Paraíso Colégio in Juazeiro do Norte, Brazil, is a proud partner of Digital Media Academy. Grade 4 teachers, Rondnelli Ramon and Maria Clara, taught the Digital Media Academy course, The Power of Pictures: Photography, to their students in order to connect multiple subjects in their curriculum.

Rondnelli and Maria started with a unit about “Reading Pictures” as a way to introduce new vocabulary to their students. They found that the class enjoyed being able to engage with images in a new way and were excited about putting their new skills into practice. Rondnelli and Maria also noticed their students started to apply this new skill to other subjects including English and Science curriculum.

Once the students were ready to start creating their own images, Rondnelli and Maria integrated The Power of Pictures: Photography to their grade 4 Science curriculum. Students used photography to study the physics and properties of visual light, specifically learning concepts of shadows and shading. Through observing and manipulating light sources to create pictures, students were able to use photography as a new way of engaging with science content.

For the final project of the course, Rondnelli and Maria asked the students to create an advertisement for something that they were passionate about. Subject matters ranged from games and favorite sports teams to boybands.

Through their approach, Rondnelli and Maria were able to create a truly interdisciplinary experience for their classroom using The Power of Pictures: Photography. They have expressed their excitement for using more Digital Media Academy courses in the upcoming school year and are excited to see more students engaging with their studies in new and exciting ways.