Early photography

• Students could create a photo album of pictures that depict everyday life or children. There are images available from the series in the My Place for Teachers 'Stills gallery' that could be used. Additionally, students could locate royalty-free images through the National Library of Australia, 'Picture Australia' website, http://www.pictureaustralia.org or other related websites.
• The album could be produced as a book or presentation. If a slideshow presentation program is used, each image should be linked to the website the images came from.

• Ask students to annotate what the images represent within the theme of their album and reference the original photographer, if the name is available.

• Students can choose one photograph from the album they created in Activity 3:1800s photography. The photograph will be explored further through reflective writing. The reflective piece must be written through the eyes of the person or object in the photograph and must relate to the era of the photograph.

Student Activity Sheet H12.2: Reflective writing

• How has the camera apparatus changed over 100 years? Students could research the camera and discover how the equipment and procedures for photography have changed over time, using the library and the internet for pictures and descriptions. Make sure that students note who invented different prototypes, when they were invented and what impact it had on the advancement of technology in this field.

• Give each pair of students a decade to research, spanning 1820–2010. Students should research pictures and information about the camera and photography of that decade. Their pictures and a short paragraph of information can be presented on an A4 card and then all the cards can be displayed in the classroom in chronological order. This will become a pictorial display of the evolution of the camera.

Student Activity Sheet H12.3: A decade in camera history

• As a class, search for early photographs, paintings or prints of this era and select 12–20 that are significant. The images could include people, buildings, machines, landscape, interiors or pets. Each picture has a story to tell. Call on individual students to explain to the class what they feel the picture is about.
• Use these websites for reference:

1. Google Images, http://images.google.com.au/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=1890s+fashion&gbv=2&aq=0&oq=1890s/
2. Library of Congress, 'Around the World in the 1890s', http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wtc/wtchome.html
3. Picture Australia, http://www.pictureaustralia.org/apps/pictureaustralia?term1=1890s&Submit=search&action=PASearch&attribute1=any+field&mode=search

• Students are asked to select six images from the class collection, or from their own research. They are to assume a connection between them and arrange them as a storyboard of six frames. When they have completed the arrangement, they can write their story as a text, which sits below each frame, as in a story book. These can be displayed electronically, or as hard copy.

Student Activity Sheet E12.4: Storyboard

• As a class, define what the meanings of 'good deeds' and 'bad deeds' are. Make a list of good and bad deeds on a chart. Discuss with students why they feel that good deeds are actually best for people to do and receive. Examine why Rowley believes that by doing 1,000 good deeds his father will return to the family. Is this a superstition? What are some other superstitions students know of?

• Ask students to prepare a 'Journal of good deeds' where they list 100 good deeds that they could do for others. It should not take longer than a month to complete all the deeds. During the course of the month the students should document their experiences in their journal. When they complete each good deed they should have the person they did it for, or another adult or older child, sign against it in their journal. At the end of the month, the class can compare and evaluate their experiences and the kinds of good deeds that were done.

Student Activity Sheet E12.5: A journal of good deeds