Primary Sources for Elementary
Course
Analyzing Images [9:40]
In this video lesson, Tom Bober looks at ways to use a type of primary source that is most common to use with elementary students, the image.
For our purposes today, we will use a photograph. But these strategies will work well with all different types of images. Let's return to our scenario of students studying American symbols, and more specifically, the creation of these symbols. If I would search for primary sources related to the creation of the Statue of Liberty, one of many sources I would find would be this photograph from the Library of Congress. To me, this is a compelling photograph. I think my students would recognize that this has something to do with the Statue of Liberty. But I also think there would be many questions that may arise as students analyze the photo. There is no text, so I could use this with younger students studying this topic. From my initial example, I'm going to use this primary source at the beginning of a lesson to generate interest and questions that we can answer later.
If I were to use this with students, after telling them we were going to analyze a photograph having to do with American symbols, I would give each of them a copy of the image and ask them to take a 30 second look. The 30 second look is our first strategy when analyzing an image. It gives students an opportunity to prepare to participate. I ask students to do this in silence, letting them know they will have time to talk about the photos soon.
Notice that I said two things to direct their attention on the photograph. First, I told them we were going to be analyzing the photograph. If they have done a photo analysis before, they know how they will be interacting with the photo and I'll talk specifically about analysis in just a few minutes. Second, I said that this photograph had something to do with American symbols. Using that term "American symbols" triggers all of the learning and background knowledge they have on that topic and encourages them to look at the photo to make connections between it and what they already know about American symbols. Instead of American symbols, I could have said we're going to be studying a photograph of the Statue of Liberty, or even read the title of the photograph. But I thought that may take away some of the intrigue and discovery. The 30 second look encourages students to focus their attention on the photograph and prepares for the next step of analysis.
Photo analysis can take many different forms. Let's first talk about a standard photo analysis. For this, I used the primary source analysis tool from the Library of Congress. This tool is set up in a three column format and asks students to make observations, reflections, and questions. To make the language more friendly for my younger students, I often use the terms see, think, and wonder. There is also a place for further investigation and we'll talk about that in a later lesson. I often have students do this type of analysis collaboratively. Depending on their previous experience, it may be in pairs, small groups, or a whole class. I may also make a decision on how students work collaboratively during primary source analysis, based on time allowed and how complex the images.
If I'm asking students to analyze the Statue of Liberty photograph using this method after our 30 second look, I would likely analyze it as a whole class, because of the complexity of the image. I may ask them to, "Tell me what you see here? What do you see that you think is important, interesting, or unusual" to encourage them to begin to share their observations. Students may focus their attention on the men in the photo, the statue in the background, or even the surrounding building they are in. As they continue to look, they may notice tools, piles of wood, or the smaller statues to the right of the photo. I encourage them to respond with, "I see" to start their sharing so that they're pairing the idea of making an observation with some shared language. You may also ask students, "Tell me what you thought you would see here that you don't," to encourage them to look at the photo in a different way. In that case, some may mention that there are no power tools or no women in this photo.
Inevitably, as a student is trying to share an observation, they begin to interpret some aspect of the photo. These interpretations are based on a visual observation and possibly some additional background knowledge. For example, a student may say, "I see men building a statue." This is a reflection on the photo, what they think is happening. I may ask a follow-up question, "What do you see that makes you think that?" to help the student connect their reflection with an observation or prior knowledge. In this example, the student may mention multiple observations—the statue in the background, the men holding tools—that made them think they were building the statue. Other students will naturally start to navigate to making "I think" statements, or start to ask questions.
But if not, I may encourage students to reflect on the photo by asking, "What do you think is happening in the photo? Why do you think the photographer took the picture?" Or, "What are the people doing in this photo?" Again, I would be listening for students to start their responses with, "I think." If they are stating reflections but not using the common language, I would restate the response including, "I think" at the beginning. To prompt for questions, I may ask them, "What do you wonder about what is happening in this photo? What does this photo make you wonder about?" or, "If you could ask someone in the photo a question, what would you ask?" Here I listen for questions or them to start a sentence with, "I wonder."
