Submitted work by Nancy Thomas
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 a person, place, or event as part of a greater community or timeline. It encourages people to think beyond the obvious -- for example, a dress -- and considering all that helped create that dress, who wore it, why they may have worn it, and how the raw materials and manpower used were acquired.
Question 2:
Going back to the dress. Women's fashion has meaning. From the Victorian era's stages of mourning to the clothing considered appropriate for unmarried women or a dowager or even a spinster. Look at that outfit and read the quality of the fabric, the cut and composition of the fabric to the length of the skirt, and the type of neckline. All of those aspects can tell one the woman's social class, the era in which she lived, and (often) the type of event she attended while wearing it.
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Submitted: Thursday, July 8, 2021 - 12:51
Question 1:
It is well-kept. It appears to be part of a larger tea service. The saucer is different than the ones we use today -- it is deeper. Both the inside and outside are decorated with a gold-trimmed edge.
Question 2:
Wealth, manufacturing capabilities, shipping capabilities. Likely the possession of a female who was accustomed to socializing with others of her status and/or used for special occasions. After-dinner coffee.
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Submitted: Saturday, July 17, 2021 - 16:08
Question 1:
It is well-kept. It appears to be part of a larger tea service. The saucer is different than the ones we use today -- it is deeper. Both the inside and outside are decorated with a gold-trimmed edge.
Question 2:
Wealth, manufacturing capabilities, shipping capabilities. Likely the possession of a female who was accustomed to socializing with others of her status and/or used for special occasions. After-dinner coffee.
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Submitted: Saturday, July 17, 2021 - 16:08
Question 1:
It looks like a specimen sample from biology class. The bottom "spot" looks as if it is dividing. It could be a super-enlarged shot of a piece of fabric or other organic substance,
Question 2:
It could be a disease exemplar that affected either people, crops, or livestock. If that is the case, then the impact on a rural or pre-twenty-first century population would have been dramatic as it decreased productivity and/or sellable products.
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Submitted: Thursday, July 22, 2021 - 17:15
Question 1:
It looks like a patent sketch or advertisement for a piece of (farm?) equipment. It is either pushed or pulled by a team of animals. Or, even a human. Whatever it may be it will likely be presented as a "labor-saving" device or something that will increase someone's productivity.
Question 2:
It is new technology of some sort with all of the good and bad press that comes from such introductions. Someone developed this. More people constructed it and it was ordered and shipped to the buyer via train or boat. It will require replacement parts, but those will be easy to find, likely using interchangeable parts. Some people will be able to afford it. Others will not. It will have detractors who feel as if it threatens their livelihood. Its proponents will love it.
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Submitted: Friday, July 30, 2021 - 18:05
Question 1:
They are old, worn boots. Likely leather and showing little style and few frills. While sturdy, they do not look like boots meant for heavy work. They also appeared to be mass-manufactured, as there seems to be a 'vacant' area that looks like an identifying tag may have been just below the heel of one. However, they do not appear to have a particular "left" or "right".
Question 2:
These are likely not the shoes of a wealthy person. They belong to someone who scrimped and saved and wore shoes out to the end of their usability. They reflect a move from hand-made to machined. Additionally, they reflect someone who had resources to purchase from the seller, either outright or on credit.
They may even have been COD from a mail order service and delivered by train to the closest town then delivered to the house by mail-rider.
They may even have been COD from a mail order service and delivered by train to the closest town then delivered to the house by mail-rider.
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Submitted: Friday, August 6, 2021 - 10:41
Question 1:
It is an old marker. It is quite weathered. You can see some writing, but it is indistinct. It is likely located in a churchyard or other burial location. Either it has been damaged in the past or the decedent had a private area in the cemetery (or on the homeplace) as it is fenced.
Question 2:
The fence and the size of the headstone appears to indicate some level of social status or esteem within the community or church. It took a mason to create and etch the information into the headstone. The fact that there is a marker at all indicates that the community from whence this individual came is settled. There would be no headstone if there was no community to mark the passing of the individual. The presence of the headstone likely means that the family had money to have it produced.
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Submitted: Friday, August 13, 2021 - 14:58
Question 1:
It is an old picture. It shows an old car, possibly two. In the foreground are two women. One appears to pose. The other does not seem to be aware that a picture is being taken. (There is a blur at her feet). They are suffragettes. Using the clothing as a guide, it appears to be early 20th century prior to World War I.
Question 2:
These women are seeking the right to vote in the United States, a noble cause, but like most social revolutions it is often composed of middle, or upper-middle class. In general, the working and poorer classes are too busy trying to make a living. These suffragettes are well-dressed, well-heeled women of (generally) wealthy men who can purchase a car.
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Submitted: Sunday, August 22, 2021 - 10:49
Question 1:
Lots of tires, most of them are old. Without context, I can't tell if this is industrial detritus or a depot for a World War II rubber drive.
Question 2:
They could be the remnants of an old industrial complex. It could be the leftover tires from a company that utilized delivery truck or vans which in turn was replaced by the railroad system. The tires are narrow which indicates they are from earlier in the 20th century,
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Submitted: Sunday, August 29, 2021 - 10:57
Question 1:
I am sticking with my original hypothesis. History needs to be viewed through the lens of all people. It needs to be held up for dissection and critique. The documents, the objects, and the everyday people who participated in or with those things.
Question 2:
Objects make ideas real. Bringing in a branch of cotton, allows the students to see not only the wispy boll but also the small spike-like feature that pricked the fingers of those picking it. Bring in a cotton sack and the students can see that it will take a lot of cotton to earn the few pennies the pickers earned.
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Submitted: Thursday, July 8, 2021 - 13:36
Question 1:
That porcelain was likely subject to taxes at multiple levels prior to the consumer purchasing it. If it came from England/Europe it was one more commodity among the multitude of commodities shipped to the colonies and purchased to demonstrate the consumer's ability to afford the mark-ups or that they were of such status they could purchase luxury goods on credit.
Question 2:
Information regarding the interactions between England/Europe and the individual colonies. As a rule, each colony did business with England on an individual basis. The Southern colonies interacted with Great Britiain differently than the New England colonies.
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Submitted: Saturday, July 17, 2021 - 16:24
Question 1:
The 1738 outbreak in South Carolina was so terrible that it impacted the ability of the government to engage in its most basic duties. That outbreak deeply affected the general population and the colony's ability to conduct the business of actually running the colony. Taxes were unable to be collected and meetings of the assembly could not be held. Additionally, the effectively shut-down colony was unable to procure food at the market, not only because of the impact on production but also the lack of trade being conducted at the port of Charleston. It would take an epidemic (or pandemic) to bring the gears of existence at all levels to a grinding halt. The after-effects of that cessation of both government and commerce would be felt throughout the population. All levels of society would struggle with both the quarantine and the liability to conduct the business of any sort. There is nowhere for anyone to turn to for assistance as all traditional sources (i.e. churches, fraternal organizations. etc.) run by those with means did not always have the usual resources.
Question 2:
As the last 18 months have taught us, disease knows no boundaries. The wealthy, the privileged, the poor, the disenfranchised, and populations of color are all terribly affected by it. To have an unseen microbe bring the whole world to a grinding halt has been devastating in the recent past, and it would have been even more devastating to those with even fewer resources and less knowledge to understand. Again, much like the recent COVID pandemic, using the disease to discuss historical events opens one to the politicization of basic information and advice. South Carolina banned vaccinations for smallpox, and others in the colonies were just as divided over what was the best course of action. The disease is tricky, especially since most records that we would use in the classroom are from educated Western European males. which may invite a greater level of bias into the discussion. We have no accurate record of the damage smallpox wreaked on all the populations of North America which would negatively impact any discussion of the reverberations felt in 18th century North America.
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Submitted: Thursday, July 22, 2021 - 17:48
Question 1:
Output per acreage increased, and the farmer could harvest the grain in a much-less labor-intensive manner. The efficiency of the machine benefitted the subsistence farmers in a couple of ways: (1) family size (2) ability to plant more acreage and (3) the chance for a surplus that he could sell.
Family size would have decreased because there was less need for free labor to scratch out a living. Smaller families allowed for the greater education of and longer childhood for the children.
Being able to put more ground into crops allowed for a greater variety of crops which could now include an extra acre or two for a crop the farmer could sell.
Having that extra acre to sell increases the farmer's ability to provide things for his family that farming "just to survive" did not allow.
At a global level, it meant that fewer people were required to engage in farming and could move into town. They would be able to have the greater selection of foods at the market/dry good stores.
Family size would have decreased because there was less need for free labor to scratch out a living. Smaller families allowed for the greater education of and longer childhood for the children.
