Analyzing Objects
Porcelain
Musket Ball
Smallpox
Nail
Reaper
Shirtwaist
Transistor
Coffee
Record
Tire
Dishwasher
Dress
Stereograph
Stone
Shoe
Question 1:
Historical thinking involves trying to get a full picture of a past person or event by getting as close to the time period as possible. This involves reading and evaluating multiple primary sources from a variety of perspectives and situating the event into its historical context.
Question 2:
Objects help you to focus on analytical skills which answer questions, such as what time period did the object come from? What does it tell us about the time period? How does it relate to the overall context of what we are learning? Objects can help define an era and promote individuals to ask further questions about a time period.
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Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 14:54
Question 1:
It is coffee in a tin made by the Nestle company. It is called coffee extract and weights 1 ounce.
Question 2:
The tin could be associated with rationing during a world war and could help explain how war affected consumer products.
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Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 15:41
Question 1:
This is a record called Young America and was performed by Nora Bayes. The record has an old style record player. This was made in the US.
Question 2:
This could help us understand the state of technology and musical genres at the time. There is no date unfortunately but the style of music, which includes an orchestra, could hint at when it was produced.
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Submitted: Thursday, March 19, 2020 - 12:06
Question 1: They are most likely railroad spikes made of iron.
Question 2:
The railroads are connected to American expansion in the west. The US government, with newley acquired territories wanted to connect our country. This led to many people moving out west to seek a new life using free land from the government. They also helped fuel ventures like the gold rush. Once established, the railroads allowed farmers out west to sell their products across the country; this made it viable to make a living in places like the Great Plains. The railroads also accelerated the destruction of Native American culture forcing many to live on reservations or face death.
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Submitted: Thursday, April 2, 2020 - 15:58
Question 1: They are old tires. Possibly in some kind of junkyard or tire shop.
Question 2:
We can see a variety of wheels used for different vehicles. We could use this photo to analyze the expansion of the automobile from the early 1900s to the 1950s. The automobile has played a huge role in the development of America. One could argue, the majority of American infrastructure at the time was built to facilitate the expansion of the automobile.
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Submitted: Thursday, April 2, 2020 - 16:17
Question 1: It is a waist shirt typically worn in the early 1900s.
Question 2:
This can connect to the American Industrial Revolution and factory work. Women were mostly employed in textile industries and were paid a fraction of what men were paid. Factory conditions were often dangerous and women worked long hours with low pay.
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Submitted: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 - 14:31
Question 1: I have no idea what they are. They look like parts in circuitry .
Question 2:
This could be a connection to advancements in technology during the Cold War or possibly later in the first computers.
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Submitted: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 - 14:53
Question 1:
Historical thinking is analyzing the past through primary sources including artifacts, photographs, quotes and diaries. The goal is to get as close to the time period in questions as possible using multiple perspectives and corroborating those perspectives.
Question 2:
Using objects can help students to start asking questions about the past. Analyzing the object helps to direct students to ask questions such as what is it made out of, when do you think it was made, what was its purpose? The students can then test their hypothesis and further challenge their preconceptions.
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Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 15:09
Question 1:
Instant coffee relates to the war time effort to supply troops with foods that did not spoil easily and could be rationed. It also ties into the increase of prepackaged food available to consumers after the war was over. The government's efforts to nourish their soldiers in efficient ways led to the rise in prepackaged consumer products that required little cooking and could be stored for long periods of time.
Question 2:
Advertising, in a few cases, was used to change the perception of a product and who used it. Studying advertising might allow you to see the target of the product but not how the individual actually thought. Instant coffee was seen by many women as the product of a lazy or single woman but just studying the ads would lead you to believe that married women preferred it. Ads are trying to sell an idea that often is contrary to how people actually felt.
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Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 16:01
Question 1:
The musket ball helps explain the advancement of technology at the time and how warfare was conducted.
Question 2:
There could be a number of primary sources such as troop numbers, pay stubs, military rankings, journals or diars written by soldiers and commanding officers, weapons, uniforms, etc.
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Submitted: Thursday, March 19, 2020 - 11:54
Question 1:
The song is about immigration in the early 19th century. The song can be used to talk about the melting pot of America and how immigrants were treated in our country. This can also be used to talk about the journey immigrants had to make in order to get to America and the conditions they endured. The record can easily be a segway into the Industrial Revolution and how robber barons were able to define the time period. The source of cheap labor and child labor allowed those men to get rick quick.
Question 2:
I have enjoyed using political cartoons from the time period to explain how people felt/treated these new immigrants and the hipocracy of banning people from entering. I have also used Upton Sinclair's book The Jungle and Ida Tarbells book on Standard Oil. Manifests from ships and Ellis Island are also great sources. As wells as diaries from immigrants traveling to the new world.
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Submitted: Thursday, March 19, 2020 - 12:17
Question 1:
The mass produced nail allowed people to build comfortable homes at a relatively low cost. This development coincided with American's increasing appetite to live comfortably and expand to unsettled areas. The development of mass produced nails allowed American expansion to accelerate.
Question 2:
The nail directly relates to other materials that became cheaper to mass produce. The demand to expand across America fueled the desire for cheap steel and railway ties. Newly acquired land motivated people to create the technology and processes that would allow this to happen. As such cheap steel allowed railroad to expand and with it industry and the Americanization of the continent. Railroads themelves drove down the cost of goods because they were more accessible to everyone and could be transported for less.
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Submitted: Thursday, April 2, 2020 - 16:10
Question 1:
The tires connect to the war effort during World War II where resources were rationed to support the military. Goods like rubber, meat, sugar and aluminum were needed to continue the fight against Germany and Japan. Everyday citizens found themselves contributing to the war effort simply by not being wasteful or collecting what aluminum or tires they could for the war effort.
