Welcome!
Isn't it telling that we have adopted the word "viral" to describe the spread of media posts? It connotes infection, danger, and a need for inoculation while at the same time, many of us (including me on this site) hope that the content we disseminate will do just that—spread exponentially. The ongoing conversations that will take place on this page are intended to strengthen our information savvy and our capacities for nurturing information literacy in the members of our learning communities. I invite you to join the conversations and engage with me and each other to these ends.
Jacquelyn Whiting
Instructional Coach and Technology Integrator, Connecticut
Jacquelyn Whiting
Instructional Coach and Technology Integrator, Connecticut
Bringing Visual Literacy to Life
by Jacquelyn WhitingOur students live in visually rich, visually stimulating environments. Whether they are watching videos on TikTok, snapchatting with friends, or posting interactive messages to Instagram, their occipital lobes are firing on all cylinders! Which means when we are working to develop their critical reading skills, we need to emphasize the deconstruction of visual texts as much as the written word. Beyond developing their primary source analysis skills, helping students to unpack and make meaning of historical paintings and photographs provides opportunities for students to process visual information kinesthetically, practice building social-emotional competencies, and consider of the role of media in society. Read More >>
Video
![Tips from the Getty Museum: Re-creating Art to Teach Visual Literacy [16:11]](https://schoollibraryconnection.com/assets/mediaserver/SLC/2265/2265064s.jpg)
In this illuminating video, Jacquelyn Whiting chats with Rebecca Edwards, Education Specialist at the J.Paul Getty Museum, about a recent art challenge offered by the Getty that resulted in real-life recreations of famous works of art--and can help educators teach their students important visual literacy skills.
Video
![Teaching Visual Texts with Living Tableaux [9:31]](https://schoollibraryconnection.com/assets/mediaserver/SLC/2265/2265054s.jpg)
Jacquelyn Whiting sits down with social studies teacher and former colleague Lara Fayek, who has collaborated with Jackie on numerous projects for high school students. The two chat about creative ways to help students analyze visual texts--including an activity that brings those texts to life by recreating them in the classroom.
Feature
Diane Cordell shares ideas for incorporating visual elements into classroom and library learning experiences that foster rigor and critical thinking.
Selected Reading
In this excerpt from Using Images to Teach Critical Thinking Skills: Visual Literacy and Digital Photography, Diane Cordell introduces the concept of visual literacy and how it contributes to students' learning.
Lesson
![Analyzing Images [9:40]](https://schoollibraryconnection.com/assets/mediaserver/SLC/2265/2265014s.jpg)
In this video lesson, Tom Bober looks at ways to use a type of primary source that is most common to use with elementary students, the image.
Feature
Though it may have a highbrow reputation, art history can be surprisingly approachable and cross disciplinary. Alyssa Mandel, school librarian and art historian, offers ways to incorporate some of the tools and tasks of art authentication into your work to enrich the curriculum and inspire new collaborations among departments, even if you're not uncovering a lost Monet!
Lesson Plan
In this lesson, elementary students develop visual literacy skills with the help of graphic novels.
Lesson
![What Does This Image Say? [6:09]](https://schoollibraryconnection.com/assets/mediaserver/SLC/2265/2265040s.jpg)
- Learn ways to use paintings to teach students to examine sources.
- Learn how to use photographs to teach students to question sources.
- Learn ways to incorporate the importance of digital citizenship.
Lesson Plan
In this lesson, students will have the opportunity to delve deeply into both visual literacy and the act of historical research, while also practicing the skills of creating a formal research paper.