Analyzing Objects
Porcelain
Musket Ball
Smallpox
Nail
Reaper
Shirtwaist
Transistor
Coffee
Record
Tire
Dishwasher
Dress
Stereograph
Stone
Shoe
Question 1:
It is a blue, white, and gold tea cup and matching saucer, with gold trim. It is either empty or has very little inside. It looks new or relatively unused, since it shows no crackling. I notice that the material looks to be porcelain. The blue and gold looks hand painted. I cannot tell if it is antique or modern, or a modern copy of an period piece. Perhaps it could be from China or England.
Question 2:
It might connect to the themes of culture and society, national identity, and politics and power. It could also connect to American hospitality, colonialism, trade and commerce, and almost any other theme in American history.
Redirect: /content/porcelain-resources
Module Id: 951
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 12:07
Question 1:
Historical thinking is developing the skills necessary to understand the past and what it means to the present and future. In Virginia, this means learning to think like an historian, by learning and using the skills of sourcing, close reading, contextualization, and corroboration.
Question 2:
Objects are sources, whether primary or secondary, that provide windows and eye-witnesses to the past. To all students of history, they are hands-on, real-life examples that people and events really happened, and when closely studied, can provide deeper insights and connections into the past. We love going to museums to get a glimpse of the past, even in some small way. Objects can be used to engage and draw students into a world of imagining what it would have been like, and how people and events are connected.
Redirect: /content/what-historical-thinking
Module Id: 689
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 13:29
Question 1:
I notice that this is an envelope, bearing the name of Confederate States of America Post Office Department. It states that it is official business from an auditor to someone (an attorney?) in South Carolina. I'm not sure what the round stamp reads, perhaps Virginia. I cannot read the date, but the fact that it is stamped indicates it was mailed. This indicates it is a primary source from the Civil War period, 1861-1865.
Question 2:
The envelope indicates that the Confederate States of America conducted business through their own post office system. Broader themes may include commerce and trade of the South during the Civil War, the influence, organizational strength, and wealth of the Confederate States of America.
Redirect: /content/mail-resources
Module Id: 1021
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 15:22
Question 1:
I notice that it appears to be mostly wooden, and I cannot tell if there are any metal parts from the drawing. It does not seem to connect to any source of electricity, but has gears and a pulley system. It works either by hand crank or being pulled by an animal, so it likely dates before machines were powered by electricity. It appears to be a reaper, so perhaps it is 18th century.
Question 2:
What impact did new inventions have on life in America, especially during the time period of 1801-1861?
How did inventions reflect the idea of Manifest Destiny?
How did inventions reflect the idea of Manifest Destiny?
Redirect: /content/reaper-resources
Module Id: 952
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Tuesday, March 17, 2020 - 15:21
Question 1:
These are old, worn leather shoes. They look well made, so were perhaps fashionable for the time period in which they were made and worn.
Question 2:
Perhaps they are connected to the theme of culture of a particular region or section of America.
Redirect: /content/shoe-resources
Module Id: 1002
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Tuesday, March 17, 2020 - 16:35
Question 1:
These are old, worn leather shoes or boots. They look well made for the time period in which they were made and worn. They seem to have black or blue soles. Perhaps they were soldiers boots.
Question 2:
Perhaps they are connected to the theme of culture of a particular region or section of America, or of the impact of war.
Redirect: /content/shoe-resources
Module Id: 1002
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Tuesday, March 17, 2020 - 16:37
Question 1:
This is a primary source photograph of two women in the early twentieth century, based on the early model car in the background. They are suffragettes, based on the flag and banner worn on their clothing. Both are dressed in white, one of the colors female suffragettes chose to wear.
Question 2:
The women's suffrage movement in the mid 19th through early 20th centuries was also connected to the abolitionist movement. This period of time saw a great rise of civil rights movements as America prospered and expanded, and Americans sought to expand freedoms. It was also connected to the idea of Manifest Destiny.
Redirect: /content/dress-resources
Module Id: 1075
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Friday, March 20, 2020 - 11:13
Question 1:
This is a large chiseled stone marker of some kind. There is writing on it, but the writing is not legible. It looks to be either a foundation stone, a stone marking property boundary, or a grave stone. I think I can see the initials S.C. at the bottom, which may refer to South Carolina.
