The Field Observation assignment implements skills from previous assignments and builds student confidence toward becoming a documentary story producer. The assignment has 3 parts:
1) Take a walk around your block, or outside anywhere. You are a story producer doing field research. Take your time, stroll, sit, stand around, observe. Use your field notebook to write words and make drawings.
- Bring TOOLS: Field Notebook, Pencil, Colored Pencils, Camera (optional)
- Begin your notes with: date, time, location.
- Make OBSERVATIONS: experience the world around you with your senses. Write words, make drawings, take photos. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? How does it feel to be where you are?
2) When you come back from your walk, take photos of your notebook (attached).
3) Write your ANALYSIS. What do you think about the things you observed?
Use your mind. Write down your thoughts about the things you observed. Do you think some of the things you observed could be evidence of, or point toward, social topics or environmental issues? Do some of the things your observed raise questions? (For example, “Why do some blocks have recycling collection while others don’t?”)
Attach photos of full notebook pages. Include all words, photos and drawings from notebook.
SELECTED STUDENT WORK:
Yadira's field observation assignment:
Yadira: "I noticed that it was pretty quiet, I heard an airplane fly across my house, and birds chirping but
other than that I did not see people passing by nor cars, I observed the wind movement through
the plants also I was aware of trash being on the ground. It was pretty messy in the parking lot."
Jaret's field observation assignment:
"I went to school and to be honest it felt pretty weird, the sky was a little grey and dark, it made my day look cool and dark.
The patterns I saw were a lot of man made structures, a lot of buildings and cars, very little trees and grass, what i saw the most though was tables, computers and chairs, people too of course.
The texture that really stood out to me was in the trolley, i was looking at the window with those big stickers from the inside and it looked like a honeycomb or like a bunch of hexagons
My reflection was, even if your day is grey and dark u dont gotta be the same, you can be happy in the darkest days and enjoy it
When I was on the trolley I was getting hit by the sunlight, I can remember the rays on my eyes, something like when you look up to the sky and feel the sun hitting you and then you see these rays.
The light was direct, and really bright, here's a picture of the trolley I took a few days ago.
Luis' field observation assignment:
