Curated OER
Every Picture Tells a Story
Learners consider controversial photos of Elian Gonzalez and decide how they, as editors of the Times, might have displayed them. They choose, discuss, and write about other famous images from photojournalism to decide what makes the
Curated OER
Photographs from the Great Depression: Jacob Have I Loved 
Students research the Great Depression and World War II. In this Great Depression lesson, students analyze photographs of the depression era as they begin reading Katherine Paterson's Jacob Have I Loved.
Curated OER
A Visual History: Industry, Society, and Social Mobility in Hartford
Eleventh graders examine the industrialization of Hartford. In this American History lesson plan, 11th graders analyze pictures in Hartford. Students participate in a gallery walk of artifacts.
Curated OER
New Deal Programs: Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Students research New Deal programs. In this Great Depression lesson, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of the effects of the depression and how WPA programs and other New Deal programs impacted people's...
Curated OER
The Civil War Through a Child's Eye
Students use primary and secondary sources to observe a child's view of the Civil war. In this Civil War lesson, students understand that different people had different perspectives on the war. Students recognize the...
Curated OER
Romare Bearden: Piecing Together A Viewpoint
Students examine the history of Romare Bearden and her artwork. The lesson consists of some virtual field trips and projects. The lesson is designed to be taught as either a social studies or art lesson. The teacher could also teach this...
Curated OER
Worth a Thousand Words: Depression-Era Photographs
Students view images of New Deal programs to see its successes. They work in groups to create captions for the images and suggest captions that might indicate different meanings.
Annenberg Foundation
Placing Artifacts in Time
Can history distort the true story behind famous people? Scholars analyze the many faces of the Native American Pocahontas. Incorporating technology and historical thinking skills, they uncover the many different sides to the Pocahontas...
EngageNY
Building Background Knowledge: The Internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII, Part 4
Learners use a Analyzing Mediums handout to detail the advantages and disadvantages of communicating with mediums such as artwork, photographs, and political cartoons in the Japanese-American Internment during World War II primary...
NET Foundation for Television
1850-1874 Homestead Act Signed: The Challenges of The Plains
Start a whole new life in a land known as the Wild Wild West! Learners analyze maps, personal accounts, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, songs, and video clips to uncover life under the Homestead Act. Using their new skills, class members role...
ReadWriteThink
Captioning the Civil Rights Movement: Reading the Images, Writing the Words
Scholars boost their knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement with a instructional activity that challenges writers, readers, and historians to analyze primary sources and caption their observations. By way of reading, writing, discussion,...
EngageNY
Developing an Opinion Based on the Textual Evidence: Jackie Robinson’s Role in the Civil Rights Movement (Promises to Keep, Pages 50–57)
Caption this. Scholars look at pages 50-57 of Promises to Keep and discuss the photographs on the pages. They analyze the captions with the pictures and then discuss vocabulary such as human rights and civil rights.
Newseum
Journalists Code of Ethics
Journalists are supposed to adhere to a Code of Ethics. To determine the degree to which reporters follow this code, individuals select three recent stories with photographs from newspapers, magazines, online news sites, or television...
Curated OER
A Landmark Lesson: The United States Capitol Building
Young scholars study the events in American history that affected the US Capitol Building. They name activities that happen in and around the Capitol by looking at primary source documents that are available online.
Curated OER
Carbondale: The Biography of a Coal Town
Students use a brief history of the growth and decline of the anthracite region in the state to create a photograph and map "peak shaped" time line. They practice map and photo analysis strategies to "read" photographs and maps.
Curated OER
Civil War Photographs
Eighth graders explore the new technology brought on by the Civil War. In this U.S. History lesson, 8th graders examine photographs and drawings that depict the changes that happened as a result of the Civil War, then have a class...
Curated OER
Exhibiting Common Threads
Students analyze Dorothea Lange's photographs and identify key themes in her work. In this photograph analysis lesson, students discuss and analyze the images of Lange and identify her themes. Students research the historical contexts...
Curated OER
Civil War Photos Tell a Story
Students explore the work of a Civil War photographer. In this Civil War lesson, students access the photographs by Matthew Brady through the web link and examine the photographs he took in order to better understand the Civil War.
Curated OER
Lincoln and Photography: A Closer Look
Students compare and contrast the Lincoln portraits using a Venn diagram and included analysis tool. In this presidential photography lesson, students write a journal entry and a letter as if they were Abraham Lincoln. Lastly students...
Curated OER
Make a Pinhole Camera
Students explore the ability of light to project images by making and using a pinhole camera.
Curated OER
Following the Wright Path
Students explore the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright through literature and analyze photographs. In this photography analysis lesson, students read aloud Frank Lloyd Wright and answer questions for the text. Students visit a website...
Curated OER
Adopt An Insect
This lesson plan combines a creative building activity with analyzing a butterfly photograph and using problem solving to complete the puzzle. It blends art and science very well. Students will learn and enjoy the process. The extension...
Curated OER
What Kind of Santa Claus You Are.
Students use a photograph analysis sheet to analyze primary sources (photographs) of the Great Depression in small groups. They then write a poem about kids in the Depression Era that reflects their comprehension of the period and...
Curated OER
What's Up?
Students examine the vocabulary and objects associated with objects in the sky and weather. They observe the sky outside of their classroom and create a list of things in the sky. Students then analyze a poster, read and discuss key...