Question 2:
I need to know what it is first, before I can make such a connection. If a boundary marker, perhaps it connects to colonization of North America, and the development of settlements and towns.
Redirect: /content/stone-resources
Module Id: 1039
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Friday, March 20, 2020 - 12:33
Question 1:
It is a viewing device for seeing photos or drawings, or art in 3D, or "stereo." It is a made of wood and metal, and has two glass viewing ports.
Question 2:
I predict that it connects to early American innovations and inventions, culture and entertainment. Adults would have used these, but also children. The photo shown is of a child at bedtime or in a bedroom, so perhaps it is connected to the roles of children in American culture.
Redirect: /content/stereoscope-resources
Module Id: 1047
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Wednesday, March 25, 2020 - 11:44
Question 1:
Porcelain is a luxury item that was likely imported from Europe by wealthy American colonists. Many of these colonists considered themselves British citizens, so it connects to the theme of culture and society in colonial America. Importing these items indicates a connection to "home and country", i.e., Great Britain. The porcelain set also represents the love of tea, but also symbolizes the impending unrest and dissatisfaction with Great Britain's taxation of luxury items and tea--a political power struggle. Colonists were increasingly disconnecting themselves from king and country in order to pursue independence.
Question 2:
In 6th grade history, the causes of the American Revolution are colonial dissatisfaction, in large part due to the Proclamation of 1763 and increasing taxation without representation. It seems to me that the reasons for emigrating to the American colonies: Religious freedom, avoiding persecution, and pursuit of economic opportunities created a far more independent mindset than England intended, although mercantilism benefited both the British and the colonists. Particularly, those colonies that were established for religious freedom were hotbeds for discontent. I would love to know more information about that connection.
Redirect: /content/porcelain-connections-essay
Module Id: 951
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 12:44
Question 1:
According to the video in this module (History Channel), historical thinking is the reading, analysis, and writing that’s necessary to tell the stories from the past. My initial hypothesis is correct.
Question 2:
I would add to my original answer: Objects can be used to empower students to think deeply and creatively, and make hypotheses about items from the past and how they connect to stories and ideas of the past.
Redirect: /content/connections-essay-historical-thinking
Module Id: 689
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 14:32
Question 1:
The mail connects to the role of the post office in the power struggle and widening chasm between the North and the South, especially in regards to the issue of slavery, as well as the freedoms of speech and press.
Question 2:
The resources have enhanced my prior understanding by providing a wider and deeper field of view of the tension between the states regarding the issue of slavery, even and especially through the mail system. It is interesting that both pro-slavery and abolitionist propaganda material was widely disseminated through the mail. It is also fascinating how pro-slavery states twisted the issue of slavery from an abhorrent but "necessary" evil to the idea that slavery was a great good.
Redirect: /content/mail-connections-essay
Module Id: 1021
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 15:47
Question 1:
The mail connects to the role of the post office in the power struggle and widening chasm between the North and the South, especially in regards to the issue of slavery, as well as the freedoms of speech and press.
Question 2:
The resources have enhanced my prior understanding by providing a wider and deeper field of view of the tension between the states regarding the issue of slavery, even and especially through the mail system. It is interesting that both pro-slavery and abolitionist propaganda material was widely disseminated through the mail. It is also fascinating how pro-slavery states twisted the issue of slavery from an abhorrent but "necessary" evil to the idea that slavery was a great good. This widening chasm between abolitionists who wanted an immediate end to the practice, and those who created a social system based on slavery was the major cause of the Civil War.
Redirect: /content/mail-connections-essay
Module Id: 1021
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 15:50
Question 1:
The reaper and other inventions of this time period reflect the growing technological and economic advances, as well as a growing sectionalism between Northern and Southern States. Northern states were becoming more and more industrialized to fill the need for these time and cost saving machines, while the South used these same machines to expand their land for agricultural needs.
Question 2:
There are several sources that help explain how and why American lives changed so dramatically in the 1800s. One example is the steam engine, specifically the steam locomotive, which revolutionized travel and migration for Americans. Rather than a long and difficult journey of 5-6 months to move westward toward the Pacific, travel of people and goods/products could take less than a week.
