Brooklyn History Lesson- 10.10.13

Aim: How and why did Brooklyn develop from 1750-1850 and what role did your neighborhood play in it.?

Do Now: We are adding data to our BK Map by including the dates buildings were built in your neighborhood! Once you have copied your Aim and HW come up to the map and follow Krucoff’s directions.

HW: Read over our class timelines. Add information about your specific neighborhood in the first 2 eras. Pick any era and look for patterns between Larger historical events, Brooklyn events and your neighborhood’s events.

•How was Brooklyn developing in the 18th and 19th Centuries?

•Why was it developing as it was during these time periods?

•How did your neighborhood play a role in all of this?

And….
How is history depicted?

•Historic overview (Big Picture)

»VS.

•Details (the color)

BUILDING INVENTORY PHOTOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENT - Due Tuesday 10.15.13

Please note that only the photo portion of this assignment are due Tuesday. Writing your block description will be due at a later date!

YOUR TASK:

I.  Choose a block in your neighborhood that you feel depicts the character of your neighborhood.  This could be because:

1. The buildings on the block are very typical of the types of buildings in your neighborhood
2. The buildings on the block are varied, and thus show the changes over time
3. The buildings on the block are historic for one reason or another
4. The buildings on the block best show your neighborhood’s character

II.  Once you have chosen the block to photograph, you will be taking “building portraits.”  This means you will be photographing one building at a time, framing the entire building in the frame. 

1. If your block has smaller buildings on it, you must take between 6 – 8 photos (one each of 6 – 8 buildings),  on  BOTH SIDES OF THE BLOCK.
2. If your block has large buildings, you must make at least 3 building portraits.  If you can’t fit the entire building in the frame, be creative!  Take photos on both sides of the block.
3. You might have to figure how to best frame your buildings, which means you might need to take more than one photo of a building.  Try not to take more than 2 – this will save printing later on. 

BE SURE TO STAY ONLY ON ONE BLOCK, AND TO PHOTOGRAPH BOTH SIDES

OF THE STREET!

REMEMBER: WRITE DOWN THE ADDRESSES OF THE BUILDINGS YOU HAVE PHOTOGRAPHED! You will need this information later.

III.  Consider the time of day you will go and how your buildings will line up once printed and cut.  Be careful of cars, and of owners of homes.

1. Building portraits need to be taken at the same time of day
2. Buildings should line up fairly well (but they don’t have to be perfect)
3. You will likely have to stand in the street to take your photos.  Please be careful and be aware of cars.
4. You might encounter some people who will ask you why you are taking a photo of their home.  You can politely answer that you have been given an assignment to document the character of your neighborhood for school.  Don’t forget to smile when you answer. J

IV. AFTER YOUR PHOTOS ARE TAKEN:

If you have a computer and color printer:

1. Down load your photos to the computer.
2. Print your photos out at 4” x 6”. 
3. Cut your photos, leaving the white borders at the top and bottom.
4. Tape your photos together using transparent tape.
5. Label the neighborhood and street at the top.
6. Label the addresses and ages of the buildings at the bottom.

If you have a computer but no color printer:

1. Down load your photos to your computer.
2. Save them to a flash drive or CD
3. Bring the drive or CD in to Mr. Salak

Once your photos are printed:

1. Cut your photos, leaving the white borders at the top and bottom.
2. Tape your photos together using transparent tape.
3. Label the neighborhood and street at the top.
4. Label the addresses and ages of the buildings at the bottom.

If you do not have a computer at home:

1. Bring in your camera, or camera card to school.
2. Down load your photos to a school computer.
3. Save them to a flash drive or CD that Mr. Salak will give to you.

Once your photos are printed:

1.  Cut your photos, leaving the white borders at the top and bottom.
2. Tape your photos together using transparent tape.
3. Label the neighborhood and street at the top.
4. Label the addresses and ages of the buildings at the bottom.

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V.  Write your block description (see model) 

1. Describe where the block is in your neighborhood.
2. Describe what how this block depicts the character of your neighborhood.
3. Give some background history to the block and the neighborhood.
4. Describe some of the buildings in the photographs.

BKH Lesson 10/2/13

Brooklyn History – 10/2/13

Unit 2: History of NYC/Brooklyn

AIM: How has your neighborhood changed over time, and how have those changes influenced your neighborhood?

Do Now: Copy the definition of a turning point. Think of and jot down examples of turning points on the International, National, City-wide levels.