Being able to put more ground into crops allowed for a greater variety of crops which could now include an extra acre or two for a crop the farmer could sell.
Having that extra acre to sell increases the farmer's ability to provide things for his family that farming "just to survive" did not allow.
At a global level, it meant that fewer people were required to engage in farming and could move into town. They would be able to have the greater selection of foods at the market/dry good stores.
Question 2:
Mass-production and technological advancements that resulted from the manufacturing process. It benefits people to have a greater quantity of manufactured goods available to them.
Tasks and work that were labor-intensive were made easier and required less time. More free time, especially at a middle-class level, allows a greater number of people to be engaged in arts. It also gives people free time to invest in worthy social or church causes. Children can now attend school and move beyond the previous generation.
Additionally the greater availability of goods, teams that an individual or family does not have "recreate the wheel" when they need to solve a problem or manufacture a tool.
Tasks and work that were labor-intensive were made easier and required less time. More free time, especially at a middle-class level, allows a greater number of people to be engaged in arts. It also gives people free time to invest in worthy social or church causes. Children can now attend school and move beyond the previous generation.
Additionally the greater availability of goods, teams that an individual or family does not have "recreate the wheel" when they need to solve a problem or manufacture a tool.
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Submitted: Friday, July 30, 2021 - 18:26
Question 1:
A soldier's "boot". It had to be created quickly, of sufficient quality to last the soldier at least a few months of campaigning. It was a "gateway drug" to quite a few other vices: income tax, conscription, and a general increase in the federal government's power and reach into the lives of its citizens. As well as some measure of oversight into business practices and the number of bureaucrats it took to requisition for the Quartermaster's Supply.
Question 2:
Political Cartoons, Government Documents which outline the increase in the numbers and levels of the "machinery" that developed during the course of the war as Cabinet and military departments expanded from 1860 to 1870.
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Submitted: Friday, August 6, 2021 - 11:01
Question 1:
That stone was a sign of compromise, which has been the nation's go-to strategy for dealing with the issue of slavery. It started with the 3/5 Compromise and ended with Popular Sovereignty.
The idea that slavery was somehow a "necessary evil" was prevalent throughout, but probably no more than in the capital city. The city itself would not have been brought into existence without the labor of the local slave population and their enterprising owners. The impressive homes of the wealthy, as well as the White House, were staffed by slaves. For the slave traders and owners, the District was an economic boom. For the northerners and the international visitors who would eventually come slavery was a national embarrassment. Even many prominent slave-holders felt it.
Surrounded by slave states, the Federal City became a microcosm of the troubles afflicting the nation as a whole. Slavery was embedded in the society and it took a great deal of courage (which was lacking at the time) to end it. Attempts to discuss the issue were met with a gag order to keep the nation's business going. The eventual retrocession of Alexandria would pre-sage the secession of the Southern states.
The idea that slavery was somehow a "necessary evil" was prevalent throughout, but probably no more than in the capital city. The city itself would not have been brought into existence without the labor of the local slave population and their enterprising owners. The impressive homes of the wealthy, as well as the White House, were staffed by slaves. For the slave traders and owners, the District was an economic boom. For the northerners and the international visitors who would eventually come slavery was a national embarrassment. Even many prominent slave-holders felt it.
Surrounded by slave states, the Federal City became a microcosm of the troubles afflicting the nation as a whole. Slavery was embedded in the society and it took a great deal of courage (which was lacking at the time) to end it. Attempts to discuss the issue were met with a gag order to keep the nation's business going. The eventual retrocession of Alexandria would pre-sage the secession of the Southern states.
Question 2:
Students could trace the boundary shifts that have occurred in Virginia from its founding through the Land Ordinance of 1785 to the ceding of the land to create the Federal City and eventual retrocession of Alexandria as well as the refusal of the "western counties" to join the rest of the state in secession.
At each step, they should stop and consider how those changes affected the old population (and its habits and customs) and the "newcomers". Who encouraged slavery, who didn't wish to have slavery included in the "new territory". Who made money on the deal. Who had to fight the battles inherent in the move west.
At each step, they should stop and consider how those changes affected the old population (and its habits and customs) and the "newcomers". Who encouraged slavery, who didn't wish to have slavery included in the "new territory". Who made money on the deal. Who had to fight the battles inherent in the move west.
