Seeing Things Way Back Then

Intro/Anticipatory Set:

As students walk into class the tables are set into groups and there are several pictures of inventions that came from the advancements made during the industrial revolution presented on the board behind the teacher. Attention will be toward the board and the teacher will ask “Turn to a partner and discuss what these images remind you of”. A telegraph image will be highlighted and presented after asking who here has ever used Mom or Dad’s cell phone? Does it look anything like this?

This will ignite our conversation on inventions that were created during the time of the industrial revolution and how they evolved into the modern counterparts. 

Teacher has provided each table group with several photographs of technology that was present during the Industrial Revolution. Teacher launches the activity with the camera (primary source # 3). We will focus on asking good questions by thinking like a historian. Teachers will not inform students about what the photos are rather they will infer what the inventions they are looking at actually are.
As a whole group teachers will lead discussion on the camera primary document.

Ask questions about what we see and what this could have been used for
Will eventually come to the conclusion that this is a very old camera almost unrecognizable from what we see today (digital cameras)

Begin group work doing the same with all remaining primary documents. 
 Teachers will navigate through the classroom listening to the ideas that each group develops.

Leaning in and spark conversation

Minor details in photos may be missed

Groups discussion will be led in front of the room. By this time students have explored all of the images in their packet. Teachers have listened in and identified who has made crucial observations about each object.

Using the whiteboard we will list all of the qualities we uncovered that helped us determine what each object was. 
Once this is done we will reveal what each of inventions was and how it changed the world at that time
We will also look at what other inventions were sparked from each of the inventions. 

Students are strategically grouped together by their competence level. No student that typically struggles will not be in a group without a stronger student to lead the conversation. 

The conversation starter cards are present on the table. These have starter questions like: 

I’m curious about…
I think this is showing us….
Maybe this was used to…..

Good Question examples: 

What is happening in this photo?
When did this photo take place?
Who was impacted in this photo?
Where was this photo taken?
Why should we care about this photo/time?

Primary Sources: 

Primary Source #1: Automobile

1901- Frazee, The first registered gas-powered vehicle in Iowa. No steering wheel, driven by a lever and a series of sprockets and chains. 

Primary Source #2: Hog Oiler

Ad for hog oilers which provided hogs with skin protections and protection from insects. This decrease in insects on livestock kept them healthy and became common on farms during the early 1900’s

Primary Source #3: Camera

Camera of William Baylis who was most famously recognized for his landscape photographs and commonly took shots of parades, circuses, street scenes, and industrial disasters. 

Primary Source #4: Steam Engine

Steam engines similar to this were used to power threshing machines used to remove seeds from grain by beating the crop. This process was traditionally done by hand but this made the process much quicker and more efficient. 

Primary Source #5: Corn Hook

Another farming tool that made cultivating crops much quicker and safer. The glove and hook were used to gold and shuck the corn. 

Students witnessed how the questioning process worked for the camera example. They now will go through the remaining primary documents (not limited to the 5 provided). 

Discussions will include

Characteristics of the invention that helps us identify it
What this device would be used for
What it resembles or paved the way for in our modern time

Conversation starters are to be utilized if there are ever pauses in the conversation. Teachers will also be moving between groups to guide conversations and ensuring proper observations have been made. 
Students' goals should be to make connections to how the technology has changed from this time to our present. 
After the 10-15 minute investigation groups will pick one of the inventions to research a little more on using provided laptops. 

Present to the whole class in the form of a poster/gallery walk the following day!