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pictures as primary sources

Pictures as Primary Sources

One easy way to create your own primary source is to take a photograph. Be as creative as you want—choose a theme or simply take a random shot. Check out Tips for Taking Pictures before getting started.

lighthouse
Portland Breakwater Lighthouse, South Portland, Maine. 1855

Built in America: Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record

Some Ideas ...

1. Photograph a building that is architecturally interesting. You might want to create a scrapbook, computer slide show, or Web page tour of buildings in your community.

2. Have students create an autobiographical stamp or trading card using a self portrait.

3. Taking a field trip to the zoo is a great way to introduce photography and learn about animals at the same time. Zoo animals are wonderful candidates for pictures. Many will "perform" for the audience.

5. Have your students explore the "hidden" world around them by having them locate and photograph lines, shapes, and angles. You will be fascinated by the variety that can be found. This could be incorporated into a math lesson.

6. What makes a city vibrant? Main Street USA, especially in cities, is generally a hive of activity during the lunch hour. Students can photograph all sorts of interesting people, objects, and signs. Pick photos from each student's portfolio to form an exhibit of City Life or Cityscapes.

7. Create a time capsule of photographs to document the current year. Hand the time capsule down to a class that will open it in five or ten years or donate it to the local historical society. You might want to involve senior citizens in this project.

bridge

Ross Drive Bridge, Washington, DC.

Built in America: Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record

Marlon Brando
Portrait of Marlon Brando, in A Streetcar Named Desire

Creative Americans: Portraits by Carl Van Vechten, 1932-1964

Washington, D.C. Hippopotamus in the zoo begging for peanuts

America from the Great Depression to World War II: Black-and-White Photographs from the FSA-OWI, 1935-1945

time capsule
Time Capsules

Time capsules can range from decorated paper towel tubes to commercially made airtight containers. The mailer tube pictured above was purchased for $1.80 from the U.S. Postal Service. Here are some tips for creating a time capsule:

  • Separate your photographs with waxed paper or archival quality envelopes
  • Copy newspaper clippings and documents onto acid-free paper
  • Use a dust free container that you can seal tightly
  • Label everything
  • Avoid Plastics

Time Capsule Web Sites

Class Time Capsule
http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/gen_act/growing/capsule.html

A Brief History of Time Capsules
http://www.queenstribune.com/archives/anniversaryarchive/anniversary98/tb_an_capsules.html

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Last updated 11/22/2002