Teacher Lesson Plan - Images of Our People

The Library of Congress

Images of Our People

Overview

Different peoples have contributed to the history of the western United States. To gain an understanding and appreciation of this history, students investigate the region's cultures and identify the contributions that each make to the whole.

This unit leads students to recognize cultural elements through the analysis of photographs from American Memory. Using thematic galleries of photographs, students develop questions about the photos for further research into the region's history and culture.

Objectives	Students will view a gallery of photographs from American Memory and: identify cultural components; make and record objective observations of photos; make and record subjective observations of photos; develop questions about the photos based on these observations; and show their interpretation of the photos by writing first person narratives about the photos. (Collaboration with language arts teachers is recommended.)
Time Required:	4 class sessions
Recommended Grade Level:	Grades 5-12
Curriculum Fit:	Social studies, language arts, humanities
Standards	McREL 4th Edition Standards & Benchmarks Geography Standard 5. Understands the concept of regions Standard 6. Understands that culture and experience influence people's perceptions of places and regions Historical Understanding Standard 2. Understands the historical perspective Language Arts Standard 1. Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process Standard 4. Gathers and uses information for research purposes Standard 9. Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media US History Standard 17. Understands massive immigration after 1870 and how new social patterns, conflicts, and ideas of national unity developed amid growing cultural diversity
Resources:	American Memory Materials: America from the Great Depression to World War II: Photographs from the FSA and OWI, ca. 1935-1945 American Environmental Photographs, 1891-1936: Images from the University of Chicago Library American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940 Buckaroos in Paradise: Ranching Culture in Northern Nevada, 1945-1982 Hispano Music & Culture from the Northern Rio Grande: The Juan B. Rael Collection History of the American West, 1860-1920: Photographs from the Collection of the Denver Public Library The South Texas Border, 1900-1920: Photographs from the Robert Runyon Collection Worksheets from the Media Analysis Tools section of the Learning Page. Student Materials: Gallery 1 (guided) Gallery 2 (partially guided) Gallery 3 Gallery 4 Contemporary graphics (postcards, pictures, posters) of the local area

Overview | Teacher's Guide

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Last updated 09/26/2002