Curricular Resources > 2006 Volume I > Unit 3 (06.01.03) > Section 10

Photographing America: A Cultural History, 1840-1970

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 06.01.03

Unit Guide

New Haven, Then and Now: A Story in Photographs

Jennifer Flood

Tools for this unit:

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Lesson Plans

Following are the first three lesson plans to aid in teaching the unit.

Lesson 1: Setting the Stage

Objectives

1. Students will:

a. begin thinking about the past.
b. analyze photographs.
c. compare historic and modern-day photographs of New Haven.

Materials

1. CD with photographs:

a. New Haven, 1906 by T. S. Bronson ( TWC , page 211)
b. Graduation Day at Yale, May 20, 2006 by Jennifer Flood

2. Projector

3. Screen

Setting a Purpose

1. Stimulate thinking about the past, by asking students to close their eyes. Encourage them to imagine what New Haven and its residents looked like 100 years ago. Ask thought provoking questions such as, "What are the people wearing? What do their cars look like? What do the buildings look like?"

Procedure

1. Display New Haven, 1906 by T. S. Bronson and tell students the photograph was taken 100 years ago.

2. Questions to ask while viewing the photograph:

a. Is this what you imagined when you closed your eyes?
i. How is it the same or different?
b. What do you notice?
c. What time of year is it? (spring or summer)
d. What time of day is it? (noon - shadows are directly under objects)
e. What are the people wearing? (suits, dresses, carrying parasols)
f. Why are they dressed up?
g. Why do you think the people are there?
h. How did they get there? (horse and buggy, car)
i. Where are they going now?
j. What do the buildings look like?
k. Do you think the buildings are still there now?

3. Display Graduation Day at Yale, May 20, 2006 by Jennifer Flood alongside the Bronson photograph.

4. Questions to ask when comparing the photographs:

a. What's different about the two pictures? (color photo, clothing, transportation, bus stop, fire hydrant, street signs, traffic lights, buildings)
b. Is anything the same? (streets, sidewalks, trees, Silliman College on right)
i. How can you tell this (Silliman) is the same building? (details in architecture towards the top of the building)
ii. Point out the tree closest to the left in the old photograph. It looks like it was just planted. In the modern photograph the tree is huge, having grown for 100 years.
c. Why do you think these people are here? (graduation)
d. How did they get here? (car, truck, minivan, taxi)
e. Where do you think the people went once they left?

Closure

1. Inform students that they will be learning more about what New Haven was like a long time ago. Tell the children to ask their great grandparents, or oldest living relatives, about what life was like when they were growing up. Ask children to bring in old photographs of their families. Allow the children to share the photographs and what they've learned with their classmates.

Lesson 2: Childhood Part 1

Objectives

1. Students will:

a. discuss a historical photograph.
b. compare their clothing and toys to the girl in the photograph.

Materials

1. CD with photograph:

a. Mother with two children: Sargent Family Papers: manuscript 70, box IV, folder D

2. Projector

3. Screen

Setting a Purpose

1. Tell the students that they will be viewing a picture that was taken over 100 years ago. Explain that they will be talking about the people in the photograph, paying close attention to the older girl and her dolls.

Procedure

1. Display the photograph and tell students it was taken 100 years ago.

2. Questions to ask while viewing the photograph:

a. Who is in the photograph?
b. What do you notice?
c. What are the people wearing?
d. Do people still wear clothes like that? When?
e. Would you dress up just to take a picture with your mom?
f. When would you dress up for a picture?
g. How are the people feeling? How can you tell? Why do you think they feel that way?
h. What do you think the mother might be saying to her children?
i. What do you see in the photograph besides the people?
j. Do your dolls look like those in the photo?
k. How are your dolls the same or different?
l. Would you rather play with her doll or one of your own?

Closure

1. Tell students that the class will continue talking about children and things they played with. Allow each child to bring in a toy to share. Discuss whether or not children from 100 years ago had similar toys.

Lesson 3: Childhood Part 2

Objectives

1. Students will:

a. discuss a historical photograph.
b. compare their lives to those of the children in the photograph.

Materials

1. CD with photographs:

a. Sylvia Murray Tilney and Bradford Sargent Tilney: Sargent Family Papers: manuscript 70, box IV, folder D
b. Tilney, Bradford S: 1957 Rotary Club of New Haven Member Book

2. Projector

3. Screen

Setting a Purpose

1. Inform students that they will be viewing another photograph of children with a toy. Tell the students they will talk about the toy as well as learn more about the children in the photographs.

Procedure

1. Display the photograph and tell students it was taken almost 100 years ago.

2. Questions to ask while viewing the photograph:

a. Who is in the photograph?
b. What do you notice?
c. What does it look like the children are on?
d. Are there still wagons like this one?
e. What do wagons look like now?
f. What's the same or different about the wagon in the photograph and wagons now?
g. Which wagon might be safer to ride in? Why?
h. Which wagon would you rather play with? Why?
i. Who do you think was pulling the wagon in the picture?
j. What are the children wearing?
k. Do you have clothes like that?
l. What kind of clothes do you wear?

3. Expand the discussion by informing students that the children in the picture are Sylvia Murray Tilney and Bradford "Brad" Sargent Tilney. Brad was born in 1908 and Sylvia arrived the following year. While Sylvia's history became lost, information and a photograph of Brad can be found in the Rotary Club of New Haven's 1957 Member Book. Show students this photograph and explain some of the things Brad did throughout his life. During the years 1916 through 1926, Brad attended Hamden Hall and Hotchkiss. He received a B.F.A. from Yale Architectural School in 1933 and later became a Fellow at Cranbrook Academy. Brad worked as an architect for several different companies before beginning his private practice in 1940. Pedersen & Tilney, Architects was located at 119 Whalley Avenue. Help students relate to Brad by asking them:

a. Bradford went to Yale. What colleges are in New Haven that you might attend? (Yale, SCSU, Albertus Magnus, Gateway Community College)
b. Bradford became a lawyer. What do you want to be when you grow up?
c. It's likely that Bradford lived in New Haven all his life. Do you think you will always live in New Haven?

Closure

1. Tell children they did well in comparing the old-fashioned wagon with modern-day wagons. Explain that they will continue to make such comparisons in future lessons.

Extension Activity

1. In a later lesson, display Bridgeport, 1907 by T.S. Bronson ( TWC , page 168). While this is not a picture of New Haven, it depicts children playing hoops. This is not a picture of children playing basketball, but rather rolling wooden hoops with sticks. Explain to your students that Bradford and Sylvia may have played this game. Allow your students to play this game by borrowing hula hoops from the gym teacher. Give each child a hula hoop and a ruler. Line the children up at a starting point. Tell them they must use the ruler to keep the hula hoop rolling upright all the way to the finish line.

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