For the 4th Piece of the Puzzle, I would like to design a lesson that includes an image from Densho Digital Repository. In one of the collections, there is an image titled, “Funeral Service for a Nisei Soldier.” The link to this image will be posted in Blackboard with credits to Densho Digital Repository and the designated collection. I will post at least 2 questions for students to think about while they are examining the image. This image might be difficult for some students to make sense of after learning about how many of the Japanese Americans were treated during WWII. Some of the students might think: “Why would a person join the U.S. military after he and his family had to give up their home and be shipped off to an internment camp?” Also, they will see the contradictions in the image in relation to the social injustice of Executive Order 9066 and the Loyalty Questionnaire. They will begin to develop questions that they want answers for. They begin to think what else in history needs to be uncovered in the 21st century.
Tag: Densho Digital Repository
A Plan to Use Image and/or Film for Teaching History
For a face-to-face class, I plan to use a historical film such as Alan Parker’s Come See the Paradise (1990), so I can teach students about key historical moments presented in the film. Prior to viewing the film, I would post 2 questions prior to class discussion that the students will begin to think about while they view the film. After viewing the film, the students will begin to discuss at least 2 prominent issues and themes depicted in the historical moments in the film. After the discussion activity, I would point out at least 2 historical moments key moments in the film. Then, I would direct them to Densho Digital Repository to view at least 2 images from the collections that might be connected to each historical moment and examine them together as a class. Then, the students will be asked to come up with 3 or 4 more historical moments in the film. They will conduct research for each key historical moment by working in groups of 3 or 4 students. Also, they will analyze contradictions and look for what is missing in the selected historical moment of the film. Eventually, they should come up with their own questions when making connections between the film and the research (e.g. primary and secondary sources).
For an online class, I would post some images of Japanese American families before and after WWII. I would add a link to certain images from the Densho Digital Repository in Blackboard. I would post at least 2 questions for them to think about for the posted images that depicts at least 1 or more themes. Students will examine the 2 images and develop questions about them. As a class, we would come up with a list of at least 2-3 major themes. I would teach them how to access and use two media resources. Then, I would ask the students to research Densho or Hirasaki National Resource Center’s online collections to find at least 2 images that depict one or more of the themes. The students will work in groups of 3-4 to further examine and analyze the selected images. They will describe the 2 images with objective and subjective descriptions. Then, they will examine the visual components of the images and look for arguments. Their examination will lead to an analysis of the photographer’s ethos. They will begin to connect the images to the historical event by developing their own questions during the analysis.