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Submitted: Friday, August 13, 2021 - 15:43
Question 1:
The dress, as indicated earlier, was both a blessing and a curse. It was not hand-stitched; it was run-up on a sewing machine which made it cheaper. If was not manufactured at home, then it was made by some other woman working in an atelier or a factory. One high-end, one low-end. The woman regardless of color or ethnic identity earned money that went to than in her life. If she had children, she was encouraged to be home to raise them, but that wasn't always an option. The men in her life held her to various expectations from how she would dress to which people with whom she socialized. Despite her efforts, none of her earnings or person belonged to her. she had very little say in her world.
Question 2:
The rolls of the early NAACP, the women's league, and the anti-suffragettes to see who overlapped. We can also include the WCTU as well as any publications, articles, pamphlets, or editorials from their members.
Middle-class women were often involved in these societies and provided the 'manpower' and funding for the attempts to make changes. How did these women work together, or against, each other? WIth the exception of the NAACP, these groups invited other races to participate, but not necessarily on an equal basis. The attempt to appeal to the greatest number of people, many of the groups involved in social movements were deeply segreated.
Middle-class women were often involved in these societies and provided the 'manpower' and funding for the attempts to make changes. How did these women work together, or against, each other? WIth the exception of the NAACP, these groups invited other races to participate, but not necessarily on an equal basis. The attempt to appeal to the greatest number of people, many of the groups involved in social movements were deeply segreated.
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Submitted: Sunday, August 22, 2021 - 11:29
Question 1:
War shortages affected everyone in the US during World War II. Much of the home front spirit made it a mark of a good citizen to abide by the wartime regulations. It was a point of honor. A mark of allegiance with the "boys" fighting the war, even if you felt that the government was overreaching its authority.
People who did not make black market purchases, who planted victory gardens, and carried their own packages rather than have them delivered all felt they were supporting a grand and unified effort that would help the Allies win the war.
People who did not make black market purchases, who planted victory gardens, and carried their own packages rather than have them delivered all felt they were supporting a grand and unified effort that would help the Allies win the war.
Question 2:
Who is the target? What is the point? Why did they need to create the poster in the first place? Was it privately produced or did the manufacturer use some of the available government funds?
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Submitted: Sunday, August 29, 2021 - 11:22
Title: My favorite things
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
One of my favorite things to bring into the class is the branch of cotton a friend gave me. I let the students look at and touch it. Over the years, it has sparked a lot of discussion about the lives of not only slaves but post-Reconstruction sharecroppers and black day laborers. It allows them to envision a little better what all those poor whites and blacks had to go through to earn their meager wages.
The objects that I have used over the years not only make real the concept I am teaching, but it has caused students to question their basic naive beliefs about how things work, not only in the past, but also in the present. It begins discussions, and discussions lead to questioning, and questioning leads to greater understanding. It is those discussions that effectively engage the students in my class.
The objects that I have used over the years not only make real the concept I am teaching, but it has caused students to question their basic naive beliefs about how things work, not only in the past, but also in the present. It begins discussions, and discussions lead to questioning, and questioning leads to greater understanding. It is those discussions that effectively engage the students in my class.
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Submitted: Thursday, July 8, 2021 - 13:44
Title: Colonial Media
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I would have students look at the local newspapers to see what was being reported and looking for any bias or spin. What is being sold through the advertisers? What do the op-eds say? What are the main articles discussing? In addition, I would include pamphlets printed during the era. These shorter documents are often very partisan and have a definite opinion about current events. The students would be looking for themes and ideas and opposing opinions and then reporting their findings.
These items will go beyond the secondary and tertiary sources that are normally utilized in the classroom.
These items will go beyond the secondary and tertiary sources that are normally utilized in the classroom.
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Submitted: Saturday, July 17, 2021 - 16:33
Title: epidemiology
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I would likely introduce the 1918 Influenza epidemic. I would have students look at the primary sources of the era and compare what was stated in those sources with the more current studies and information. Modern epidemiologists have looked at vector points in the military training camps in the US (in the run-up to WWI) as well as the super-spreader event(s) related to the transport and integration of troops to France.
There is enough distance for students to see the vitriol and hysteria spread through newspapers and then the longer-view of a more rational (studied) view of modern scholars. It is an easy entree into a discussion of the COVID pandemic with the understanding that there may be a lot more to say about the vectors and patient-zero(s) in the future once we have made it through this one with the accompanying embrace of life and reckless hedonism that followed both WWI and the Influenza epidemic.
