Analyzing Objects
Porcelain
Musket Ball
Smallpox
Nail
Reaper
Shirtwaist
Transistor
Coffee
Record
Tire
Dishwasher
Dress
Stereograph
Stone
Shoe
Question 1:
Historical thinking is looking at primary and secondary sources of various kinds to determine their place in history and what they tell us of the past.
Question 2:
Using objects in teaching historical thinking gives students a concrete item to identify with. To students, history many times seems like a subject that is unnecessary because it is intangible and happened in the past and using objects helps students connect deeper with the material.
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Module Id: 689
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 17:06
Question 1:
This is a can of some sort of edible item. The first thing I noticed is that it's from Nescafe, which is part of Nestle. It also says "coffee extract" on it.
Question 2:
This might be an item from around WWI, Great Depression, WWII times. Regardless of when it's from, this can shows us not only how products were produced and sold, but they can help tell us why they were produced that way whether it be for necessity in wartime or another reason.
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Module Id: 1147
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Monday, March 9, 2020 - 21:38
Question 1:
It's fairly uniform in shape and seems to be made of metal. It looks like old ammunition.
Question 2:
This is something I've talked about in my American history classes. It's interesting to compare old ammunition to what we're used to seeing in the present day. It definitely helps explain how warfare has changed in the past century and a half.
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Module Id: 955
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Monday, March 16, 2020 - 20:10
Question 1:
I think the item in question is the smaller ribbon that's surrounding the bottom portion of the shirt. It is cinching the waist to extreme proportions.
Question 2:
Women's fashion has changed so much throughout history and is fascinating to analyze from a marketing point of view--how do we see ourselves and how do we spend our money. It's a bit more like an economics lesson, but there is a historical aspect to how we view ourselves.
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Module Id: 950
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 12:27
Question 1:
These look like cells of some sort, and judging by the clarity of the picture I'd say this is from the early 20th century.
Question 2:
We take quite a bit for granted in terms of how much we know about viruses and diseases, but the causes for major illnesses earlier in history were unknown. Once we figured out how to identify and vaccinate against diseases the quality of life greatly improved for Americans, especially those in cities.
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Module Id: 954
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 - 10:46
Question 1:
This is a porcelain teacup that is part of a set. It's fairly well decorated both inside and outside and matches its saucer.
Question 2: This might have to do with trade or wealth in earlier years of the country.
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Module Id: 951
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Sunday, April 12, 2020 - 11:58
Question 1:
This is an early device that is probably made out of wood and seems to be attached to horses or oxen at the front.
Question 2:
I would say this connects to themes of industrialization and the impact that had on plantations and farming communities in the era before the Civil War.
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Module Id: 952
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Monday, April 13, 2020 - 11:44
Question 1:
This is an object that a person holds in their hand and looks through at a pair of matching images. The handle is wood and the image appears to be drawn and not a photograph.
Question 2:
During the 19th and 20th centuries, doctors and scientists began experimenting with optics, resulting in devices like this stereoscope and onto cameras for photography and filming.
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Module Id: 1047
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Monday, April 13, 2020 - 14:38
Question 1:
Historical thinking is asking critical questions to get a better understanding of the past using primary and secondary sources.
Question 2:
Including objects while teaching history gives students an opportunity to engage with the material in a new way. Going to museums/historical sites is a great way tot get hands on experience, and if that is difficult, there are many primary sources available online either for print or to experience virtually that can further students' thinking.
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Module Id: 689
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Monday, March 2, 2020 - 17:41
Question 1:
Instant coffee is a perfect example of the quick transition that took place between WWII and the suburban, modernizing 1950s. Products produced for the war needed to be used and were marketed in a way that encouraged a faster paced lifestyle. The 1950s are known for introducing new gadgets and items designed to make life easier, and this is a perfect example.
Question 2:
I would imagine a factor would be the fact that women were trying to transition not just into a more modern lifestyle, but that many were also transitioning from working in factories and other production jobs due to the war.
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Module Id: 1147
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Monday, March 9, 2020 - 22:33
Question 1:
I'd always known about the style of European warfare and was aware that it had quite a bit to do with the guns available at the time. However, I hadn't thought about the difference between militia men and trained soldiers. It was really enlightening to learn about how important trained soldiers were in comparison to militia men fighting with guerilla warfare--especially since we're taught about the huge impact those tactics made in school.
Question 2:
I would be interested in reading any possible diary or journal entries from regular people, if available. They would be a great resource and reference for how the average, everyday person viewed the military.
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Module Id: 955
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Monday, March 16, 2020 - 21:35
Question 1:
I think the connection between wanting to stay safe from large, standing armies and the US's policies in the late 18th and early 19th centuries is incredibly interesting from the War of 1812 to the Monroe Doctrine and its implications.
Question 2:
I would be interested in reading any possible diary or journal entries from regular people, if available. They would be a great resource and reference for how the average, everyday person viewed the military.
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Module Id: 955
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Monday, March 16, 2020 - 21:47
Question 1:
It didn't occur to me to think of this as a labor issue until I read Triangle Shirtwaist Company. The Progressive Era was always one of my favorites to study in school because it's the bridge from pre-Industrial society to where we are today, and many of the issues men and women laborers faced then are still issues we see in certain industries today. It forces us to look at how much has progressed and changed and what can we do better moving forward.
Question 2:
In addition to factory work, another industry that always drew criticism was the coal mining industry. One question I'd be interested in knowing is the percentage of men and boys who suffered effects of mining years after they quit.
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Module Id: 950
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 12:52
Question 1:
Smallpox has been a disease that has decimated various groups of people for centuries. The research into preventing the disease helps mark the 18th century as a period of transition--humanity was now aware of how diseases can spread, but not yet able to contain them. Inoculation, much like many practices in the 18th century, was rudimentary and somewhat effective and would later be replaced by more advanced methods of prevention in the 19th century.
Question 2:
One major benefit of looking at history through the lens of disease and medicine is to examine how people have dealt with the threat throughout time and place. Smallpox specifically has been around for so long and has been so deadly it's possible to examine different outbreaks. This becomes especially interesting as global trade began to expand in the 15th and 16th centuries. One drawback, however, can be to isolate disease itself. For example, native populations in the Americas were almost completely obliterated by smallpox and syphilis when Europeans arrived. However, disease is only one aspect of a larger piece in the puzzle.
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Module Id: 954
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 - 11:22
Question 1:
It deals with the issues of trade and taxation between the US and England in the 18th century and the issues that led to the American Revolution.
Question 2:
Something I've wondered for a while is were the British completely open with the reason for taxation or did they just impose taxes without explanation? If you look at it on paper, the colonies had a pretty good deal, where the British would act as protection in exchange for money from the colonies. In classes I've taken in college and throughout school though, I don't remember hearing that England explained that the reason for the increase in taxes was for money used fighting for the colonies?
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Module Id: 951
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Sunday, April 12, 2020 - 12:25
Question 1:
The reaper bridges the gap between the eras of industrialization and colonization. The amount of produce that could be harvested with the reaper and other new machines changed life for those living not only in the countryside but in cities as well. As production increased, so did the percentage of people living in cities.
Question 2:
Textile machinery also drastically changed American life in the 19th century--especially in cities. Instead of women producing textiles and garments from home, they now worked together in factory settings in sometimes harsh conditions for little pay.
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Module Id: 952
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Monday, April 13, 2020 - 13:25
Question 1:
The stereoscope is an interesting device that really whet appetites for travel and culture. Many Americans weren't able to travel for leisure and these devices allowed those without copious amounts of wealth to get a more "hands on" experience. They also brought events into peoples' homes and connected them in new ways, such as having stereograph cards of President Roosevelt available. This was a first, rudimentary step in bringing people into more direct contact with their government and the wider world around them.
Question 2:
A perfect example of that right now is students using VR headsets in the classroom. There are programs available that allow students to more fully immerse themselves in sites and concepts than ever before--which is great for smaller areas where travel is difficult or expensive.
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Module Id: 1047
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Wednesday, April 15, 2020 - 13:09
Title: Analyzing Objects in the Classroom
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I've used many primary sources with critical thinking questions in the past, but it has been difficult for me to find actual physical objects to use or even plan trips to museums. Something newer I would try is accessing virtual museum exhibits or sites that offer more interactive experiences with historical objects to add a more sensory experience to class. Showing pictures in class is helpful, but allowing students to interact in a more meaningful way leads to more critical, higher level thinking.
