|
Summary and Objective
Students will compare and contrast photographs created by the Allen sisters of Deerfield, Mass. and the Howes brothers of Ashfield, Mass. to understand the economic and social climate of Western Mass. during the late 1800s through the early 1900s.
Teaching Plan
Step 1.
Pre-activity: Students will brainstorm questions to compile an observation sheet that will focus their attention on certain aspects of each photograph (for example, "In what time period was this photo taken?").
Step 2.
Working in pairs, assigned to the Allen sisters or Howes brothers, students will analyze pre-selected photographs included in this lesson from the Digital Collection of the PVMA American Centuries web site. Students will be responsible for filling out their observation sheets and will give specific details that lead them to their conclusions.
Step 3.
Students will also search the Internet for their own examples of photographs by their assigned artists. They will fill out an observation sheet and also research the historical background of their photographers. Students will focus on the styles the photographers used, their subject matter and the influences in their life.
Step 4.
After all fact sheets have been filled out and the background on their photographers complete, the pairs will be re-grouped. Each new pair will be comprised of a student who researched the Allen sisters and a student who researched the Howes brothers. The pairs will compare and contrast the styles and historical background of their subjects and discuss what life must have been like in Western Mass. based on the photographs they viewed.
Step 5.
Wrap-up Activity: The class will then meet as a whole and have an open discussion about the activity in general, their findings and what they learned.
|