There is enough distance for students to see the vitriol and hysteria spread through newspapers and then the longer-view of a more rational (studied) view of modern scholars. It is an easy entree into a discussion of the COVID pandemic with the understanding that there may be a lot more to say about the vectors and patient-zero(s) in the future once we have made it through this one with the accompanying embrace of life and reckless hedonism that followed both WWI and the Influenza epidemic.
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Submitted: Thursday, July 22, 2021 - 18:01
Title: This is how we used to do it...
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I am not far removed from the farm. I lived and worked on one until I was 15 years old. To this day, the tools and relics that we used are easily available to me. Students love to engage with them. It also allows them to ask questions about my family's life "back in the day."
Allowing the students to look at and handle the old tools and technology is always a joy. They want to know what it was and how it was used. Lacking the actual tools, having the students research an early technology and trace its evolution is an accessible one or two-day project. Once that part is complete, then a discussion of the greater, global impact can be had by the class. The guiding question should always be: How did this object impact the everyday life of the person who used it? Expand from there and find the historical evidence and parallels.
Allowing the students to look at and handle the old tools and technology is always a joy. They want to know what it was and how it was used. Lacking the actual tools, having the students research an early technology and trace its evolution is an accessible one or two-day project. Once that part is complete, then a discussion of the greater, global impact can be had by the class. The guiding question should always be: How did this object impact the everyday life of the person who used it? Expand from there and find the historical evidence and parallels.
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Submitted: Friday, July 30, 2021 - 18:35
Title: The bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
A nod to Oscar Wilde for providing the thought...
The content in this lesson is an ideal jumping-off point for a discussion of federal powers. Who has it and why? How did they develop as the country grew? I would use World War II ration books and tokens. What were they used for? Who was in charge of publishing them? Who decided how they were distributed? How did citizens get them? Who made sure people were playing by the rules?
Another source of the relationship between the government and its citizens is to watch old cartoons. There are a lot of little lessons and propaganda hidden away in there. Superman sank the Japanese Navy in Yokohama single-handedly. Bugs Bunny often asks if "this trip was necessary" Our Gang, The Bowery Boys, and theatrical shorts targetted at children often taught the war and acceptable behavior with humor and fun adventure.
Watch, discuss and engage with the documents to discover how a government's reach and oversight grow to meet new challenges. Look at what has changed with regard to Federal oversight from 1940 -1950, then to the 21st century. Discuss which became permanent and which were only war-time necessities.
Prepare for the average teen contrarian to attempt to engage in a debate about the current political situation.
The content in this lesson is an ideal jumping-off point for a discussion of federal powers. Who has it and why? How did they develop as the country grew? I would use World War II ration books and tokens. What were they used for? Who was in charge of publishing them? Who decided how they were distributed? How did citizens get them? Who made sure people were playing by the rules?
Another source of the relationship between the government and its citizens is to watch old cartoons. There are a lot of little lessons and propaganda hidden away in there. Superman sank the Japanese Navy in Yokohama single-handedly. Bugs Bunny often asks if "this trip was necessary" Our Gang, The Bowery Boys, and theatrical shorts targetted at children often taught the war and acceptable behavior with humor and fun adventure.
Watch, discuss and engage with the documents to discover how a government's reach and oversight grow to meet new challenges. Look at what has changed with regard to Federal oversight from 1940 -1950, then to the 21st century. Discuss which became permanent and which were only war-time necessities.
Prepare for the average teen contrarian to attempt to engage in a debate about the current political situation.
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Submitted: Friday, August 6, 2021 - 11:26
Title: Shifts
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I would trace the shifts in boundaries of the states on the East Coast. From Maine to Florida those states have seen the greatest amount of shifting simply because they have existed the longest. They are some of the most irregularly shaped in the nation.
Start with the first maps cartographers made for their employers and investors in the various land companies in England and Europe. Compare the "original" with the current.
Research to answer the questions of when and why. Evaluate how the frontiersmen lived. Where are there any "Indian Wars"? Who fought them? Were there populist rebellions (i.e. Bacon's Rebellion) to bring attention to the differences in politics and social status? What was the impact of the Land Ordinance of 1785? Did the rules regarding slaves change? Were they challenged? What was the economic impact? And so on until the student gets to the spot where we have the state as it is currently.
Not only did physical boundaries change, but so do political and economic boundaries. There ripple effects flowing from all the of various shifts. It would be an enormous task to consider and/or answer all the questions that may arise, so the initial focus would need to be quite tight. The results would be fascinating,
Start with the first maps cartographers made for their employers and investors in the various land companies in England and Europe. Compare the "original" with the current.
