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Overview
In this lesson students will learn what an archive is and how archives can take different forms. First, the instructor will introduce the Lost Rolls America Archive through the Lost Rolls America StoryMap. This storymap will be a springboard to understanding the different forms archives can take as well.
Students will examine what is significant about the creation of an archive. They will focus on photo archives to understand what information, history, and stories can be learned from this kind of collection. Students will begin to investigate the LRA Archive, beginning with the LRA StoryMap and then, through group activities, will work with specific themes that have been identified in the LRA Archive. The final class activity and discussion will be to show students a digital photo archive of their town or city.
Essential Questions
● Can archives help to represent a time period? A culture? A city?
● Are archives considered a primary or secondary source?
● How can archives be used to preserve history?
● Are there limitations to using archives for understanding history, people, places, or cultures?
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
● Identify and describe what an archive is and its significance in history and for story-telling
● Examine different forms and examples of archives
● Apply their acquired knowledge of archives to the their understanding of recorded history
● Demonstrate knowledge of the impact archives have on the telling of history
Common Core State Standards
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.C
Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.
Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
LRA Ed Glossary Board
● Archive: A collection of documents or records that, taken together, provide information about a people, place, institution, or other entity. Often, archives are used to understand a history or culture, or aspects of a history or culture.
● Photo archive: An archive as defined above, but in this case either exclusively or primarily composed of photographs.
● Primary source: A first-hand, original source or piece of evidence that directly documents an event or experience, such as a diary, photograph, recording, or other artifact that has not been altered.
● Secondary source: A source created from primary source materials by someone who did not directly experience or participate in an event, such as a history textbook or a newspaper article.
Materials for Instructor
● White board, black board, flip chart, or jumbo sized Post-Its for the LRA Ed Glossary Board
● Online access to a digital photo archive of your city or town. An archive connected to a topic the students are currently learning can also be used. If there is no digital accessibility to the archive it can be shared in book form
Materials for Students
● LRA Ed Journals
Room Set-Up
Be prepared to break into student partner groups.
I. Introduction (7 min.)
Begin the class with a discussion that includes defining an archive. “An archive is a collection of documents or records that, taken together, provide information about a people, place, institution, or other entity. Often, archives are used to understand a history or culture, or aspects of a history or culture.”
Entry-point questions include:
● Do you think you have seen an archive? What are some examples that come to mind when you think of archives?
● Why would someone create an archive?
● Do you think you yourself have created any archives? What are some examples?
An archive can support us to understand cultural, historical, geographic, and/or other matters. Discuss terms that will support students in talking about archives broadly, and about Lost Rolls America specifically.
● What is a primary source?
○ Primary source: A first-hand, original source or piece of evidence that directly documents an event or experience, such as a diary, photograph, recording, or other artifact that has not been altered.
● What is a secondary source?
○ Secondary source: A source created from primary source materials by someone who did not directly experience or participate in an event, such as a history textbook or a newspaper article.
II. LRA storymap (12-15 min.)
Lead students through the LRA StoryMap.
III. Themes of LRA Archive (5 min.)
Open with a discussion about themes. What is a theme? Where have students heard this term used? Examples include in literature, in music, and in art. Lead students to understand more specifically that a theme is an idea or unifying topic that can recur and can unite. In the case of the Lost Rolls America Archive, which has seemingly disparate or random images, we can find connections among images through themes.
Think: similar subjects, similar images, similar topics, similar visual components (for instance black-and-white images share a color palette). Ask students for examples of themes they saw in the LRA Archive. Examples include: family, children, loved ones, pets, vacations, and nostalgia.
IV. Theme Group Activity around LRA Archive (15-20 min.)
Students will break into groups and each group will work on a separate theme. Pass out the worksheets.
WORKSHEET: Students will write the theme they chose and then answer the questions as a group. These questions include:
● Describe how the photos fit the theme.
● Discuss how the photos may stray from the theme.
● Are there other themes that unite these particular images? What are they and how do you see them working across the images?
● Think of another image you yourself could take that could fit the original theme. For instance, if your assigned theme is “animals,” maybe you’d include an image of your dog, running in the backyard.
● Write two observations you have made about how themes work in photographs.
V. Group Sharing
Ask students to share one reflection that is important to them that they have written on their worksheets. Lead a class discussion on one or more of the themes.
VI. Homework
Identify a photo archive and be prepared to discuss it with your group in the next class. Examples include archives of our town or city.