Regardless of their mediums, photographers and artists all use the same techniques to communicate with viewers. The International Society for Technology in Education's guide to teaching visual analysis suggests beginning your unit by explaining these key terms to your students. For example, the image's angle is the direction the subject has been photographed or designed from, while framing is the technique of defining the boundaries of an image in order to place focus on the subject. Students can also analyze artists' use of color, light and composition to determine what they want audiences to notice.
In previous English classes, students may have learned about the rhetorical triangle, the symbolic representation of the relationship between author, audience and subject. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign English department suggests using this familiar tool to show the similarities between written and visual arguments. For example, both types of texts use pathos, or emotional appeal, to connect with audiences. Similarly, logos, or logical structure, can correspond to analyzing the placement of images and words in a visual text's composition. Relating the concept of visual analysis to terms they may already know can make it seem more familiar.
According to education specialist Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, a think-aloud is a strategy where teachers and students talk out their thoughts on a subject as a way of brainstorming and understanding information. Once students have the process and terminology of visual analysis in place, you can do your own think-aloud example for them by projecting an image and talking them through an analysis of your own. For example, you might begin by determining the image's author, audience and argument. You can then walk students through the process of spotting supporting details for this idea.
Since your unit may ultimately be progressing toward students writing their own visual analysis essays, having them do a presentation that mirrors your think-aloud example can help them both get ideas for the paper and practice the skills they've learned. Students can bring in an image of their own and present it to the class, along with a description of the author, audience and argument, as well as what visual techniques the author uses. This can both inspire classroom discussion of students' chosen images and help them brainstorm ideas for their final essay.