Champaign County Education from 1890-1940:

A Comparison

2010 Fellowship, Champaign County Archives

Melissa Luffman

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Lesson 1: Analysis of Educational Photographs

This first lesson will use primary source images and photographs to exam student life between 1890-1940, and completion of both a graphic organizer and a reflection project about how school life differs for today’s student. Activities will pull from student’s background knowledge about education, schools, and curriculum.

Teacher Prep

· Review the document, “A History of our Schools” to build some background knowledge about the history of several schools in Champaign County.

· Prepare a folder organizing system for each student to collect documents, notes, and graphic organizers.

· Print off the ABC Brainstorming Worksheet from the following website: http://www.readingquest.org/pdf/abc.pdf

· Using the graphic organizer, have students in groups of 3-4 brainstorm all the things they do and need to be successful at school. Room is available at the bottom to take any additional notes.

· Have one representative from each group walk around taking digital pictures of activities in their school. Give the chosen group these activities to photograph: morning bus arrival, specials time (art, music, PE, etc), lunch, in class student group work, teacher instruction, car rider dismissal, and any others specific to your building and their education.

· Make picture packets with schoolhouses and student activities or group pictures from each of the two eras: 1890-1940, and today. Groups can use the same packets if there are more than 4 groups are needed. Listed are examples of photo packets that may be created. More photos are available than listed below.

· Packet A:

o Blackberry School - 1895

o Compromise School -1907

o Boyle School – teacher instruction – 1938

o Children on carriage – 1901

o Hunt School music lesson – 1930s

· Packet B:

o Flatville School – 1910

o Kentucky School, Rantoul – 1907

o Allen School – in the classroom – 1938

o Columbia School boy patrol – 1937

o Ellars School – individual instruction - 1938

· Packet C:

o Liberty School, Homer – 1910s

o Pleasant Valley School, Ogden – 1895

o Antioch School – instruction\centers – 1938

o Champaign Jr. High student council – 1937

o Dobson School – small group instruction - 1938

· Packet D:

o Tolono East Side School – 1910

o Blackberry School – 1895

o Brown School Student desk work - 1938

o Avenue Girls rose dance – 1927

o 2^nd grade airport field trip - 1937

· Print off the Photo Analysis Worksheet from the following website: http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/photo_analysis_worksheet.pdf

· Write on the board or on poster board these words:

o clothing, school, books, supplies, activities, teacher, students.

o You will refer to these themes again during the unit.

· Copy or use the overhead to read together the articles:

o 188 One-Room School Houses, Champaign News-Gazette, 1/06/1928

o Discussed Forming Public Schools in 1858, Champaign County Herald, 10/27/1893

Classroom Activities

· Divide the class into groups of 3-4 students depending on the size and individual needs of the class. Give each student a folder system.

· Give each group the ABC Brainstorming Sheet and provide this prompt: What do you need for school? Think of everything you use or do throughout a school day and write it in the sheet by the appropriate letter.

· When students are finished, complete a class list on the overhead. Discuss any activities or supplies that students are unsure of, and combine to one list. Add anything you see is needed based on the photo taking activity and the words provided to make sure those activities are included.

· After class discussion and completing a class ABC Brainstorming Worksheet, ask students to choose 3 responses they think are most important and write a five sentence paragraph explaining why and how they use or do those things at school daily.

· Read and discuss the newspaper articles 188 One-Room School Houses and Discussed Forming Public Schools in 1858 with the class aloud. Discuss the main ideas from each article.

· Pass out a Photo Analysis Worksheet and a photo packet to each group of students from the 1890-1940 time period.

· In their groups students should complete the Photo Analysis Worksheet using the images in the picture packet. One form for each packet. This may need to be completed more than one class session.

o While the Photo Analysis Worksheet is designed to be completed using one picture, students should complete the worksheet in regards to the picture packet as a whole. Explain to student each line in Step 1 Part B is for one individual image but to answer the other questions in relation to all photographs.

· After student groups have completed the Photo Analysis Worksheets, regroup as a class and discuss student answers using the photos in the computer monitor or LCD projector (whichever your class may have).

· Repeat the previous steps with the current picture packets created with the photographs taken on the attending school and activities.

· After all students have completed their two photo analysis sheets, examined all the photo packets and participated in the class discussions, students should choose 3 responses they think are most important/have the biggest impact in the education of students during that time and write a five sentence paragraph defining their thoughts and ideas. Differentiate this assessment by requiring different responses to meet individual needs; either a three paragraph essay or possibly picture drawing with one sentence.