Do you like where you live? What’s interesting or special about it?
What do you notice or appreciate that others might not see?
We’re asking you these questions ahead of our new photo essay contest which invites you to take six to eight images that focus on almost any aspect of your local area you like — whether a person or a group, a specific place or building or historical site, the natural world, an event or tradition (like the annual holiday decorating in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, shown above), a time of day, or almost anything else.
Inspired by a photo essay series about New York City called “Album,” our contest challenges you to look closely at things you might have taken for granted before, whether a local deli, a place people go for fun, a community event, a religious celebration, people at work, local areas that are neglected, everyday wildlife, a fascinating time of day, interesting signs, or even a local sight that is so ubiquitous that most people don’t even notice it anymore.
To help, we have a whole series of questions, below, that invite you to brainstorm. We also have this guide, which has free links to all the photos in Album.
But whether you’re participating in the contest or not, we hope you’ll answer some of our questions below, because your ideas might inspire someone else.
Choose as many as you like, and then post your thoughts in the comments.
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What makes your local area special — whether in positive or negative ways?
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What do you enjoy or appreciate about your neighborhood, town or community?
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What don’t you like about where you live?
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What do you see every day that, upon a closer look, might be more interesting than it seems?
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What events, traditions or celebrations are important to your neighborhood, school or community?
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What aspects of your local area are you curious about? What would you like to investigate?
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What public spaces are interesting to you, because of how people use them, or because of their history, their cultural or artistic merit or anything else?
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What local businesses — restaurants, cafes, gyms, salons, stores, museums or libraries — are popular or notable?
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What do people do for fun near you?
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What cultural, racial, ethnic, religious or spiritual identities are a meaningful part of your area?
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What do people do for work where you live? Which of those jobs interest you most?
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What local or national political activities, candidates, parties or interest groups have a presence near you?
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What time of day or time of year is special where you live?
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What are some things you typically see on the streets where you live?
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What are the odd or overlooked places in your neighborhood?
If these questions got you excited, consider entering our contest, which runs from Dec. 3 to Jan. 14. Our how-to guide can help you take your answers to these questions and create a photo essay. Learn more here.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.
Katherine Schulten has been an editor at The Times’s Learning Network since 2006. She spent 19 years as a high school English teacher and a literacy consultant in New York City public schools.
The post What’s Interesting About the Place Where You Live? appeared first on New York Times.