Redirect: /content/reaper-connections-essay
Module Id: 952
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Tuesday, March 17, 2020 - 16:01
Question 1:
These shoes connect to the impact of the Civil War on American life, particularly the expanding power of the federal government, which was seen as necessary in order to manage and pay for the war, as well as the relationship between citizens and the federal government.
Question 2:
Other resources I could use are minted coins and paper money from this period of time, both from North and South, the shoes and recruitment posters such as the ones used in this lesson, and perhaps journal entries that address feelings about the income tax and the draft.
Redirect: /content/shoe-connections-essay
Module Id: 1002
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Tuesday, March 17, 2020 - 16:55
Question 1:
The dress represents changes in how women saw themselves. It represents freedom, strength, and purity of their cause. It connects to the rise of civil rights movements, especially those of women's rights and African-American rights.
Question 2:
I appreciated the video source, which provided more historical context on the photographs. Hearing from experts in the study of the women's suffrage movement and it's somewhat uncomfortable link to the early African-American civil rights movement would be most helpful.
For students, primary sources such as banners and posters, political cartoons, and other tangible items would be most helpful.
For students, primary sources such as banners and posters, political cartoons, and other tangible items would be most helpful.
Redirect: /content/dress-connections-essay
Module Id: 1075
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Friday, March 20, 2020 - 11:47
Question 1:
The boundary stone connects to the theme of our nation's identity, specifically the shaping of that identity through the years between the American Revolution and the Civil War. It connects to the development of Washington, D.C. as an attempt for a neutral site of our nation's capitol, between slave and free sites. It connects to politics, specifically the struggle that took place during this time between statesmen and the wealthy jockeying for power to determine the political direction of the nation. It also connects to how political/geographical boundaries between states were determined and changed over time.
Question 2:
Students can go on virtual tours of boundary markers, compare and contrast maps of states , and use primary and secondary sources to understand why and how boundaries have hanged.
Redirect: /content/stone-connections-essay
Module Id: 1039
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 17:39
Question 1:
It connects to the broader theme of culture and society, in the sense that stereographs and the stereoscope were opportunities not only for leisure entertainment, but also educational advancement. For example, middle-class American adults and students were able to virtually tour American and world geographical sites and places, and "see" events that happened recently. As a product that was marketed by door-to-door sales, this also provided opportunities for economic advancement for college students in the summer and for soldiers returning home from war.
These objects also provide insight into their educational use in promoting historical thinking skills, particularly as students of any age could "view" source material, particularly primary sources that were photographed for these stereographs.
These objects also provide insight into their educational use in promoting historical thinking skills, particularly as students of any age could "view" source material, particularly primary sources that were photographed for these stereographs.
Question 2:
Exploring how visually-related technology has changed and influenced (and was influenced by) historical events would be a fascinating stand-alone course of study! Students could research the first cameras and how long it took to create a photograph, and the role photographers played in recording not only places, but in art, economics, as well as historical events.
They can study the film industry for how motion pictures were created, and how this influenced life in America, as well as how wartime films changed the way people looked at modern warfare.
Although mine was plastic, the more modern version of the stereoscope might be more accessible today (and far less likely to be damaged). Students can compare Viewmaster images with photographs, and even modern 3D images produced by smartphones and cameras.
They can study the film industry for how motion pictures were created, and how this influenced life in America, as well as how wartime films changed the way people looked at modern warfare.
Although mine was plastic, the more modern version of the stereoscope might be more accessible today (and far less likely to be damaged). Students can compare Viewmaster images with photographs, and even modern 3D images produced by smartphones and cameras.
Redirect: /content/stereoscope-connections-essay
Module Id: 1047
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Wednesday, March 25, 2020 - 15:37
Title: Symbols of Colonial Dissatisfaction
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
After initial lessons, I could display various objects/color visuals in stations around the classroom, and provide students with a brief explanation, similar (but grade appropriate) to those in this module, and a graphic organizer or short answer hand-out to complete. The central historical question might be: Why were colonists increasingly dissatisfied with British rule? Students would first be asked to observe and make predictions, then read the brief summary, and answer the questions. This could be done on paper or using the NearPod app on our Kindles that we have been using frequently this year.
