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[CCBC-Net] Immigrants and Immigration
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From: Hopkinson, Deborah <Deborah.Hopkinson>
Date: Sun, 6 May 2007 11:06:15 -0700
Researching 19th century NYC for a couple of books gave me a glimpse into complex historical issues, but I know I have only a superficial grasp of contemporary immigration issues. I think Monica Edinger has written about how she approaches it with her students, and as I recall she starts with a book called, "Who Belongs Here?"
With regard to immigration history in the U.S., recently in school visits I've been exploring historical and visual literacy with students using photographs, including those in my book, Shutting Out the Sky, Life in the Tenements of New York, 1880-1924.
I'm sure folks who are in the classroom have a much better sense of how kids develop historical literacy. But it's been fascinating to look at photos with them -- I show immigrants on boats, the Lower East Side, lots of pictures of kids working and playing, and ask students what they see. Partly I want to get beyond some first reactions: "poor people lived in tenements" to a more nuanced understanding.
But I am often reminded not to assume anything. The other day, I showed 5th graders a photo of kids playing in the gutter next to a dead horse. I asked, "What do we think happened here?" The first response: "The kids killed the horse!" The next (most common): "The horse got run over by a car." But we keep looking closer, spy wagons on the street, and figure out cars were probably not around. And so on, until someone says, "I bet that horse was overworked."
Deborah Hopkinson
Received on Sun 06 May 2007 01:06:15 PM CDT
Date: Sun, 6 May 2007 11:06:15 -0700
Researching 19th century NYC for a couple of books gave me a glimpse into complex historical issues, but I know I have only a superficial grasp of contemporary immigration issues. I think Monica Edinger has written about how she approaches it with her students, and as I recall she starts with a book called, "Who Belongs Here?"
With regard to immigration history in the U.S., recently in school visits I've been exploring historical and visual literacy with students using photographs, including those in my book, Shutting Out the Sky, Life in the Tenements of New York, 1880-1924.
I'm sure folks who are in the classroom have a much better sense of how kids develop historical literacy. But it's been fascinating to look at photos with them -- I show immigrants on boats, the Lower East Side, lots of pictures of kids working and playing, and ask students what they see. Partly I want to get beyond some first reactions: "poor people lived in tenements" to a more nuanced understanding.
But I am often reminded not to assume anything. The other day, I showed 5th graders a photo of kids playing in the gutter next to a dead horse. I asked, "What do we think happened here?" The first response: "The kids killed the horse!" The next (most common): "The horse got run over by a car." But we keep looking closer, spy wagons on the street, and figure out cars were probably not around. And so on, until someone says, "I bet that horse was overworked."
Deborah Hopkinson
Received on Sun 06 May 2007 01:06:15 PM CDT