Turning Point: Events that change the character of the world, a nation, city or neighborhood in a significant way.

AGENDA:

1. View Flickr images as a shout out.

2. Introduction to History Unit

3. Review the Do Now

4. Hand-out readings to students.

6. Intro timeline where students will add their turning points and Did you know fact as well.

7.  Independent work time + add turning points to the timeline.

8. Exit slip: Write one turning point that influenced your neighborhood. Why is this a significant turning point in your neighborhood?

 

HW: Finish coding and annotating your neighborhood text. (See Salak if you don't have a neighborhood article yet.)

Photo Practical (Summative)

PHOTO SUMMATIVE PART I

DIRECTIONS:

Take a photo to answer each one of the questions below.  Remember to TAKE YOUR TIME in setting up your shot. 

1.      What is in the frame and what is not in the frame?
2.     Where is the light coming from?
3.     How far away or how close up do I have to be to take this photo?
4.     Where is the horizon line?
5.     What would happen if I took one step to the right?
6.     Where is there repetition in line or shape?
7.     How can I capture texture?
8.     What can I do in this picture to create layers (things in the foreground, middle-ground, and background)?

PHOTO SUMMATIVE PART II

DIRECTIONS:

Choose one of your photographs and upload it to Flickr.  Save it to the set called “Photo Practical.”  Next, click on “You” then “Organize.” At the bottom of the screen drag your photo into the gray area in the middle of the screen.  Your photo should pop up in the upper left-hand corner of the screen.  Click on “edit photos” in the upper left hand corner of the tool bar and click on “Title, tags, and descriptions.”

Once there, write the following:

1.     Write a title for your photo in the “Title” space.
2.     Describe the composition choices you made when taking this photo (which question did you answer, and how did you answer it in this photo?) in the “Description” space.  Use the class’ photo composition terms where applicable.
3.     Add your first and last name, no spaces, in the “Tags” space.

Brooklyn History Lesson 9.24.2013

Welcome documentary photographer Erica Macdonald!

Aim: How do photographers use composition to capture their ideas about a subject?

Do Now: Now that you have taken some photographs yourself, write down one or two questions that you can ask a professional photographer. 

AGENDA:

1.Introduce the day and our guest speaker: Erica Macdonald

2.In conversation: A look through the photographs of Erica Macdonald

3.A discussion of some of your own photographs

4.http://www.flickr.com/photos/bkhistory413/

5.http://www.flickr.com/photos/bkhistory413/sets

6.Summary and Q & A

HW:  

1. Write an answer to the Aim question based on the visit by Erica Macdonald and your notes.  

2.  Go to the BK History Flickr page.  Choose someone's set of photos to look through and choose ONE photo you feel has strong composition.  We will be sharing student photographs in class tomorrow.

Questions that might help you get started on your Personal Narrative! 9.23.2013

1.Do I want to follow David Gonzalez’ model and write/reflect on a specific neighborhood that is important to me? If so, what neighborhood?

Brainstorm a list of reasons this neighborhood is important to me.

2. Do I want to follow Colson Whitehead’s example and talk about NYC in a more general way? Trying to define what it means to be a New Yorker and what my “private NYC” is…

Brainstorm a list of places/experience that I want t write about

3. Where can I use imagery and sensory language in my piece?

4. What personal anecdotes can I use in my piece?

5. Where can I include reflection in my piece?

6. Who is my audience?

Photo Assignment: Unit 1 - How can photographs capture our perceptions of NYC? Due Tuesday, October 24th

After examining the work of several NYC photographers for style and subject matter, take 5 photographs of your New York City that demonstrate your own relationship to the city.  For each photograph try to use one of the following techniques/terms when planning the photo.

PHOTO COMOPOSITION TERMS:

(Or – how to sound smart when looking at art)

Composition – how the image is set up (for example, what is in the foreground, middle-ground, background), what you choose to put in the frame

Foreground – What is in the front of the photograph

Background – What is in the back of the photograph

Frame – The borders of the shot.  The frame dictates what you include or exclude in your shot.

Juxtaposition – Setting one item in your frame next to another to highlight their differences (example: old and new, tall and short, light and dark)

Contrast – The lights and darks in your shot (example: shadow and light, light building next to a dark one)

Angle – Taking the photo from above, below, to the side, a long shot, close-up or straight on to highlight what is in the image (example, a long, lonely road from its center, or a tall building looking up from below)