Screenshots of example Adobe Express visual essay created with primary source images and placeholder text.
View the example webpage here.
Students will create a visual essay using Adobe Express Webpages, similar this example
by the New York times, At This Mexican Restaurant, Everyone is Family - The New York Times. Students will
describe a physical
location, engaging how this location impacts the student’s identity and sense of being and belonging.
An example visual essay is one where a student describes their hometown, and what that location meant to the
student when they were growing up, and what that location means to the student now. Another place could be
one they have never been to - but aspire to visit / settle in.
Express Web pages is a powerful visual based medium that allows students to write essays with imagery on the forefront - engaging with how imagery affects written words, and vice versa.
Phase 1 - Students learn about the location they will be describing, as
well as
beginning to collect imagery of their location, preferably imagery taken by the students themselves and / or
primary source images.
Phase 2 - Students read heartfelt and personal stories about locations that hold
sentimental value to an
individual.
Read example essay, At This Mexican Restaurant, Everyone is Family - The New York Times. Note that a
similar style of this presentation is achievable in Adobe Express.
Further examples here, Where We Are -
The New York Times.
Phase 3 - Students will write their visual essay in a document processor as well as
organize their images in
a folder to prepare for migration into Adobe Express Webpages.
Phase 4 - Students create their Adobe Express Webpages, with support from the Adobe Trainer
and
Instructional Designer as necessary.
Phase 5 - Students publish a public URL link for peer review and culminating class
presentations of their
visual essay.
Research
Demonstrates a thorough understanding of context, place, and purpose, with a clear, compelling description
of a location that is memorable and strongly supported with visuals and imagery.
Creation
Effectively organizes the Adobe Express Webpage in a logical, continuous flow leveraging imagery to enhance
the written word, as well as a clear understanding of balance and contrast, knowing when to use images, and
when to use words as an asset of persuasion.
Engagement
Shares anecdotes, as well as personal, and emotional stories about a location, and what that location means
to the student.
Example of a visual essay created
using placeholder text and images took during travels to Vietnam, my parents' country of birth.
Step by step instructional
PDF for creating a web page in Adobe Express Web pages.