Intermediate

GRADE 4 LESSON PLAN

Lesson: Analyzing Photographs-Immigrants

The students use the servant's photograph of Point Ellice House and answer questions about specific detail including geographic detail, sociological data, historical data, emotional context, aesthetic qualities and the photographer's intention.

Prescribed Learning Outcomes

Economy and Technology

It is expected that students will:

• Evaluate the influence of mass media on stereotyping

Applications of Social Studies

It is expected that students will:

• Identify alternative interpretations from specific historical and contemporary sources

Organization & Scheduling

Suggested time: 45 minutes

Materials & Resources

• The servant's photograph in front of Point Ellice House
• The list of questions (below) the students must answer and the worth of each question for marking and evaluating.
• Social Studies notebook or lined piece of paper per student
• Pencil per student
• For more information on analyzing photographs in the classroom read "Training the Eye of the Beholder: Using Visual Resources Thoughtfully," by Penney Clark in The Canadian Anthology of Social Studies, 1997.

Suggested Procedure

1. Hand out the servant's photograph to each student or to every 2 students (to work in pairs)

2. Hand out the list of questions to each student or to every 2 students (to work in pairs).

3. Go over the questions as a class for understanding of what is being asked.

4. Allow students at least 20-25 minutes to answer the questions.

5. Have students share some of their answers (especially those that do not have only one correct answer).

Possible Assessment

• See criteria provided on list of questions (below).

Adaptations

Answer the questions orally instead of having the students write them out. Keep a checklist of the main participants and write as many comments/notes as possible (anecdotal) about observations and remarks made by the students. Encourage the students to lead their own discussion (this will also give you more time to make comments).

Extensions

Visit the Point Ellice House and take the headset tour with the Chinese houseboy and English maid as your guides, or at least go through the online tour. Have some fun and see if the students can read the online tour with the accents.

Answer the list of questions according to one particular person in the photograph instead of all of the people shown in the photograph. Have the students research the cultural/ethnic background of that servant.

Taking A Closer Look

Attend Carefully to Detail:

• Describe the people you see in this photograph. Note the clothing they are wearing and where they are standing. /4
• Why is one servant standing to the far right? /2

Geographical Detail:

• What is in the foreground and background of the photograph? /2
• Where do you think these people are located? /1

Sociological Data:

• Who do you think the people are? Why? /2
• Do you think the people in this photograph are related? What clues in the photograph tell you this? /3
• What kind of jobs do you think the people in this photograph had? /1

Historical Data:

• What can you learn about the servants of Point Ellice House from this photograph? /2
• What questions would you like to ask the photographer about the lives of the servants? /1

Emotional Context:

• How do you think the servants felt about their photograph being taken? What makes you think this? /2
• Is this the kind of photograph you might see in a museum at your home? Why? /2
• Do these servants look like they're proud to have their photograph taken? Why? /2

Aesthetic Qualities:

• Has the photographer made this photograph pleasing to the eye? How? /3

Photographer's Purpose:

• Who do you think took the photograph? /1
• Why do you think it was taken? /1
• Do you think the photographer has positive feeling towards the servants? Why or why not? /2
• Do you think these servants had their photo taken often? Why or why not? /2
• Why do you think the photographer chose to photograph the servants separately from the O'Reilly family? /2

To the teacher: The marks above indicate a rough guideline and can be changed to suit your class. The points given for each question directly relate to how many sentences, reasons, or clues that the students are to give in their answer. This exercise is meant to help students take a closer look at a photograph from a historical context.

Click here to download a printable version of this lesson.