Chronology (Schools and Family)

Chronology (Schools and Family)

Grade Levels: K-4
Time Period: 1880-1955

Introduction

In this activity, you will look at old photos of different schools and families. These photos will help us learn how schools and families have changed over time. We will also compare schools and families in the past to schools and families today.

Activity Questions

Schools

School children at Belle Point School in Fort Smith

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Photo 3: School children at Belle Point School in Fort Smith, 1890-1895. Education photograph collection, ca. 1880-1930 (UALR.PH.0011)

School for African American children

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Photo 5: Students stand outside of school for African American children in Fayetteville, Arkansas, not dated, ca. 1870s-1890s. F. P. Rose Photograph Collection, 1820-1961 (UALR.PH.0103).

  • Look at each pair of photos and compare them. Or…
  • Compare any selected photos to each other. Or…
  • Compare the school building and students from each photo (or selected photos) to your school building and students in your school. 

When you describe the photos, answer the following questions:

  1. Which photo is older (if you compare two photos)?
  2. Is the school in the photo big or small? 
  3. Is the school building in the photo like your school or different? 
  4. How many students are in the photo? Are the students in the photo all the students that go to this school? 
  5. How old could the students be?
  6. What are the students wearing? 
  7. If you compare two photos, are the schools and students in the photos different or similar?
  8. Do the students in the photo look like students in your school?

Activity Questions

Family

Edward Nichols family, ca. 1930s

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Photo 1: The Edward Nichols family pose for a portrait. Individuals include: back row, left to right: Robert, Rubye, Calvin, Carri, Edward, Jr., J. W; front row, left to right: Floyd, Gladys, Lena, Edward, Sr., Lloyd, child on small stool, Lucy, Dal Royce sitting on Lucy's lap, and Cleo, 1930s. African Americans photograph collection, ca. 1890-1954 (UALR.PH.0052)

Group portrait of John D. Rockefeller Sr.'s family

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Photo 3: Group portrait of John D. Rockefeller Sr.'s family, ca. 1918-1930s. Winthrop Rockefeller Collection, 1912-1973 (UALR.MS.0001)

Todd family in Alabama

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Photo 5: The Todd family poses for a portrait, including James R. Todd (husband), Corine S. Todd (wife), and Alfred Todd (twin brother), ca. 1890. African Americans photograph collection, ca. 1890-1954 (UALR.PH.0052)

Kanis family in Big Rock

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Photo 7: Ferdinand Kanis and family pose for a portrait. Clockwise starting from his left is Emelia Louise, his wife; Margarethe Wilhelmina Thoma; John Ferdinand; Katherine Margarethe "Minnie," and Edward, ca. 1890. Arkansas German Families photograph collection, ca. 1900-1944 (UALR.PH.0065)

  • Look at each pair of photos and compare them. Or…
  • Compare any selected photos to each other. Or…
  • Compare the family from each photo (or selected photos) to your family and/or a family that you know (your neighbors, your friend’s family, your classmate’s family, etc.). 

When you describe the photos, answer the following questions:

  1. Which photo is older (if you compare two photos)?
  2. Who is in the photo? 
  3. What is the family in the photo doing? 
  4. What is the family in the photo wearing? 
  5. How are individuals in the photo related to each other? 
  6. Does the family in the photo look like your family or a family that you know?

Arkansas Social Studies Standards

Social Studies (History)

  • Strand: History 
  • Content Standard 12: Chronology, Change Over Time, and Contextualization – Students will analyze chronology, patterns of continuity and change over time, and contextualization on historical events.
  • Kindergarten 
    • H.12.K.1 Discuss changes over time using chronological terms (e.g., first, next, last, before, after, past, present, now, long ago) 
  • Grade 1
    • H.12.1.1 Explain ways family and school have changed using chronological terms (e.g., yesterday/past, today/present, tomorrow/future)

Downloadable Guides and Handouts

We encourage K-12 educators to use History Alive: Virtually! in a way that will best match their classroom needs. The “Exercise” handout includes a complete exercise as featured on this website, the “Primary Sources” handout includes only primary sources used in the exercise, and the “Questions” handout includes analytical questions from the exercise but is editable and can be easily changed to best match students’ needs.

Chronology (Schools and Family) – Exercises

Chronology (Schools and Family) – Primary Sources

Chronology (Schools and Family) – Questions