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Module Id: 689
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Monday, March 2, 2020 - 17:45
Title: Coffee in the Classroom
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
The swift changes that took place between the end of WWII and the 1950s are remarkable in how completely they changed suburban American life. Many students today drink coffee--it's almost a fashionable thing thanks to large chain coffee shops--and it would be interesting to see the connections they make between what looks to be an old sardine or anchovy can and what they drink for breakfast every morning. I would combine coffee and other foods like SPAM with some vanity items and discuss how the need to get rid of these items effected not only the 1950s but also maybe how we use them today.
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Module Id: 1147
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Monday, March 9, 2020 - 22:38
Title: Musket Ball Connections
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I'm in an incredibly rural area where many students hunt on weekends. I would introduce the musket ball and begin by asking them (after they figure out it's ammunition) how this is different from what they are used to seeing and how this would impact warfare at the time. I would try to guide them through not only the changes we've seen in ammunition and warfare but how those changes have impacted the people on either side.
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Module Id: 955
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Monday, March 16, 2020 - 21:53
Title: Shirtwaist in the Classroom
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I've been teaching World History for the past few years, not American, but I do still need to cover the Industrial Revolution, child labor, labor unions, etc. I always make sure to spend time talking about the issues in the garment and mining industries in particular and how workers were treated. Showing this and having the students tell me why they think it's important would be an excellent way to open up class. The shirt itself seems like such a simple, innocuous item but it has such a tragic story to it and I think teaching the topics of industrialization, tenement living, and factory work are strengthened so much by imagery and data because it's easy to compare with how we live and work now. I've used pay rates from English factories before and the students were astonished at how little factory workers made, even with adjusting for inflation.
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Module Id: 950
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 13:09
Title: Smallpox in the Classroom
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
This is something I would do when teaching globalization. I would start off by putting the students in groups and showing them a chart that lists different casualty numbers from different events and times throughout history, such as WWI and WW2, the Black Death, and smallpox breakouts. Many students will be correct that as a single event, the World Wars caused greater casualties, but during the 20th century almost 10x more people died from smallpox than in WWI. Without telling them which event is which, I would then begin to hand them images similar to the ones we have seen and see if they can figure out the cause to be smallpox. I would then transition into how the disease has spread across the globe and how we have attempted to curb its impact over the years (like the examples of quarantining harbors and ports). This is something the students would be able to understand, especially given how things are right now, and we could begin to discuss how these things can be prevented and how globalization impacts not only our politics, economy, and technology, but also our health.
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Module Id: 954
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 - 11:40
Title: Porcelain in the Classroom
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I would use the ideas from this module in a game with juniors taking US History. To begin with, I would show students some of the items like the porcelain cup and tea scissors and ask what they think their importance is. Then I would split the students into groups with some being colonists and some being members of Parliament. They would have enough background necessary for the activity, such as who each group is and what their basic goals and concerns are. The Parliament group would begin passing laws and enforcing taxes on the products the colonists produce to simulate what happened in the years before the American Revolution. To wrap up, we would discuss the outcome of the game and reassess the images we looked at before moving onto the lecture material.
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Module Id: 951
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Sunday, April 12, 2020 - 12:36
Title: Reaper in the Classroom
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I live in a rural area with a large number of students who work on some type of farm so this is something that would grab their attention. Depending on the class, the inventions they need to know differ, but I would start off with explaining how farming had been done in the US prior to the introduction of these machines. Then they would do a gallery walk of different inventions and pictures explaining what the machines did and how they impacted society. To wrap up, we would talk about how these inventions led to urbanization in the north and how yeoman farming and plantations were still prevalent in the south.
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Module Id: 952
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Monday, April 13, 2020 - 13:37
Title: Stereoscopes to VR
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I would show the students an image similar to the one in this module of the stereoscope being used in the classroom as well as a picture of a sterescope and its cards. After a brief explanation of what it is and does, I would have the students discuss its benefits at the time for education. Then we would transition into a discussion on current technology and how we benefit from that in the modern day and how we can use it in the classroom. After looking at different places in the VR sets in the library, we would wrap up by discussing differences and similarities and how we can use entertainment to help us learn even more about the world around us.
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Module Id: 1047
User Id: 1402
Submitted: Sunday, April 19, 2020 - 21:07