Lesson 16

Context Case Study: Gordon Parks and The Making of an Argument
Lesson_16

Overview

In lesson sixteen, students are asked to consider context and audience, and how these two elements impact meaning. Gordon Parks’s first photo-essay featured in Life magazine serves as a prime example of how sequencing and context influence the meaning of photographs. Using printouts of Parks’s images, students make editing choices based on what story they want the images to tell. This activity encourages students to edit and sequence their own photographs based on how well their images fit with their chosen theme.

Download Resources

For the Teacher

The resources below are provided as additional information for teachers

  • Lesson Plan

  • Artist Profile

  • Watch: LaToya Ruby Frazier on Gordon Parks

    • For the Classroom

    The resources below are provided for use in the classroom

  • Masterworks

  • Gordon Parks Image Printouts

  • Read: “The Making of an Argument” by Russell Lord

    • You May Also Like

    Aperture On Sight at Your School

    Aperture teaching artists, who helped to write, develop, and test the Aperture On Sight curriculum, are available to provide direct educational services to schools, camps, museums or after- school/weekend programs. Our teaching artists are trained to teach the program in a variety of environments as well as work with partners to meet organizations’ needs. While…

    Professional Development

    Aperture is dedicated to providing educators with the tools and skills necessary to master visual literacy techniques and implement the Aperture On Sight curriculum. Aperture’s education team is available to provide professional development workshops, arts integration consulting across content areas, and direct educational services to your school, camp, museum, or after-school program. All of our…