narrative Outline:
Model this as a whole class first
Answer the following questions:
Describe the damage you see.
Describe the people (if any) in your picture.
Where is this located?
What caused the damage?
Are there any symbols and do you recognize any?
Why would someone do this?
What is happening?
Create 4-6 word caption for your photo
As a group, complete the worksheet to begin working on your narrative
Reverse Google Activity:
Do not forget to click on the camera symbol on the Google search bar!
When researching, pay attention and look for: Dates, news articles, groups involved, any
demands or statements
Answer the following questions:
How does your narrative differ from the actual facts of the event?
What groups and/or countries were involved in the event?
What, if any, was the international response?
Was the international response adequate?
(or other questions that require students to weigh and balance an)

Day 1:
Do Now: 5 Minutes

Discuss the following questions with the people at your table. Be prepared to share your
answers aloud with the class.

What causes regional conflict?

What causes violence?
Why do people do these things?

Discussion: 5 Minutes
Persepolis Excerpt 30 Minutes
As we read, use the post-it notes on your table to make observations and write any questions
that come to mind.

Context: 20 Minutes
Continue using the post-it notes to write observations and write questions of the things that you
see and/or that we discuss in class during as we review this slideshow:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/04/middle_east_the_iranian_revolution/html/9.st
m

Ask & Answer Questions: 20 Minutes

With the people at your table, ask and answer questions about the Middle East, Islamic
Revolution and other related topics that you are interested in pursuing. Using the small pieces
of paper provided, ask a question, pursue an answer to that question, and then ask a follow-up
question to answer.
Be curious!
Let your curiosity take you to interesting places!
**To begin, take someone else's post-it note (that interests you) off of the board to use as your starting
question.**
So that others can enjoy the beauty of your exploration, please follow the format below for each piece of
paper:

Using marker,
write your question in bold
at the top of the paper.

Then answer the question using

pen or pencil (so that it's less bold)
under the question.

Finally, write a follow-up question

underneath your answer in a different color
(using marker or another pen ink).

Share: 10 Minutes
At the end of class, you will tape your exploration evidence all together, share some of the
things you learned with the class, and hang your work on the board for others to enjoy.

Day 2 - Do Now:
Review with your table the various reasons for regional conflicts and violence. List the reasons
you discuss on a single piece of paper.

Discussion: Your Turn 5 Minutes

We read some chapters from Persepolis last week. We are now going to ask you to evaluate
pictures from an act of violence and create a narrative around the image.

Visual Thinking Activity 35 Minutes

In groups, find a table with a picture from a terrorist event/conflict. Amongst your group, discuss
your observations and what you think happened. Use the discussion from the beginning of
class to prompt your thinking! You will have 3 minutes to discuss then we will rotate to the next
picture.
After reviewing all the pictures, as an individual, go to the image that you want to make your
narrative for and wait for instructions.

Constructing Narrative 20 Minutes

Using this graphic organizer, compile your thoughts about what you believe led up to and
happened in the image.

Reverse Google 30 Minutes

Now we want you to look up the actual facts of the event. Go to Google Images. Click on the
camera icon on the search bar. Using Reverse Image Search from Google, enter in the url for
the picture you chose and learn about the actual event. Update your graphic organizer with the
facts you learned.
At the end of class, submit a copy of your completed graphic organizer in Canvas.

Day 3 - Do Now:
Discuss at your tables what you have learned about the Paris attacks to this point.

Video:
http://www.vox.com/2015/11/14/9735102/syria-isis-history-video
Answer questions about the Syrian War and the Rise of Isis

Discussion:
Ms. White will lead a discussion concerning Paris & ISIS.

Presentation Expectations Review:

Mr. Couch will review the expectations about your presentation and assist you in getting started.

Presentation Preparation:
Using your graphic organizer, use class time to create your presentation about your chosen
event. Be creative! Some suggestions include: Storyboardthat.com, Keynote, iMovie,
Touchcast Studio News.