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Summary and Objective
Children will learn to obtain information through the observation of photographs. They will be able to make a comparison of school children of the past with children of today. Through a guided discussion they will be able to draw some conclusions about the past, and about changes over time.
Teaching Plan
Step 1.
The students will be shown a copy of their own class photograph. Then, working in pairs, the students will observe the photograph of the Second Grade Class from the American Centuries digital collection.
Step 2.
Each pair of students will be given time to make general comments to each other, about their observations.
Step 3.
The students will then be directed to observe particular aspects of the photograph: How large is the class? What is the ratio of girls to boys? Describe their style of dress. How do they style their hair? How are they posing? What are their facial expressions? Why do you suppose they look so serious? How old do you think they are? What can you tell about the teacher? Be sure that the children know how to use the zoom feature for closer observations.
Step 4.
The class will come together for a whole group discussion. They will report their observations, and then compare them to the children and teacher in their own class photograph.
Step 5.
Older students will be able to discuss the reasons for the differences that they noted. They may also come to some conclusions as to why certain things have changed, and why some things remain the same.
Step 6.
Steps 1 through 5 can be repeated using different photographs in the collection. Students can compare their class photograph to the Grammar School Class Picture, or to the One Room School in Wapping. Students can even make comparisons just among the photographs themselves.
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