Redirect: /content/porcelain-wrap
Module Id: 951
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 13:00
Title: Historical Objects as Primary Sources
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
At the beginning of the school year, or for any introduction/reintroduction to historical thinking, I might gather several objects to place in stations around the room. I would provide an organizer listing each objects (as #1,#2, etc.) with room for students to describe in their own words each object, mark their thoughts and ideas about the object's origin, purpose, and connection to history. Much like the museum curator in the video, I could allow students to think aloud in small groups and individually about each object. A class discussion would follow on the significance of thinking historically about primary sources.
Redirect: /content/analyzing-objects-wrap
Module Id: 689
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 14:40
Title: The Role of the Post Office leading up to the Civil War
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I'd like to take at least 3-4 days to cover this material in class. The main focus for historical thinking on the skills of contextualization and corroboration. I might create and use a Nearpod activity on our Kindles, as well as a Gallery Walk with primary sources such as photographs and both anti- and pro-slavery source material, to contextualize and corroborate sources, as well as discussing bias. I'd also use a video source from either the Story of US or the History Channel. Students today do not have the same understanding of the importance of the US Post Office in history, so I would include this important background information, and ask students to do some research on the Post Office.
Redirect: /content/mail-wrap
Module Id: 1021
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 16:04
Title: Impact of Inventions on American Expansion
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I use video clips of various inventions being demonstrated, since a photograph really doesn't help students connect to the invention nor its impact. For example, the cotton gin had a huge impact on Americans, particularly on plantation owners and enslaved African Americans. We purchase seeded cotton and distribute it to students on a paper plate, asking them to try to remove the seed without losing too much of the cotton boll. Very engaging discussion during and following this activity. I show a video demonstration of a cotton gin, and the ease at which it works. Next, I ask them to predict "Would you think plantation owners would need more or less enslaved persons now that there are cotton gins?" Then, we discuss why the demand for slaves increased rather than decreased. Students then do a quick write about this experience.
Redirect: /content/reaper-wrap
Module Id: 952
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Tuesday, March 17, 2020 - 16:12
Title: Shoes, Income tax, and the Draft in the Civil War
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I would use the photo of these boots/shoes to ask students to make a prediction about how they connect to the Civil War in a think-pair-share, or as a quick write prediction. Next, there would be several stations around the room: research (or use copies of teacher-located primary sources); discuss the cost and manufacturing of Civil War supplies, especially uniforms and shoes for soldiers, predicting how the government would pay for these item.
A separate lesson on how the Union and Confederate Armies recruited soldiers at first versus the end of the war to discuss the draft.
A separate lesson on how the Union and Confederate Armies recruited soldiers at first versus the end of the war to discuss the draft.
Redirect: /content/shoe-wrap
Module Id: 1002
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Tuesday, March 17, 2020 - 17:10
Title: Women's Suffrage Movement
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
For my 6th graders and the introduction of this standard, I can employ a "hook" by dressing in white and making a banner, and perhaps re-creating/modifying a short speech from a primary source item. Follow up would include a discussion of this "Who am I" along with predictions and drawing conclusions about why I might be wearing white.
Redirect: /content/dress-wrap
Module Id: 1075
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Friday, March 20, 2020 - 11:55
Title: Boundary Stones
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I would post several color photos of the boundary stones, and a printed copy of a map of old DC around the room and ask students first to make predictions about what they think these are, what they have in common, and what their purpose could be. After a think-pair-share time, we would move to a discussion of boundary stones, particularly those that were the original markers for DC, along with a virtual tour of them, and include the role Benjamin Banneker. I would also work this in as an introduction to the causes of the Civil War, and the issue of slavery.
Redirect: /content/stone-wrap
Module Id: 1039
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 17:52
Title: The role of the visual technology in American History
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
Using several objects, such as old cameras, slides, and a plastic Viewmaster, I would ask students to predict and share aloud answers to questions, such as: "What do these items have in common? How do you think each is connected to American history? This would launch a lesson on the role and importance of visual technology in our history.
Redirect: /content/stereoscope-wrap
Module Id: 1047
User Id: 1431
Submitted: Wednesday, March 25, 2020 - 15:48