Analyzing Objects
Porcelain
Musket Ball
Smallpox
Nail
Reaper
Shirtwaist
Transistor
Coffee
Record
Tire
Dishwasher
Dress
Stereograph
Stone
Shoe
Question 1:
I think that historical thinking is an approach to analyzing objects, data and events where you take into account the context of the time period in which these things occurred.
Question 2:
I have used objects quite a bit because it sparks the imagination and critical thinking of students. Plus they like touching and investigating objects in order to imagine what they are and how they were used in the past.
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Module Id: 689
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - 13:24
Question 1:
This looks to be a demitasse cup and saucer that are part of a matching tea set (background). It looks like it might be hand painted in colors that remind me of the navy. The ribbing on the fine china sets it apart from basic, smooth china. The use of gold also gives this an air of sophistication.
Question 2:
This was probably a china set that was owned by a wealthier person. The set was most likely used to serve tea or coffee. Because there is little staining or chipping, it may have been used for special occasions rather than for every day use.
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Module Id: 951
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Saturday, February 29, 2020 - 11:07
Question 1:
I notice that this envelope would have been mailed sometime between 1862 and 1865 from Richmond, VA to a gentleman in South Carolina. It is probably a notice of an audit and that it was not stamped because it was sent as official business, and therefore, was free. Richmond was the capitol of the Confererate States of America during the civil war, after Virginia had seceded from the Union.
Question 2:
E.E. Alexander, Esquire was possibly a plantation owner in South Carolina. He was literate and lived in Pickens Court House. Perhaps he was being audited for taxes on the land or crops he grew.
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Module Id: 1021
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Saturday, February 29, 2020 - 12:51
Question 1:
I notice that this stone has been hewned using some sort of tool, and that it has engraving on it. It seems too thick to be a standard tombstone, so perhaps it is a historical marker of some sort.
Question 2:
Using artifacts to learn about the past is not only crucial, but highly engaging for learners.
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Module Id: 1039
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Wednesday, March 4, 2020 - 13:07
Question 1:
These nails seem to be hand forged and are in varying lengths, thicknesses and shapes which may indicate a variety of uses.
Question 2:
Nails like these would have been important to industry and expansion in early America. Having a continuous supply would have been important in order to be able to build reliably.
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Module Id: 953
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Tuesday, March 17, 2020 - 14:12
Question 1:
This photograph looks to date to the early 1900s around the time of the Suffragette Movement. The two women are wearing banners and the words Women and Suffragette are visible.
Question 2:
This time in history, marked societal changes when women demanded equal voting rights, which, in turn, led to equality in other areas of American life. It took quite a while to come about since the writing of the Constitution.
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Module Id: 1075
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Tuesday, March 17, 2020 - 14:51
Question 1: It is an early LP recording by a female artists accompanied by an orchestra.
Question 2:
This was an innovative invention awarded prizes at a variety of city expositions which usually occurred at the turn of the century. Perhaps this recording narrates America's history as a new nation up through 1900. This would be an interesting secondary source to listen to.
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Module Id: 1128
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Friday, March 20, 2020 - 13:02
Question 1: This is a dishwasher which probably dates back to the 1950's.
Question 2:
It probably was photographed, opened, to document that it was a relatively new innovation which was probably a status symbol for those who could afford it. It is linked to convenience for a homemaker, most likely a woman, and her striving for independence from housework and equality.
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Module Id: 1093
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Friday, March 20, 2020 - 14:15
Question 1:
Historical thinking is a process by which you look at multiple perspectives, analyzing and synthesizing ideas to get a more accurate view of events. It is important to understand the historical context in which actions were taken that caused certain events.
Question 2:
After introducing the idea that native Americans did not have knowledge of using metals, but the English did, I introduce a variety of objects to my students. Most are unknown and some are metal and some are not. They have to categorize each object in a t-chart: Used by Native Americans or Used by the English
They have to make a statement to support their decision about each object. I have things like a shell, leather pouch, a metal letter opener, a metal button, a sharp rock. Obviously, some items may have been used by both cultures, so as long as students can justify their answer, that is all that matters. The discussions are rich!
They have to make a statement to support their decision about each object. I have things like a shell, leather pouch, a metal letter opener, a metal button, a sharp rock. Obviously, some items may have been used by both cultures, so as long as students can justify their answer, that is all that matters. The discussions are rich!
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Module Id: 689
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Friday, February 28, 2020 - 17:37
Question 1:
In addition to what I wrote, this set would have been imported to the colonies from Europe and would have been heavily taxed. Therefore, the expense along with its origin might have limited the type of person who would have bought it. Probably a wealthy merchant or Loyalist would have owned it.
