Ellis Island was the main entry point for millions of immigrants coming to the United States. The moment of arrival is part of many people’s understanding of American identity. This building block inquiry explores how photographs and visual representations help shape our understanding of key events and how we build memories of historic events.
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About the inquiry
Compelling Question
How do photographs shape a story? (Ellis Island)
Standards
D2.His.7.9-12. Explain how the perspectives of people in the present shape interpretations of the past.
Instructional Snapshot
Class begins with students working in pairs to closely analyze either Source A or Source B from the featured source set, recording the emotions the artist’s rendering evokes on the graphic organizer. The teacher then distributes one of the photographs from the source set to each pair of students. Students repeat the process, analyzing the photograph and recording the emotions it evokes. After looking at both a drawing and a photograph, students compare the two images and the feelings each evoked.
Next, the teacher prompts students to determine which image they would select to accompany a magazine article about immigrants arriving in the United States. Pairs then deliberate to select one image. To conclude the exploration of the sources, each pair justifies their selection by crafting a claim that answers the compelling question: How do photographs shape a story?
Summative Performance Task
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Taking Informed Action
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