Analyzing Objects

Porcelain

Musket Ball

Smallpox

Nail

Reaper

Shirtwaist

Transistor

Coffee

Record

Tire

Dishwasher

Dress

Stereograph

Stone

Mail

Shoe

Question 1:
Historical thinking is a complex quilt of thinking where multiple perspectives, primary sources, and context play vital roles in understanding the past.
Question 2:
Objects play a role in helping to provide more context clues to what really happened in the past. Each object provides another piece to the puzzle.
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Question 1:
They are well worn. They appear to be handstitched and made of leather. I would imagine that they are the boots of a man.
Question 2:
As far as how these boots may connect to broader themes in American history, they display someone who is accustomed to hard work, but they also look very durable, perhaps speaking to the ideas of endurance and perseverance in achieving the American dream.
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Question 1:
It looks like an early version of a View Master. I imagine it comes from the Victorian era. I believe that this comes before the advent of motion pictures.
Question 2:
This object speaks to the broader themes of technology and entertainment in American history.
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Question 1:
I notice that it is probably made from tin. I am assuming it was manufactured in the US. The color of it reminds me of the color Army green. Perhaps it is a ration from a war.
Question 2:
This object speaks to broader themes of industrialization and mass production. It also speaks to the history of how food is processed and distributed.
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Question 1:
It appears to be a gravestone. The lettering is very worn. It's very large, much larger than what I have seen before. There is a gate behind it.
Question 2:
This connects to broader themes of burials and rituals. It connects to religion and customs as well.
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Question 1:
This a pile of discarded tires. I would imagine that this was for a rubber drive to help in the war effort.
Question 2:
This connects to broader themes of the war and people coming together in a united effort to play their part in helping. It also speaks to themes of sacrifice and commitment.
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Question 1:
My eye is drawn to the dress and hat of the lady in the picture. I notice that the dress is white. It has a sash. It is similar to the dress worn by the other lady. I notice the car in the background indicates the time period.
Question 2:
This lady, who I assume is a suffragette, connects to voting rights for women. This also speaks to the issues of the roles of women in society.
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Question 1:
It appears to be a dishwasher from the 50s. I have a feeling it was quite expensive during its time. I am sure that it was a coveted appliance.
Question 2:
This object connects to American history by way of the evolution of domestic convenience. Appliances that helped to reduce the amount of labor in the household introduced more time for leisure.
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Question 1:
Historical thinking is a complex quilt of thinking where multiple perspectives, primary sources, and context play vital roles in understanding the past. Historical thinking involves curiosity, patience, and thorough analysis.
Question 2:
Encouraging students to analyze objects can encourage historical thinking by way of revealing information through inquisition. Using unfamiliar objects as a starting point forces students to use a new set of skills.
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Question 1:
Although I originally looked at these boots as durable, I realize that they weren't as well made as one would hope. I believe that they speak to themes of growth, expansion, and commerce brought about by necessity.
Question 2:
I think it might be helpful to read a book where a historian explains similarities between then and now in regard to the changing relationship between citizens and government. Looking at boots and other equipment manufactured for WWI and WWII in comparison would be helpful. One could also look at property rights and land ownership documents.
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Question 1:
The stereoscope speaks to the American interests in entertainment, technology, travel, and education. It also speaks to marketing and capitalism.
Question 2:
I think that students could use a Venn diagram to compare the stereoscope to the Oculus Rift. They could also look at the advancement of film to video and its implications.
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Question 1:
Instant coffee connects to industrialization and the war effort. It also connects to consumerism, cooking, and the roles of women.
Question 2:
The limitations are that advertising is a secondary source. The women impacted by the advertising tell a different story.
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Question 1:
The boundary stone is an appropriate symbol for the changes in the country surrounding slavery. The fact that depending on where you were living the acceptance or rejection of slavery played a large role in the division of the nation.
Question 2:
The students could spend time looking at maps of the states and how their boundaries were developed. They could investigate how political views helped determine borders.
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Question 1:
Tires speak to consumerism. In regard to WWII the fact that there was a shortage of rubber in the US because most rubber came from other parts of the world connects to the idea of rationing. Finally, the themes of patriotism and being a good citizen come into play, doing what is best for your country.
Question 2:
What is the primary message of the poster? Who is the audience? Which rhetorical appeals are being used to persuade the audience? How is the idea of patriotism being used?
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Question 1:
The dress connects by way of the suffrage movement first and foremost. Secondly, it speaks to fashion and the color hearkens to purity in cause and righteousness.
Question 2:
I think it would be helpful to look at data. What were the numbers of women tied directly to the movement? What were the feelings of women in different states in regard to the movement as well? What were more precursors to the movement?
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Question 1:
This connects by way of America's ability after WWII to shift to the mass production of appliances. It also connects to the larger principles of capitalism and consumerism.
Question 2:
The resources enhanced my prior understanding of the Cold War by emphasizing the different approaches towards manufacturing between Russia and the United States based on their different outcomes and locations. The "kitchen debate" by Nixon and Khrushchev really drives home the ideological differences between Russia and the United States.
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Title: Investigating Primary Resources (Objects)
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I would bring in some primary resources and have the students complete an inquiry about each one. This would encourage critical thinking and broaden the students' original views on historical artifacts.
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Title: Shoes Make the Man and the Government
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I would start by having my students discuss a personal article of clothing or item of footwear in regard to what it says about society. I would ask about how the item was manufactured. Next, I would talk about the evolution of manufacturing. I would then have students discuss the relationship between what we wear and the role that the government plays in that process. To extend this discussion, I would talk about other items that a soldier would have worn or had in his possession during the Civil War.
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Title: Stepping into the Picture
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I would bring in View Masters for the students to look at images. The students would look at travel images. Next, I would have the students use VR headsets to explore a location. Then, I would have the students complete a Venn diagram comparing the two experiences. Next, we would discuss the implications of technology in regard to learning and entertainment. We would finish by discussing how wealth plays in role in access to technology going from the stereoscope to the Oculus Rift.
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Title: How Food Preparation and Distribution Impact Our Lives
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I would ask students to discuss the way that they access their food. I would have the students map the foods they eat by researching where the products come from and how they are manufactured and distributed. Finally, I would have the students choose a food product that has been around for many years and explore the different ways that it has been advertised to consumers through the decades, learning how advertisers have combatted trends in health.
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Title: What Boundaries Tell Us About Ourselves
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I would have the students study state maps of Virginia and investigate its boundaries. They would analyze how politics and geography helped shape the state. The students could begin to see how slavery played a significant role in this process.
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Title: The Wheels of Change
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I would start by discussing the notion of scrap metal and rubber drives. Next, I would have my students study posters used during the war to encourage citizens to help. After discussing the rhetorical triangle, I would have the students discuss which rhetorical device is used most often. I would conclude by having the students look at modern ways that students are encouraged to be good citizens and play their part in helping our country.
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Title: The Politics of Apparel
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
One strategy I would like to employ would be for students to discuss the role of fashion in politics. Continuing with a study on the clothing of suffragettes, I would have the students look at the fashion of the following decades after the 19th Amendment was ratified. How did the clothing styles of women in the 30s, 40s, 50s, etc. impact the roles of women in society? Did it give them more or less power?
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Title: What Our Appliances Say About Us As A Society
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I would ask my students to research the most pivotal advancements in appliances in the 20th Century. Next, I would have them discuss the changes that have occurred in our society based on these advancements. Finally, the students would discuss the following questions. Are the advancements all beneficial? Does America's fascination with new technologies take away from our basic human connectedness and need for each other?
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