I may also follow up a student's responses asking them, "What did you see that made you think or wonder that?" It is not unusual for students to have conflicting, reflecting statements, or for one to make an "I think" statement and another to ask a question about the same thing. Based off our earlier reflection, another student may ask, "Are the men building a statue?" or another may share, "I think the men are working to fix the building they're in."
These repeated statements and questions or conflicting statements are positive responses to be on the lookout for. They show that your students are finding value in the same thing in the photo, but not afraid to put it in their own voice or see it from their own perspective. None of these are wrong. Remember that these reflections are interpretations of some aspect of the photo. They don't need to be evaluated, answered, or corrected at this stage. If anything, what I notice is that, if a student makes a reflection that is too far off topic, other students often challenge with their own reflections.
I also sometimes notice that students do not always recognize a certain important element in the photo, or may not be thinking about some aspect as they interpret the photo. I occasionally offer my own observation to the group, or may point out someone else's observation, asking what they think is happening. I try to limit these intercessions, though, and let the students lead the analysis.
These three steps of observing, reflecting, and questioning are not linear. As I mentioned, I typically start with asking students to make observations, and they flow into making reflections and asking questions, but they will also go back and notice something else based off a question asked or verbalizing observation after they were expressing a reflection. This process can take some time, especially when done collaboratively. We may spend 20 minutes or more analyzing this photo. When time is limited, we may analyze a photo in as little as 10 minutes as a group or even a little less time in small groups or pairs.
But think about that. 20 minutes analyzing a photo. When is the last time you spent 20 minutes looking at a photo? You can imagine the details that students will point out, the statements they will make as they interpret the photo, and the questions they generate in that time. You may look at this process and the primary source analysis tool and think, "This is great, but my students aren't writing yet." Or, "It would take them too long to write all this out." You're absolutely right.
My younger elementary students have the same issue. When I use this photo with my second grade students, I am the one that writes. I don't use the formal primary source analysis tool. Instead, I project the image on my interactive whiteboard, and I write on the projected photo. I may circle things that students share, and often write their observations, reflections and questions in different colors. It is all I can do to keep up with the analysis from the whole group as observations are being shared one after the other and questions are being fired at me at the end. I'm there to record and to guide the analysis.
Even my kindergarten students analyze primary source photographs. Often, I give them their own black and white copy of the photo so that they can circle observations and then share reflections or questions with the rest of the class. They may not be able to read them back as I write them down, but I'm documenting their ideas so that we can come back to them for further investigation.
Images are a common format of primary source documents to use with elementary students. Images include photographs, but they may also take the form of "drawings, sketches, posters, visual advertisements or broadsides, and painted portraits." Photo analyses can foster content area knowledge of people, places, and periods of time. This process can also build students' skills in inquiry, including asking and responding to questions, observing and using evidence to show understanding, critical thinking, and reflecting.
Follow the prompts in Lesson 3 to conduct an analysis of an image you selected in Lesson 2. Spend thirty seconds looking at the image and then use the Library of Congress Primary Source Analysis Tool to record your observations, reflections, and questions.
Library of Congress Primary Source Analysis Tool
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/primary-source-analysis-tool/
MLA Citation
Morris, Rebecca J. "Primary Sources for Elementary: Analyze a Photo." School Library Connection, October 2024, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2045336?learningModuleId=2045332&topicCenterId=2247905.
Entry ID: 2122740
Additional Resources
About the Author
MLA Citation
Bober, Tom. "Primary Sources for Elementary. Analyzing Images [9:40]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, November 2016, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2045336?learningModuleId=2045332&topicCenterId=2247905.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2045336?learningModuleId=2045332&topicCenterId=2247905
Entry ID: 2045336