Thousands of FREE Photographs to Enhance ANY Lesson in ANY Content Area and at ANY Grade Level!

With more English language learners and students with special needs entering mainstream content classes, teachers with limited experience in working with such students will require instructional support to address both language development and access to core content material.  Add to these new populations, the implementation of Common Core Based Lessons in which textbooks will take a back seat in the classroom.  So, teachers are faced with the task of enabling students to build those vital links to interact with content while simultaneously developing proficiency in academic English.

A major key to progress in these areas is the use of key content images.  The expression that a picture is worth a thousand words is quite accurate here.  A detailed image often times has the potential to fill in the gaps in background knowledge that an ELL especially might have in say a class on the US Civil War or the Great Depression.  Build in photos of people of the time, newspaper front pages, videos (yes, videos can be uploaded to boards as well), etc. and students can better visualize the historical event.  Their interest rises since they can better imagine the time period as the lesson proceeds.  

Here are three of my boards:

US History

Teaching

Science and space

Though students over 13 can open their own accounts, it might be better for the teacher to open his/her own account and then send students copies of boards the teacher has created (it also keeps students from wandering). 

To open an account, go to PINTEREST.  Once your account is open, you start pinning anything that suits your needs for school or personal interests.  As you find a photo you like, you PIN it to a board that you give a title for.  You may have as many boards as you like.

To provide access for students to teacher created boards, type  http://pinterest.com/(your username)/(name of the chosen board).

Later on this week, I will share with you how to create a digital online magazine.  Your students will definitely be motivated to read if they have a say in what reading material is added to their online digital magazine:)

Denise

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