Picturing American History The MexicanAmerican War The BLas

Picturing American History. The Mexican-American War The BLas. T IU 17 Liberty Fellowship April 26, 2012 Fran Macko, Ph. D. fmacko@aihe. info

What is visual literacy? • What is visual literacy? – Visual literacy is the ability to interpret information presented in the form of an image. – Visual literacy is based on the idea that pictures can be “read”. • Students view an image and construct an interpretation.

Why is visual literacy an important skill for understanding history? • Visual literacy activities provide access to content for students who have difficulty reading text. • Primary source documents in history are often visual; paintings, photographs, cartoons and other images figure prominently in the resources that are available for students. • State and local assessments frequently ask students to interpret images.

Framing the Session: Using Images in the Classroom • Images can be used to introduce or enhance a unit of study, an event or an individual. • They can also support students in gaining insight into “big ideas” or essential questions. – In the elementary school classroom • What happens when neighboring countries go to war? – In the middle school classroom • How did America’s quest for expansion impact its relationship with Mexico? – In the high school classroom • When are the rights of one country in conflict with the rights of another?

What are the contexts for “reading” an image? • An image may be placed within four historical contexts: – The personal history of the artist – The history of the style – The history of the time represented in the image – The history of the time in which it was created

The Personal History of the Artist • An image may be placed in the context of the personal history of the artist. – Landscapes and genre scenes can reflect the area where the artist lives or lived. – Portraits can reflect important people in the artist’s life. – Self-portraits can offer insight into the artist.

The History of a Style • Images placed in the broader context of a style provide insight into the history of that style and its particular nuances or features. – – Political Cartoons Social Realism Hudson River School Portrait Painting

The History of the Time Represented in the Image • Artists who record the major events of their own life and times create unique glimpses into the period. – – The American Revolution The Indian Removal Act The Civil War The Depression

The History of the Time in Which it was Created • The artist creates a representation of a scene or famous event from a previous time period. • These images often reveal more about the time in which they were created than the time they represent. – Washington Crossing the Delaware painted in 1851 by Emile Leutze

Paintings as Primary Sources • Paintings can be used to document life and history. • Paintings and their accompanying dates are primary sources: – If a painting was created during the time period it represents, what can be learned about the subject and the time period? – How is a painting as reflective of its subject as a letter or journal? – If a painting was done after the time period it represents, what can be learned about the times in which the painting was created? – How is a painting as reflective of a time period as an historian’s or novelist’s commentary?

General Scott’s Entrance into Mexico City” by Carl Nebel 1851

Taking a Closer Look • Using the Painting Analysis Worksheet, complete questions 1 -9.

Mexican Man by Ravell 1920

Taking a Closer Look • Using the Painting Analysis Worksheet, complete questions 19.

Visual Literacy and Accountable Talk • Once the historic context for a painting has been set and students analyze each of the images, they can compare the images. • Discussion or accountable talk can be structured around a series of guided questions.

Digging Deeper: Comparing Two Images of The Mexican War

Small Group Activity • Working in small groups, discuss the two images using the set of questions. • What documents from the Mexican-American War would you use as companion pieces to the images and how would you use them?

Combining Text Resources with Images • Images can be combined with a variety of texts to support the study of important events and individuals during the Mexican War. • From CICERO: – Primary Sources • The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo • Henry Clay’s Speech on the Mexican-American War (1847)

Political Cartoons on The Mexican-American War

More Content Literacy Activities with Images • Analysis of images can be springboards for other content area literacy activities. Making Artwork Come Alive • Provide the historical context of the image • Project the image and have students discuss the artist’s message and how the artwork represents this message • Reproduce the image with dialogue boxes • Choose one character and model an historically accurate voice. • Have students work in groups to create dialogue for the remaining characters in the image

Giving Images a Voice • Have students choose one character and write a speech, poem or journal entry in that person’s voice. • Have students choose one character and interview him or her. • Have students build on the dialogue boxes and create an historically accurate conversation between or among the characters. • Have a group of students create a tableaux where they recreate the image and step into the shoes of the characters.

Creating a New Perspective: • Project several images of an historical person from the time period. • Have students work in groups to generate a list of characteristics of that person based on the images. • Read analyze a famous speech by the person. • Have students compare their thoughts on the individual as portrayed in the image and his or her words in the document. • Evaluate whether or not the person’s words coincided with the artist’s portrayal.

Final Thoughts • Visual literacy supports students in making meaning of historical events and people. • It supports students who struggle to read and understand text. • It engages students in the study of history as students are increasingly familiar with visual images. • It supports critical thinking skills. • It provides an entry point into the study of history.