Literacy Activities Handbook - Saskatchewan Association of Rehabilitation Centres

Select a Topic: The learner and tutor can decide together on what to take photographs of. Photo stories are most effective when they document an aspect of a learner’s everyday life. Topics can be the workplace, hobbies, family, and so on.
Take Photographs: The tutor can take photographs of the learner engaged in one of his regular routines. Each aspect of that routine should be documented with a single photograph. Pictures with action in them are usually easier to describe. A Polaroid or digital camera, if available, can speed up the process, in comparison to having pictures developed.
Sort Photographs: Once developed, the pictures can be sorted and placed into the correct order. The best photographs can be chosen. Only 8-12 pictures should be used, so that they can be easily displayed.
Develop Text: The learner and tutor can work together to develop text for each picture. Alternatively, a descriptive paragraph or two can be written.
Create a Display: The pictures can be arranged and pasted on a piece of cardboard or heavy coloured paper. The text, including a title, can then be written on the display, using coloured markers. The photo story can otherwise be put in book form, by pasting it in a scrapbook or placing it in a photo album.

Darren Crawford and Angele Hubert. The Challenges of Literacy and Employment. With Facilitator’s Notes by Susan Devins and Maureen Sanders. Edmonton, AB: PROSPECTS Literacy Association, 1995. [http://www.nald.ca/clr/challeng/cover.htm]

It was written by students and focuses on the experiences of two adult literacy students with intellectual disabilities, who work as sorters at the Edmonton Recycling Society.