Lauren Pears and Christina Franko

Pears’ and Franko’s innovative teaching idea, “Write, Camera, Action!,” is a year-long inquiry into the thematic connections amongst literature, art, writing, and students' lives. Students will choose a resonant literary theme and explore it through class readings and photography as a means to tell their own related story. The 50 seventh graders will use digital cameras to produce personal elements, allowing them to explore their creative abilities while evaluating literature and analyzing social structures. In the end, students will have analyzed various novels, written personal reflections, created an artistic album, and displayed their work in a public exhibition. This project is designed to enhance students' writing and critical thinking skills, artistic abilities, and their understanding of their place in society.