working with Y5

Last week we presented to Y5 using the same Powerpoint that we used for Y6 although I took out a few of the more complex slides about resolution. The children were very enthusiastic - hands waving to make comments about small details, various interpretations of the images, even comments about the sequencing of the images within the presentation. It was very interesting hear what they had to say and sometimes they were quite a long way off what I was trying to get them to consider but approaching the project with a refreshing naivety (if that's the right way to describe it?). I wish I could have recorded the session to remember the exact details. I know there were comments about the price ticket on the bucket, some marks on some stones that may be fossils, a pattern or shape that had repeated through a number of images and so on. When they split into groups to brainstorm image ideas, it was obvious that some children were better at teamwork than others.

In the main, they listened to the info about resolution, but I'm not sure how much they understood. They were eager to pass around the cameras and hopefully this was a useful introduction for the first groups who have taken their images today.

Many of the Y5 children seem a lot more 'snap happy' than those in Y6. One child took over 60 images despite repeated advice to slow down and consider what to shoot with care. Other children obsessed about the number they were allowed to shoot and this seemed to restrict creativity so it was quite difficult to find a balance. The instructions not to shoot people also seemed lost to some who were keen to take pictures of their friends and teachers. I think there will be a lot more glimpses of uniform and people that were almost completely absent from the Y6 work - so this will hopefully provide a new level of interest to the image wall.

One girl took off her shoes and photographed the hole in her sock. We found the picture was out of focus so got her out of class to take it again as we thought it was so original and such a strong image. Now we have to hope she can be encouraged to print it...