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How to Use This Lesson

For Teachers

Spend 12 minutes on this activity with your class.

Have learners read the passage first, then verify their answers with the built-in evidence keys.

For Learners

First, read the short museum article carefully from start to finish.

Next, solve the 8 questions below in order from easy to hard.

Museum Exhibition • Photography

The Oldest Camera Picture

Level: A2

The earliest surviving camera photograph taken from an upstairs window in France, showing soft grey and sepia shadows of

The oldest photograph made with a camera that still exists comes from France. Joseph Nicéphore Niépce made it in 1826 or 1827. He worked in a quiet room on the upper floor of his house. To make the picture, he put a metal plate into a simple camera near an open window. He waited patiently. After several days in the sunlight, the plate showed the yard, some buildings and some trees outside. The Harry Ransom Center in Austin, Texas, bought the picture in 1963 and keeps it today.

🔍 Key Words

metal plate: a flat, thin piece of hard metal used before film or paper photos existed.
upper floor: a room on the higher level of a building (upstairs).
yard: an open piece of land right beside a house or building.

💡 Why This Works

Look at how we connect two facts naturally:

"I didn't bring my tripod, so I held the camera and took a snapshot."

The word so tells us what happened as a result.

8

Questions & Practice

Answer all 8 questions based on the museum passage above.

Question 1 • True / False Easy

The oldest camera photograph that still exists comes from France.

____ True ____ False

Question 2 • True / False Easy

Joseph Nicéphore Niépce made the photograph in 1963.

____ True ____ False

Question 3 • Multiple Choice Moderate

Where was Niépce working when he created the picture?

____ a. In an upstairs room on the upper floor ____ b. In a dark basement below the ground ____ c. In an outdoor garden studio

Question 4 • Multiple Choice Moderate

What object did Niépce put inside his simple camera?

____ a. A piece of white paper film ____ b. A metal plate ____ c. A mirror made of clear glass

Question 5 • Multiple Choice Moderate

How long did the metal plate need to stay in the sunlight?

____ a. A few minutes ____ b. Just one afternoon ____ c. Several days

Question 6 • Matching Challenging

Match each element seen in the photograph to what it describes:

Choose one description column for each row item.

Picture Element

Open Ground

Buildings

Tall Plants

1. The yard

____ Open Ground ____ Buildings ____ Tall Plants

2. Some buildings

____ Open Ground ____ Buildings ____ Tall Plants

3. Some trees

____ Open Ground ____ Buildings ____ Tall Plants

Question 7 • Short Answer Challenging

What is the full name of the center that bought the photograph in 1963?

Type the exact name mentioned in the reading passage.

____ (Type your answer here...)

Question 8 • Short Answer Challenging

In which city and American state is the photograph kept today?

Write the city and state (e.g. Austin, Texas).

____ (e.g. Austin, Texas)

Reading: The Story of the First Photograph

How to Use This Lesson

The Oldest Camera Picture

🔍 Key Words

💡 Why This Works

Questions & Practice

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