Updated: Jan. 26, 2017
1. After looking closely at the image above (or at the full-size image), think about these three questions:
• What is going on in this picture?
• What do you see that makes you say that?
• What more can you find?
2. Next, join the conversation by clicking on the comment button and posting in the box that opens on the right. (Students 13 and older are invited to comment, although teachers of younger students are welcome to post what their students have to say.)
3. After you have posted, try reading back to see what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting another comment. Use the “Reply” button or the @ symbol to address that student directly.
Each Monday, our collaborator, Visual Thinking Strategies, will facilitate a discussion from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time by paraphrasing comments and linking to responses to help students’ understanding go deeper. You might use their responses as models for your own.
4. On Thursday afternoons, we will reveal at the bottom of this post more information about the photo. How does reading the caption and learning its back story help you see the image differently?
• Learn how other teachers use it.
• Read our introductory post.
Updated: Jan. 26, 2017
This week’s image comes from the Jan. 13, 2017 “The Week in Pictures” slide show. The original caption reads:
Iraqi federal police officers demonstrated their skills at a Police Day event in Baghdad on Saturday [Jan. 7].
The Iraqi federal police are currently involved in the battle to retake Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul, from the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. The article “Along Mosul’s Front Line, Desperate Civilians and Dug-In Troops and Fighters” describes this effort. Tyler Hicks writes:
...I recently spent three weeks in this volatile zone, first with the Iraqi Army in eastern Mosul and then, after setbacks for the army, whose block-by-block battle of attrition was not going the way it had hoped, with units of the Iraqi federal police.
The police, traveling in armored vehicles, are playing a significant role in the battle for Mosul, sometimes supporting the army. They are also responsible for holding their own territory around the city.
The police have been tasked with maintaining areas of the front line; nearby, ISIS fighters are ready and in position.
When holding ground and not on an advance, the two sides intermittently exchange rifle and mortar fire, low-level shows of force that tend to harass more than inflict serious casualties.