The Photo Explorers have been using photography to complement their adventures to New York City landmarks throughout the semester—as a tool for seeing and for learning new vocabulary. These high schoolers, all international students, have taken the ferry to Ellis Island, walked the Brooklyn Bridge, and seen the city from a bird's eye view in One World Observatory. During the last trip to the Metropolitan Museum, our students were excited to find ancient art from their home countries. They taught us how to read a Chinese poem and pointed out familiar patterns on lush Arab carpets. Between bites of pizza after each trip, students fill out and stamp their club "passports" with new words learned and review their trip. Between city sights and the classroom, they've started to see their world in close ups and wide shots, low and high angles, verticals and horizontals.
-Magic Box Teaching Artist Jessica Bal