This program is a new multidisciplinary resource for middle and high school teachers produced by Annenberg Learner and Oregon Public Television. The free resource seeks to inspire teachers to use photographs and photographic ephemera with their teaching, and provides practical methods to facilitate the use of these materials in classroom settings across disciplines.

Essential Lens provides collections of authentic images that are copyright cleared, along with analytical tools for teachers. Lesson plans are designed to help students gain an awareness of the multiple contexts, interpretations, and implications of photographic production, dissemination, and display.

Essential Lens project advisor Makeda Best, also an Assistant Professor of Visual Studies at the California College of the Arts will lead a workshop that highlights the sections of the resource that address the African American experience. Come to the workshop to learn how to expand your teaching on such topics as the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights movement by introducing photography-based learning activities and discussions.

‍http://bit.ly/essential-lens