Question 2:
One article discussed the outcome of the Seven Years War, but two important details were left out. These probably had significant bearing on a cause of the American Revolution. First, the king and Townshend tried to justify taxation of the colonies because the expense in fighting the war greatly impacted the British treasury. The king felt that the colonies benefitted from England winning the war and that is why taxing them made sense. However, the Proclamation of 1763 did away with the benefits of colonial expansion which was a main reason colonists, like Washington, aided the British. Also, having no say in taxation laws would have angered the colonists since they had had the right to govern themselves since 1619 when the king granted local assemblies the right to begin to make their own laws in Virginia.
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Module Id: 951
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Saturday, February 29, 2020 - 12:28
Question 1:
It is interesting to learn that slavery was debated and many were being persuaded through the U.S. Postal Service. I wonder if tampering or destroying mail was a serious federal offense like it is today. I is amazing to know that many southerners burned mail or refused to deliver it in protest to Abolitionist communications.
Question 2:
I knew that states rights was a hot issue because southern states wanted to be able to choose slavery. The fact that slavery was seen as an institution that would eventually be phased out was surprising. Look at how long it took for Civil Rights laws to actually be enacted and enforced.
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Module Id: 1021
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Wednesday, March 4, 2020 - 12:55
Question 1:
In the 19th century, our young nation was involved in creating many new boundaries. The controversy over boundaries and practices within the nation's capitol reflected many of the arguments and growing pains the country, as a whole, was experiencing.
Question 2:
Students can explore the differences between boundaries of the 13 original colonies, which later became states, and the boundaries of states to the west of the Mississippi.
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Module Id: 1039
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Wednesday, March 4, 2020 - 13:45
Question 1:
During the 1700 and early 1800s, most nails were handmade and therefore scarce. These mass-produced nails would have allowed for new types of home construction other than log homes or stone houses. Speeding up construction and developing faster ways to build contributed to westward expansion.
Question 2:
I thought it was an interesting fact that people would burn down their houses in order to recoup the nails. Imagine how many original buildings might be left if that had not happened. Knowing that Thomas Jefferson had a nail "factory" at Monticello speaks to his foreward thinking, even though this was made possible by the sweat of enslaved people. I wonder if he ever toured some of the early factories that massed produced nails.
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Module Id: 953
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Tuesday, March 17, 2020 - 14:39
Question 1:
Suffragists chose to wear white as a symbol of purity and steadfastness. This "uniform" helped to unite and identify supporters of the suffragist movement.
Question 2:
Documentaries, articles and journals about women voting would be important to present. Both sides of the issue should be show so that students can better understand life in the U.S. during the early 1900s.
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Module Id: 1075
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Tuesday, March 17, 2020 - 15:14
Question 1:
The recording addresses the issue of immigration and how, over time, some ethnic groups experienced assimilation in the U.S. culture, while others, possibly because of physical attributes, were never able to fully assimilate.
Question 2:
Charts, graphs, copies of ledgers and first hand accounts about immigration can give students a better understanding about this multi-faceted, relevant topic today.
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Module Id: 1128
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Friday, March 20, 2020 - 14:00
Question 1:
The dishwasher represents the surge of manufactured products that were made in the U.S. after WWII. Because the war was not fought on our soil, the U.S. maintained industrial dominance throughout the war era.
Question 2:
This dominance created a competition between Communist USSR and democratic U.S.A. Not only did the two countries compete in the output of manufactured goods that modernized living, but it bled over into space exploration.
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Module Id: 1093
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Monday, March 23, 2020 - 13:41
Title: Differentiated Object Analysis Lesson-Colonial VA
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
Students would be given several unknown objects. Using a chart, students would write down their observations including the material used, shape, moving parts, and purpose. They would make a written hypothesis about whether or not each object would have been used during Colonial times. They would have to support their statement with reasoning based on what they know about life in early Virginia. The objects would be a loose tea leaf strainer made of silver, a metal skeleton key, a plastic lemon juicer, a metal thimble and battery operated label maker. Students would have the opportunity to discuss their responses with a partner.
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Module Id: 689
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Saturday, February 29, 2020 - 10:45
Title: Invitation to a Tea Party - Fair or unfair?
