Adventure of the American Mind Margo Tomaras

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Adventure of the American MindMargo Tomaras
Andrew GibbsDePaul University, Chicago,
ILCourtney VaccaroBest Practices High School,
Chicago, IL

• Project to prepare teachers in using the Library
  of Congress American Memory Website over 12
  million primary digitized resources-http//www.loc
  .gov Free accessible via Internet.
• Students use online and local primary resources
  to make abstract concepts come alive through
  concrete examples.

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The more ways students connect with and
internalize information, the more they can build
their personal knowledge foundation. Improve
student leaning and enhance content understanding.
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What is a Primary Source?

• Published Documents
• Unpublished Documents
• Oral Traditions/Oral Histories
• Visual Documents and Artifacts

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Primary Sources Encourage Students too

• Develop critical thinking skills
• Understand all history is local
• Acquire empathy for the human condition
• Consider different points of view in analysis
• Understand the continuum of history...

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Selecting Sources

• Some points to consider before selecting primary
  sources for students
• Interest
• Reading Level
• Length
• Points of View
• Variety of Sources
• Location

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Locating and Accessing Digitized Primary Sources
Library of Congress Resources for Teachers
www.loc.gov
Library of Congress award-winning website offers
resources for educators.
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Resources for Teachers was created to provide
teachers with tools that can be used while on the
internet or digitized items that can be saved
and used later.
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American Memory is a gateway to the Library of
Congresss vast resources of digitized American
historical materials.
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To learn more about the collection you can click
on Show Collection Description for a brief
overview.
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Most American Memory collections mirror the
original Library collections from which they were
digitized, but a few bring together in digital
form materials from several different physical
collections within the Library.
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Browse by Time Period, Media Type, Place or
Topic Or search for a key term or name (be
creative, items may have been known by a
different name at the time of the document/image)
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Reading Photographs Activity
http//memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/fsaall
_at_field(NUMBER_at_band(cph3b42572))
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• Observation, Knowledge, Interpretation
• What else do you want to know???

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Classroom Activity/Unit Plan

• Unit Civil Rights-Visual Literacy
• Duration of Lesson 46 minutes
• Class African/Latin American History

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• Standards Objectives
• Instructional Procedure
• Assignments Reminders
• Materials Equipment Needed
• Assessment, Reflection Revision
• 9 Question Worksheet-Analyzing Photos

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9 Question Worksheet-Analyzing Photos

• What is the very first thing that you notice/see
  in the photo?
• Why do you think you noticed it first?
• Who is in the photo?
• What is going on in the photo?
• When was the photo taken? look closely for
  evidence to support your answer- include evidence
  in your answer)
• What words would you use to describe the overall
  feeling or mood of this photo?
• What sounds (if any) would you expect to hear
  coming from this scene
• What do you think the photographer was thinking
  when he/she took the photo?
• Write a short story from the point of view of one
  person (or photographer) in the photo?

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Photos-Civil Rights Era
Burned out bus. 1961. New York World-Telegram
and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection from
the Library of Congress.http//memory.loc.gov/cg
i-bin/query/r?pp/ils_at_filreq(_at_field(NUMBER_at_band (
cph3c15224))_at_field(COLLIDcph))
--gtlt/bodygtlt/htmlgt cph 3c15224 (February 10,
2006).
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Student Work

• Burned out bus. 1961. New York World-Telegram
  and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection from
  the Library of Congress.
• What is the first thing that you notice?
• The first thing that I notice is a Greyhound Bus
  that looks like it was blown up or has caught
  fire.
• Why do you think you notice this first?
• Because this is the center of the photo and
  because it is the largest item in the photo.
• Who is in the photo?
• Passengers from the bus and detectives
  investigating the scene.
• What is going on?
• Detectives are investigating the scene of what
  happened to the bus.
• When was the photo taken?
• I believe the photo was taken in the mid 1960s
  due to the model of the bus and the style of
  their clothing.

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overall feeling of the black guy in the suit is
agitated. What Sounds would you expect to
hear? Crying and Moaning, arguing and
shouting. What do you think the Photographer was
thinking? I think the photographer was probably
thinking this doesnt

• What words would you use to describe the overall
  feeling?
• Aggravated, Distressed, Angry, and Depressed. The
  overall feelings of the victims are exasperated.
  The make any sense. The lives of innocent people
  were token black or white it doesnt matter.
• Story of Lady Laying On Lawn..
• Today started out as a beautiful day. I am on my
  way to visit my sister in Willacoochie, Georgia
  whom I have not seen in some time now so she sent
  me a ticket for that there greyhound bus. As we
  were driving down the road a loud boom Came from
  the back of the bus and then the bus burst into
  flames. I gasped for my breath but I couldnt
  believ my eyes! The bus skid out of control and
  then it came to a hault. We rushed off the bus
  and I just started thanking da Lord that my life
  was saved. I just couldnt believe that happened.
  I guess I got a second lease on life.
• Right now I feel like killin me a cracker, but
  as I lay here I think what would Jesus do. Jesus
  would let em be. Because the Lord said Vengence
  is mine. So Ill let him deal with the racist
  honkey who did this. So as I Lay here I just
  thank God for letting me be alive.

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Adventure of the American MindMargo Tomaras
Andrew GibbsDePaul University, Chicago,
IL(312) 362-8519MTOMARAS_at_depaul.edu