Just like she did on so many other afternoons, Ms. Jo grabbed the camera out of her pocket and snapped a picture of the children at "work." This time it happened to be of the children in the block center and their amazing creation. A few of the children across the room noticed the flash. "Take one of me, too!" Juan said as he quickly plopped down beside one of the builders. Others nearby joined in with growing enthusiasm. That's when the idea for a camera project first came to mind.
Later, Serena and a few others, who were playing with the small plastic construction blocks, used a few to build cameras and take "pictures" of friends around the room. So in the following days, Ms. Jo and the other teachers played with the idea for a camera project. They planned experiences that followed and built on the children's initial interest in cameras. They listened to and joined the children's camera conversations. They also provided hands-on experiences with camera equipment and books about photography that the children could browse and that the teachers read to the groups. The teachers also developed an anticipatory web on the topic and pulled in Mr. Heaton from the high school art department as an expert resource and collaborative partner.
The teaching team, including Mr. Heaton and his photography class, planned the class's first site visit to the high school's photography studio to kick off the investigation phase of the project. These "expert" high school photographers answered question after question and provided three essential experiences that helped shape the rest of the project. As a result, Ms. Jo's afternoon bilingual class built a photo booth that was used in dramatic play for months and was used to photograph students, parents, and community members. The camera project also provided opportunities for the children to use both English and Spanish oral and written language as the children invited and shared with others all they learned about taking great pictures.