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
Students would be told that they are patriotic colonists living in Virginia in the late 1770s. Next I would pass out written invitations to a tea party. There would be an R.S.V.P. note asking them to write back to let me know if they would be attending. Then I would allow them to peek into the future to see what the tea party would be like. The fine table would be set with silver and a porcelain tea set. I would act as the hostess and model how to serve tea for my (nonexistent) guest. Sugar cubes and sugar cookies would be served. Then I would have students read an article about mercantilism and one about the Sugar, Tea and Stamp Acts. By reading these articles, I would want students to figure out that the paper invitation would have had additional tax, along with the tea, the sugar and the sugar used to make the cookies. Then I would have students write a note to me to explain if they would be attending this tea party using facts from the article to support their decision.
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Module Id: 951
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Saturday, February 29, 2020 - 12:44
Title: Invitation to a Tea Party - Fair or unfair?
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
Students would be told that they are patriotic colonists living in Virginia in the late 1770s. Next I would pass out written invitations to a tea party. There would be an R.S.V.P. note asking them to write back to let me know if they would be attending. Then I would allow them to peek into the future to see what the tea party would be like. The fine table would be set with silver and a porcelain tea set. I would act as the hostess and model how to serve tea for my (nonexistent) guest. Sugar cubes and sugar cookies would be served. Then I would have students read an article about mercantilism and one about the Sugar, Tea and Stamp Acts. By reading these articles, I would want students to figure out that the paper invitation would have had additional tax, along with the tea, the sugar and the sugar used to make the cookies. Then I would have students write a note to me to explain if they would be attending this tea party using facts from the article to support their decision.
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Module Id: 951
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Saturday, February 29, 2020 - 12:44
Title: Letter back home
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
I have students choose a role from life in the South from the 1850's to 1870's. They can be a plantation owner before the war, they can be a runaway slave, or they can be a sharecropper during Reconstruction. They write a postcard to someone in their past to describe their current living situation, lifestyle, successes or tribulations. It is interesting how some write to family who has become separated, or even to a previous slave owner. Kids do an amazing job writing in a certain persona. I will add in the knowledge I have gained about the postal service and its use in disseminating abolitionist newspapers.
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Module Id: 1021
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Wednesday, March 4, 2020 - 13:02
Title: Planning a Government
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
I often challenge my students to imagine that they have been chosen to plan, write and execute a new government for a young country. We discuss the best placement for a capitol. Add to that, the divisive nature of the issue of slavery and that creates new issues to be considered. I did not know the history of Alexandria's role in the formation of Washington. After having students read articles about the slave trade being conducted in the nation's capitol, they could write an essay on whether or not they support that activity. It would be interesting to have them map out a capitol, including buildings for the Congress and White House.
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Module Id: 1039
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Wednesday, March 4, 2020 - 13:54
Title: Creating Shelter in Early America
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
In cooperative groups I would have students design and create a shelter given only round sticks, mud, moss and stones. They would have to time the whole process and then write a step by step guide about the building process, noting successes and challenges about the structure. Then, on a different day, the same groups would create homes made with popsicle sticks, tongue depressors, and small brads. Comparing the two activities would bare out how nail factories contributed to faster, easier expansion westward.
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Module Id: 953
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Tuesday, March 17, 2020 - 14:46
Title: Women and the Vote
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
Most fourth graders today are surprised to learn that women did not earn the right to vote until 1920. I would present them with many of these primary sources and documentaries depicting how limited women's rights were and how that affected every day activities that we now take for granted.
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Module Id: 1075
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Tuesday, March 17, 2020 - 15:17
Title: Cultural Diversity - Immigration
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
Virginia Studies in 4th grade focuses quite a bit on how the "cultural landscape" of Virginia changed in the 1700s due to European immigrants arriving. This could be extended by using many of these primary and secondary sources to demonstrate how the American culture is comprised of people, traditions, customs, languages and foods from immigrants from all over the world. The instructor needs to be well versed in the origin of many contributions that we deem "American", but which have origins elsewhere. It would be an interesting opening activity to have students write down one thing that they think is absolutely American and then allow them to research its origin to see if they can justify their statement, or refute it based on immigrant orgins.
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Module Id: 1128
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Friday, March 20, 2020 - 14:10
Title: Industry and Innovation
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
Have students imagine life without modern conveniences such as tv, dishwasher, washing machines, driers and refrigerators. Provide primary and secondary documents that explored life before and after these products were made available to the masses. In 4th grade, we learn about the Marshall Plan, so that could easily be integrated into a discussion of how industry thrived because our country was not physically devastated by war.
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Module Id: 1093
User Id: 1376
Submitted: Monday, March 23, 2020 - 13:45