Question 2:
What resources are necessary to fight a war? Why is something like rubber valuable to us? In what ways are tires important to a country?
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Submitted: Thursday, April 2, 2020 - 16:24
Question 1:
The shirtwaist connects with the American Industrial Revolution. Sweatshops became obsolete with the advancements in technology. Garments could be made quickly with sewing machines which led to large factories creating mass quantities of clothing. This change led to the formation of unions in the garment industry because of the number of workers in close proximity. However, factory conditions did not change over night. The poor working conditions coupled with a lack of safety standards led to incidents like the Triangle Waistshirt Factory Fire. This incident along with labor union advocacy led people to side with workers and continue working towards better conditions.
Question 2:
When did the Progressive Movement officially begin? What promoted people to not join the union labor movement? What role did the government play in company-worker relationships at this time?
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Submitted: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 - 14:46
Question 1:
The transistor connects to the advancement of technology in the 20th century. The transistor allowed innovations like the transistor radio, DVD players, and VCRs to exist and be sold at a reasonable price. Advances in transistors also led to replacements such as the integrated circuit. The integrated circuit led to a revolution in the personalized computer. Hubs like Silicon Valley led to further advancements in computers and much of the technology we use today.
Question 2:
What role do advances in technology play in our society? How does technology change our everyday lives? Should advances in technology be protected by the law or should it be shared throughout the world?
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Submitted: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 - 15:09
Title: Historical Thinking
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I would use primary sources and objects as a way to teach students historical thinking and how to be a historian. The most important aspect of this module is to teach students how to ask questions and challenge history. I would have students analyze an object at the beginning of a lesson to set the stage for a time period. I could use a picture of a train in the 1800s and then ask students how this might have changed the world at the time. I think primary sources can help put students in the frame of mind that allows them to understand the time period as a person who lived during that time. Primary sources, including objects could also be used to get students to challenge how they think of a person or past event. Showing students that there are multiple perspectives in history encourages them to challenge past actors and not believe what happened without evidence and multiple sources. These are amazing inquiry skills that could even be used in other disciplines and a useful skill in citizenship.
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Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 15:18
Title: Advertising
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I think using an object as simple as a tin of instant coffee is a great way to hook students into learning. The instant coffee provides multiple opportunities to talk about rationing, the war-time effort and government control of industries, womens' roles and the rise of prepackaged meals in post-war America. In designing a unit on the homefront during World War II, this approach would be incredibly useful organizational tool and connection piece.
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Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 16:05
Title: The Magic Bullet
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I would have the students analyze the musket ball by defining what they think it is, when it was used and how it relates to the 18th century. We can then use the musket ball to relate it to military tactics and strategies; mainly, how inaccurate the weapons were and how close you needed to be to hit the target. The students could simulate miltary tactics like firing in a line and we could analyze how hard it would be to stay in one spot with the enemy firing at them. We could also read diaries from soldiers to understand their situation. The students could then write their own diary entry from the point of view of a soldier.
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Submitted: Thursday, March 19, 2020 - 12:00
Title: Immigration
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
There are a lot of ways to engage students in this content. I've used political cartoons to show students how Americans felt about these new immigrants and then we relate it to modern times. I've also done activities where students take the path of an immigrant through Ellis Island. We've also discussed child labor through pictures and webquests. I then had students analyze modern day child labor and relate it to the past. There are so many opportunities to talk about immigration during the Industrial Revolution.
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Submitted: Thursday, March 19, 2020 - 12:32
Title: American Expansion
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
The story of the nail could be an easy tie in with the Industrialization and the expansion of railroads. There are many lessons on how technology influences the progression of a nation and the nail could be used to help explain that to students. We could also use the nail and other items like steel to explain how Americans settled across the west and helped to destroy the culture of groups of people like Native Americans.
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Submitted: Thursday, April 2, 2020 - 16:12
Title: Homefront
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
The tires can be used to explain life during WWII at home. There was a sense of duty and honor in doing a job like collecting aluminum cans or working on an assembly line. I have my students analyze propaganda posters to help explain the urgency and duties of Americans at home. The war consumed every aspect of your life from grocery shopping, driving and your work. Many women and minorities found themselves employed in jobs essential to the war effort. I use the propaganda photos to get the students to put themselves into the shoes of someone in American during this time. I often have the students create a propaganda posted of their own design to ensure that they understand the purpose of propaganda posters and also relate to the time period.
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Submitted: Thursday, April 2, 2020 - 16:28
Title: American Industrial Revolution
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I have taught about labor unions, the American Industrial Revolution and the Progressive Movement in a variety of ways. I have had my students read about child labor and the dangers that they faced in factories. I had them write a journal about their experience working at a factory by putting themselves into the shoes of a child worker. We also made picket signs about many famous union strikes during the early 1900s and related them to modern labor strikes. To highlight the dangers of factory work, I had my students investigate the Triangle Waistshirt Fire by looking at photos and testimonies from the event. The students came up with a theory on what happened after viewing the photos and then analyzed the testimonies on what actually happened. This led us into the Progressive Movement and how people joined together to help change the issues facing our country.
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Submitted: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 - 14:51
Title: Technological Advancement
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I have not specifically taught this so I would start with a question like, how does technology change our everyday lives? We could analyze some of the humble beginnings of technology such as the transistor and track it's evolution to modern day. We could relate how past inventions changed peoples' lives to the present. I have had students create an infomercial trying to sell an important invention such as the radio, elevator and telephone. This helped the students understand its impact. There are a lot of ways to relate past inventions to modern times especially when we start talking about places like Silicon Valley. Students could debate on if technology improves and enriches our lives or not, sighting specific examples.
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Submitted: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 - 15:14