Vachon, John. Foundation of old building on the edge of the world's largest open pit iron mine. Hibbing, Minnesota. When ore was found to lie under the town, in 1919, most of Hibbing was moved, building by building, to its present site a mile south. What is left of North Hibbing is now rapidly vanishing as mining operations expand. 1941. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017813580/.
Students will make observations about the location in the photograph. Next, students will make inferences about the functions of the structures and environmental aspects in the photograph. Then, students will imagine the evolution of the place from before the photo was taken to today. Students will then read texts about the location to determine if their inferences were correct and to discover how and why the function of the place changed over time. Finally, students will collaborate with others to imagine future functions of the place that will meet the needs of the various stakeholders in the rural community.
Iron and taconite mining have been significant contributors to Minnesota’s economy for over 100 years. However, most of the ore has been depleted, leaving the future of the industry and mines uncertain.
Source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Minnesota
- What can you infer about the evolution of the use of place in the photograph?
- Based on your observations of the structures and landscape in the photo, what can you infer about the place’s function?
- Using what you know about how places change over time, what do you think this area looked like 50 years before the photo was taken? 150 years before? Why?
- Using what you know about how places change over time, what do you think this location looks today? Do you think it is still rural? Why?
- In the future, what might be a good use of the space captured in the photograph? Why?
ELA Standard
7.3.1.1. Exchange ideas through storytelling, discussion and collaboration, intentionally considering the perspectives of Dakota and Anishinaabe people as well as other perspectives.
- Acknowledge and elaborate on others’ ideas.
- Use tools to collaborate with others both synchronously and asynchronously.
- Cooperate, mediate, and problem solve to make decisions as appropriate for productive group discussion.
Social Studies Standard
7.3.14.1. Describe how physical and human characteristics and power structures influence the function of places over time.
Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
- Project the image and inform students that it was taken in Minnesota in 1941. Then, have students respond to each of the following questions via Think-Write-Pair-Share.
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- What do you observe about the structures in the photograph?
- What do you notice about the landscape?
- Using what you know about how places change over time, what do you think this area looked like 50 years before the photo was taken? 150 years before? Why?
- What do you think this location might look like today? Why?
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- After discussing the responses, provide students with additional contextual information included in the image title.
- Distribute the Mesabi graphic organizer. Have students read the following texts in expert groups, adding relevant information to the chart:
- Create new groups for students to share information about their assigned text with others to complete the charts.
- After students have finished the charts, pose the question: What impact did the reliance on mining have on this rural community?
- Next, pose the question: What can be done with this part of the Iron Range in order to meet the needs of all stakeholders?
- Have students brainstorm the different stakeholders (e.g. nearby farmers, Ojibwe/Anishinaabe, miners, mine executives, other citizens of Hibbing).
- Assign students to groups with each group representing a different type of stakeholder. In these groups, students will collaborate to determine what is most important, their demands, negotiables, and non-negotiables. They should conduct additional research to ensure that their ideas are supported by the perspectives that they are representing.
- When groups are finished, define, provide examples, and discuss when it might be best to use of each of these discussion moves:
- Acknowledge others’ ideas
- Elaborate on others’ ideas
- Cooperate
- Mediate
- Problem solve
- Place students in mixed stakeholder groups of 4–5. Each student will participate from the perspective of the stakeholder previously assigned to them. They will develop a consensus of what should be done and why. These paragraph responses will be written electronically as a group.
- After all groups have finished writing their paragraphs, debrief as a class:
- How did the discussions go? Explain.
- Take a look at the agreements from the other groups. What are some trends? What stands out to you?
- Have students complete an exit slip in response to the question: Did your group’s solution seem to be a fair compromise for all stakeholders? Why or why not?
- Extension opportunity: Students can identify a place in their community that has been neglected. Then, they can collaborate to propose a use for it and share their idea through a letter to the people currently in charge of it. Resources and tips are available in the Read-Write-Think lesson Write letters that make things happen!
Vachon, John, photographer. North Hibbing on the edge of the world's largest open pit iron mine. The old town of Hibbing is gradually being demolished as the pit grows larger. United States Rust Mine Minnesota Mahoning Mahoning-Hull-Rust Mine Saint Louis County Hull, 1941. Aug. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017813557/.