Searching for God PowerPoint Requirements

Religion, Grade 7, Mr. Martin

Subject of the Photographs. The theme for our class PowerPoint project is “Searching for God.” Each photograph should reflect where you find God. While each of us will find God in somewhat different ways, each photograph should in some way reflect the themes in the Gospels that we have been learning about this year. Look at the photographs in your religion book for ideas. Almost all of those photographs reflect God in some way. The book God’s Photo Album also has a lot of ideas. (I will leave a copy out in the room for you to look at.) At least one of your photographs should reflect the beauty and wonder of the natural world made by God. Some of the photographs might reflect the simple joy of being alive and being with friends or family. Sometimes we must endure suffering or hardship but we can remain strong by our faith in Jesus and God. A major theme has been the Law of Love. Include photographs showing our love for God or our neighbor. Try to show photographs of people helping other people. Your book has numerous examples. Try not to just have pictures of your friends. Where possible include people of different backgrounds and ages, including the very young and the elderly. Photographs of people working together in a Christian community are wonderful. You can show people in prayer or reflecting about God. Later this year we are learning about the sacraments. Think of photographs that might symbolize or relate to the sacraments. You can also include photographs of symbols of our Catholic faith such as the church, stained glass windows or a cross. These are just a sample of ideas – be creative!

Photographer, Date of Photograph, and Equipment. I prefer that you take each photograph and that each photograph was taken since school started. With prior approval, however, I will accept photographs taken earlier, however, or taken by a family member. Do not use commercial or published images. If you have any unique circumstances, please talk with me. You do not need fancy equipment. You may use a film or digital camera. You may use a disposable camera. If you are having trouble getting film or processing, please let me know.

Required Written Explanation. For each photograph, you must include a short written description in your PowerPoint slides of how the photograph shows the presence of God. Put careful thought into this. Again, be creative. For example, it you want you could write a poem or other form of verse to explain a photograph, directly or indirectly. God’s Photo Album has examples of how students and adults in that book explained their photographs.

Number of Photographs. You should have four to six photographs. I will consider a lesser or greater number of photographs if you think it will enhance your project, but you must get my approval first.

Number of PowerPoint Slides. You should have two or three PowerPoint slides. I will consider a lesser or greater number of slides, but you must get my approval first.

PowerPoint Slides. Make your slides attractive, but simple. For example, keep backgrounds and fonts simple. Do not use extreme colors. Do not get too fancy. Getting too fancy will detract from your message and your grade!

Editing Photographs. Use photo editing software to help improve your photographs by, for example, cutting out distracting portions of the photos, removing “red eye” and improving exposure. Again, don’t get too fancy. Getting too fancy will detract from your message and your grade! We find God all around us in the everyday world – not in some imaginary world created on the computer.

Photographic Media – Photos may be from film or digital media such as Compact Flash, Smart Media or Memory Sticks. If you have photos from film, give me the negatives, slides or prints and I can help you scan them. Since this is primarily a computer slide show, images should not be at extremely high resolutions.

Grading. While I have not yet set a precise number of points, this is a major assignment. Grading is based first on how your photographs reflect the theme of “Searching for God.” Second, I will look at the quality and thought put into the written explanation. Third, I will look at the quality of the photographs and layout of the PowerPoint slides. The project for my class is a religion project; not a photography or computer class project. (Mrs. Uschig will grade you on your performance in computer class.) Your grade will be lowered if the photo editing and PowerPoint enhancements distract from the message of “Searching for God.”

Due Date. Your slides must be completed by Friday, January 21, 2005. I will give you more details in the future on how to hand in the project. (For example, Mrs. Uschig may have you put your PowerPoint into a computer file. I will then access that file.) I will then put the individual presentations together into one large presentation that will be available for open house.

Work on Assignment. Plan your time carefully. You should select photographs as soon as possible. Computer work at school will be limited to computer class. You may do work at home especially if you have PowerPoint. (See me about compatibility issues if you have other presentation software.) You may use other photo editing software at home. Even if you do not have PowerPoint at home you can plan the layout of your slides and draft your written descriptions at home. This will allow you to make productive use of your time in computer class.