Examining Primary Sources

Our second grade historians have been observing photographs to investigate the past. Last week, the students observed the iconic photograph Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange. The students wrote down observations, questions, and inferences pertaining to the photograph. After viewing a second photograph of the event at a wider angle, the students concluded the Migrant Mother and her family, were poor, sad, and in need of a home. We had a deep conversation about the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and how these events challenged migrant worker's survival. The students will use the skills of observing, questioning, and inferring when they head to the Highlands Ranch Mansion to investigate the mansion's history.