Research to answer the questions of when and why. Evaluate how the frontiersmen lived. Where are there any "Indian Wars"? Who fought them? Were there populist rebellions (i.e. Bacon's Rebellion) to bring attention to the differences in politics and social status? What was the impact of the Land Ordinance of 1785? Did the rules regarding slaves change? Were they challenged? What was the economic impact? And so on until the student gets to the spot where we have the state as it is currently.
Not only did physical boundaries change, but so do political and economic boundaries. There ripple effects flowing from all the of various shifts. It would be an enormous task to consider and/or answer all the questions that may arise, so the initial focus would need to be quite tight. The results would be fascinating,
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Submitted: Friday, August 13, 2021 - 16:00
Title: changing roles
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I use literature. The selections:
Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman" (equal rights); The Declaration of Independence from Seneca Falls; "The Story of an Hour" (a loveless marriage and its consequences); and "The Yellow Wallpaper" (post-partum psychosis and the Victorian 'rest cure'). Two fiction, two non-fiction; two short, two long. Mix and match based on time and class differentiation.
The selections are read as a class with a special emphasis on the basic history of the era. This includes the status of women as property, the lack of control over their lives and environments, early social movements. We read and discuss what the selection is telling us both at a social and literary level. Research and compare the literary output with the actual history followed by an essay that allows the student to synthesize the information with the more current world of what roles the people in their life play.
Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman" (equal rights); The Declaration of Independence from Seneca Falls; "The Story of an Hour" (a loveless marriage and its consequences); and "The Yellow Wallpaper" (post-partum psychosis and the Victorian 'rest cure'). Two fiction, two non-fiction; two short, two long. Mix and match based on time and class differentiation.
The selections are read as a class with a special emphasis on the basic history of the era. This includes the status of women as property, the lack of control over their lives and environments, early social movements. We read and discuss what the selection is telling us both at a social and literary level. Research and compare the literary output with the actual history followed by an essay that allows the student to synthesize the information with the more current world of what roles the people in their life play.
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Submitted: Sunday, August 22, 2021 - 11:42
Title: Hollywood's War
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
During the war, and just after (up until 1948 or so) Hollywood showed a tremendous amount of support for the war and the deprivations suffered at the homefront. In the US, movie-maker John Ford went to war along with numerous stars, but John Wayne didn't. Wayne made the movies that showed the world what Americans could, would, and should do with the enemies of the United States.
Using movies, documentaries, theatrical shorts, and children's programming can contextualize the pictures and reproductions of the World War II-era posters and ration books. Barney Bear wants to plant a Victory Garden, The Little Rascals, and Our Gang kids engineered metal and rubber drives to collect the needed supplies. The non-action, non-John Wayne movies can reflect the daily life of everyday people, trying to get through the war, and showing the sacrifices made in the kitchen, in shopping, in acquisitiveness, and in women working that permeated era.
Compare comedies and dramas. Compare features and shorts. Adult fare versus children's fare. Compare British and American. The message remains the same. The lessons are there throughout. Stop the movie, talk about what the scene looks like as well as the costumes. Allow students to watch and re-watch certain parts. All of this can be compared to the book version of social history, Make sure to discuss the feelings of the people left behind. How did they feel about what they were being asked to do and the sacrifices they made. Are those feelings realistic or more propaganda?
Using movies, documentaries, theatrical shorts, and children's programming can contextualize the pictures and reproductions of the World War II-era posters and ration books. Barney Bear wants to plant a Victory Garden, The Little Rascals, and Our Gang kids engineered metal and rubber drives to collect the needed supplies. The non-action, non-John Wayne movies can reflect the daily life of everyday people, trying to get through the war, and showing the sacrifices made in the kitchen, in shopping, in acquisitiveness, and in women working that permeated era.
Compare comedies and dramas. Compare features and shorts. Adult fare versus children's fare. Compare British and American. The message remains the same. The lessons are there throughout. Stop the movie, talk about what the scene looks like as well as the costumes. Allow students to watch and re-watch certain parts. All of this can be compared to the book version of social history, Make sure to discuss the feelings of the people left behind. How did they feel about what they were being asked to do and the sacrifices they made. Are those feelings realistic or more propaganda?
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Submitted: Sunday, August 29, 2021 - 11:39