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GRADE LEVEL: Middle School / High School |
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THE
ACTIVITIES
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PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
Description: Students will use old photographs or postcards to chart the changes of an area with particular emphasis on its progression of sprawl.
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Photographs appeal to everyone. They are one of the most enjoyable and informative teaching resources available to learners at all levels. Photographic history freezes time and every detail of that past moment. Photographs offer the viewer their own opportunity for interpretation. This activity will:
- enable students to understand the progression of sprawl through photographs
- extend student's understanding and application of sprawl across the curriculum into the field of photography
PROCEDURE AND TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
Obtain old photographs or picture postcards to introduce a period of history being studied (for example, Wrightsville Avenue in Wilmington, North Carolina before streets were paved, before the advent of the automobile, before trolley service, etc.). The best time periods to seek dramatic changes and the beginnings of sprawl would be after WWI. Also, discuss how the photographic images were made during the period(s) selected for research.
Using
the same place/period of history introduced above, students may continue
research of photographs or picture postcards of that era — but this
time with a focus on how progress has affected the place/period. In doing
this, questions addressing sprawl should be given by the teacher to guide
or instruct student learning.
SAMPLE LESSON
- Identify Place
- Time Period of Photo/Postcard
- Changes noted and related community needs
- How do these changes and needs contribute to SPRAWL?
 I personally believe that we've go a window of somewhere between 5 and 10 years that's going to close when we can same these battlefields. I think after that the opportunities will be essentially lost, gone. —Jim
Lighthizer |
STUDENT ACTIVITY
Identify the place and time period of photos/postcards.
Based on the earlier photos/cards of this area, state any changes noted in the photo/card.
How are these changes caused by community needs?
How are these changes the result of progress or industry?
How do these changes contribute to sprawl?
Log on to WEB QUEST. This site is entitled "Portrait/Photograph", and it includes sample questions and activities to use when reading portrait and or photographs.
EXTENSION DISCUSSIONS AND ACTIVITIES
When
and why do you think this photograph/portrait was made? Use clothing,
hairstyles, and method of photography to determine the date. (This is
a good question to link method of photography with subject matter and
progress, thereby connecting again to aspects of sprawl)
What were the artist's /photographer's reasons for depicting this person or scene?
Note the attention to detail (or lack of it). Note shading, coloring, technique and framing.
How does this portrait or photograph help us to understand the period or event being studied?
What clues in the photo indicate something about the subject that the photographer is trying to convey about the place? The people? The time period? The lifestyle? How do these clues connect to sprawl?
Write a description of the scene (or person) in the photo. Next, think of one adjective to describe this scene/person. How does this scene reflect sprawl? (Be specific — look for automobiles, advertisements, roadways, maps, etc.)
Write a short poem
or essay that focuses on the specific details of sprawl evident in the
scene and time period of this photograph. This can also be done over a
group of photos showing progression of sprawl.
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