Monkey smiling with its teeth at the camera
David J Slater/Caters News Agency
You Be The Editor,

Who Took This Photo?

The answer will make you smile.

From the December 2022/January 2023 Issue
Featured Skill: Descriptive Writing,
Common Core Standards
  • Anchor Standards
    R.1, W.5, L.3

  • Grade 6
    RI.6.1, W.6.5, L.6.3
  • Grade 7
    RI.7.1, W.7.5, L.7.3
  • Grade 8
    RI.8.1, W.8.5 , L.8.3
TEKS Standards
  • Grades 6, 7, 8
    10b, 10c, 10d

Presentation View

Will you help us edit this story?

Directions:

  1. Read the article below.
  2.  Click on the words and phrases in bold.
  3. Follow the prompts that pop up to revise and polish the writing.

In 2011, wildlife photographer David J. Slater   on the island of Sulawesi, in Indonesia. He was photographing crested black macaque (muh-KAK) monkeys. The species is critically endangered, and Sulawesi is one of the last places they live in their natural habitat. Slater hoped his photos would bring attention to the monkeys and the threats they face.

Then he had an idea: set his camera on a tripod and let the monkeys play with the camera themselves.The result was more spectacular than Slater ever could have imagined. The animals stared into the camera’s lens and made faces at their reflections. They pushed the camera’s button again and again. Most of the photos were blurry, but one was a perfect selfie of a   macaque.

Big Hit

Not surprisingly, the monkey’s selfie was a big hit. Over the past decade, dozens of websites, magazines, and newspapers have published the photograph. 

. Slater, however, argues that it was his equipment, creativity, and expertise that made the photo possible, so he should indeed hold the rights.

Caters News Agency

Photographer David J. Slater in Indonesia

Subheading

An animal rights group sued on the monkey’s behalf. If anyone got paid for the photo, the group said, it should be the macaque that took the picture. 

But the judge in the case stated that an animal can’t legally own a selfie. So does this mean that Slater is the owner of the monkey selfie? Or does no one own it? The answer to that question is still up for debate. 

Meanwhile, Slater has decided to donate a portion of any money he earns from the image to groups that help protect crested black macaques. 

Surely that’s an idea that monkeys-and the people who care about them-can smile about.

This article was originally published in the December 2022/January 2023 issue.

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

Download the Lesson Plan
  • Suggested time: 1 day (based on using Scope during a 60-minute block per day)

READ THE PASSAGE

  • Have students read the passage in the magazine as a class or independently. For the first read, they should ignore the prompts in the circles.
  • Have students go back through the article and reread the boldface words and phrases and the prompts to which they correspond.

WRITE

  • Direct students to follow the prompts in the circles to develop and strengthen the writing in the passage. Have students share their revisions by reading their new and improved passages aloud.
Text-to-Speech