An Eye On History
An Eye On HistoryIntroduction
The study of history is not always clear or straight
forward. Often times the historical record left to us by previous generations
is difficult, if not impossible, to accurately interpret. Written documents,
pictures, audio, and video sources all create their own set of unique problems.
Only through careful observation and analysis can we truly understand our
past.
Task
Recently, a set of extremely rare photographs taken
during the American Civil War have come onto the market. You must act as
an expert on photographs and analyze each of the photos following the steps
covered in class. After you have thoroughly analyzed these photos, you
must draw some conclusions about what event is actually taking place in
each.
Process
For each of the following photos(see the bottom
of this page), you must use the following three-step procedure to create
an analysis sheet for each document. You will have one class period to
complete these analyses, so you must work quickly.
Step 1Observation: In this step you must take an accurate inventory of everything that is in the photograph. Overlook nothing! Use the following questions to guide your observation.
Step 2Knowledge: Summarize what you already know about the situation and time period shown, and about the people and objects that appear. Your textbook would be an excellent resource to consult during this phase of your investigation.
Step 3Interpretation: Using the information that you have gathered, explain what you can conclude from what you see in these photographs. You may use the following questions to guide the formulation of your conclusions.
· What is going on in the picture?
· Who are the people and what are they doing?
· What might be the funcion of the objects?
· What specific questions does this photograph raise?
· What can we conclude?
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