| Using Historical Photos to Enliven Education | |
|
Historical photos are not only good for reinforcing critical thinking skills, but they can also be used as a jumping off point for other assignments. Here are some great examples:
-
Document-based essay writing. Students can be asked to write an essay about the burning of Atlanta by General Sherman using photos like the Civil War ones from this page along with other documents. The pictures can be cited critically with dates, etc. as evidence to prove their theses.
-
Letter writing. Students can pretend to be a person in the photograph, outside the range of the photo, or the photographer him or herself. They can write a letter to a friend, a wife, a commanding officer, or even make a diary entry about the event.
-
Poetry or songs could be written to describe the event.
-
Modern art representations could be made using any manner of media.
-
Personal reaction journals could be kept where students record their thoughts about the photos.
-
Fictional accounts could be written using the pictures as the basis for their stories.
- Cause and effect diagrams could be created where students extrapolate what came before and after the photo.
Many
more ideas will present themselves to you over time. Dealing with the real thing,
the primary source, can be so powerful and provide true connections. You can
always extend the lesson by asking students to investigate whether their families
had anyone involved in the events depicted. If so, they could present a written
or oral report for extra credit if you so choose. Finally, use historical photos
if for no other reason than to give students a piece of the past that they might
not know was even captured on film.
See over 200 Civil War photographs you can
use in class ranging from major figures like Robert E. Lee to battlefields like
Gettysburg.
|
|
Previous page > A Critical Evaluation > Page 1, 2
