Description:

Enter the neighborhoods, families, thoughts, hopes and dreams of ninth grade students in Brooklyn, NY. Grounded in an investigation of representation of self and others, students paired up to generate in-depth narratives of one another. Scaffolded by a variety of interview techniques, model profiles, and writing workshops described in the book’s introduction, students were guided through the thrills and challenges of profile writing. Popular cultural references and the use of photographic portraiture helped make multi-dimensional for students the tensions and assumptions that grow out of unexamined representations and images. Using this knowledge, students designed still-life images, which accompany and make more tangible the lessons learned through this classroom project. Artistically detailed, and rich in the literary elements of profile writing, each piece offers reflective insights and wisdom, embodying the experiences of students in the text they themselves have written.