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ELA Standard

AL.5.28. Use audio and/or visual sources of information to obtain the answer to a question.

Social Studies Standard

5th Grade, Standard 3. Describe the contributions of Alabama leaders and foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement as well as other Alabamian supporters who aided their efforts.

Journal entry , Letter writing, Making inferences, Primary source analysis, Small-group discussion, Visual literacy

Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

Instructional Design

Students will complete a See–Think–Wonder chart, noting clues about the terrain, the marchers’ faces, and the environment. Who might live or work in these rural stretches, and what role could they have played?
Next, present a brief reading or summary about the role of Lowndes County in the march—including rural landowners David Hall, Rosie Steele, and Robert Gardner, who risked their homes and livelihoods to provide campsites for marchers on private farms along US Highway 80 through deeply rural Alabama. Students will annotate with emphasis on how rural communities were instrumental in logistical support, safety, and moral solidarity.
In small groups, students will then analyze: If these farms and rural communities had not supported the march, what might have happened? They will use the primary source image and the reading to support their claims, discussing how a successful march depended on more than just the urban narrative in Selma or Montgomery.
After analyzing the photo, assign students different roles (a marcher, a child watching, a police officer, a news reporter). Students write a journal entry or letter from that person’s point of view: “Dear friend, today I saw something I’ll never forget…” Encourage emotion, reflection, and connection to the march’s purpose.
Wrap up with a class discussion of the extension question, encouraging students to consider present-day parallels: What rural community actions or voices in your state or region today challenge stereotypes and contribute meaningfully to change and justice?

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Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

Library Of Congress, and Sponsoring Body Library Of Congress. Center For The Book. Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the Selma Voting Rights March. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, -01-14, 2015. Video. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021689634/.

Subject/Topic:

Geography, history, social studies, Government, law, politics

Cemetery located in Africatown, Alabama

Lesson By

Tanisha Boyd

Citation

Highsmith, Carol M. Cemetery located in Africatown, Alabama. 2010. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2010637870/.

Source Type

Photographs and Prints

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

Students will begin by examining the photograph of the Africatown cemetery. The teacher will first present the photo without explanation to spark curiosity and allow students to share what they see and wonder. After a brief discussion, the teacher will introduce the story of Africatown, its founders—formerly enslaved Africans brought aboard the Clotilda—and how the cemetery reflects the legacy and resilience of this rural, self-built community. The teacher should expect students to analyze the image critically, ask thoughtful questions, and make connections between the visual evidence and the historical context.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

Africatown, Alabama, was established by a group of West Africans who were illegally trafficked to the US aboard the Clotilda, the last known slave ship. Despite being in a rural, segregated region, they built a self-sufficient community, and the cemetery stands as a powerful symbol of cultural preservation, resilience, and generational memory.

Source:

https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/initiatives/slave-wrecks-project/africatown-alabama-usa

Africatown Heritage Preservation Foundation

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

What visual clues in this image tell you it’s a cemetery? Point to shapes or symbols you can spot in the photo and explain how they help you know.
Pick one grave marker you can see. What does its size, shape, or placement make you wonder about the person buried there or about how the community remembers people?
Where does your eye go first, and how does the photographer’s framing (trees, sky, shadows, open space) guide your attention?

Standards Connection (State)

Standards Connections

ELA Standard

AL.3.34. Write informative or explanatory texts about a topic using sources, including an introduction, facts, relevant details with elaboration, and a conclusion.

Social Studies Standard

3rd Grade 13c. Describe the significance of the Clotilda’s delivery of kidnapped people to Mobile Bay as an effort to expand slavery.

Compare and contrast, Draw conclusions, Make inferences, Primary source analysis, Quickwrite, Visual literacy

Instructional Design

This lesson centers on student inquiry into the photo of a cemetery in Africatown, Alabama, a community founded by formerly enslaved West Africans brought to the US on the Clotilda. The lesson begins with students observing the photo independently and recording their observations, thoughts, and questions. Students will engage in a structured discussion to surface themes such as memory, culture, and resistance.
After viewing the image, students will learn the historical context of Africatown as a rural, self-sustaining community built after emancipation. Emphasis should be placed on the significance of the cemetery as a cultural site that links the past to the present. Students will read a short background text from Kiddle website or watch a short video explaining the story of the Clotilda and the founding of Africatown, followed by a mapping activity to locate its place in Alabama.
Next, students will work in small groups to answer supporting inquiry questions about the photograph (i.e., What do the grave markers look like? How are they the same or different from ones you may have seen before? If you could step into the photo, what would you want to look at more closely and why?). They will analyze how the cemetery reflects community identity and how the rural environment may have shaped life and survival in Africatown. Groups will then create short written or illustrated captions interpreting the photo and presenting what it teaches us about the community.
To close, the class will reflect on how memory is preserved through places and traditions. Students will be invited to write a short personal reflection or create a class mural connecting their own family or community traditions to what they learned about Africatown.

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Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

Highsmith, Carol M. Gravesite of escaped slave turned emancipation orator and statesman Frederick Douglass at Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York. Around 1843, Douglass moved to Rochester, where he embarked on a career as a newspaper publisher. 2018. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2018700830/.

Subject/Topic:

Arts and culture, Geography, history, social studies, Literature/informational text

Old Courthouse Museum, Monroeville, Alabama

Lesson By

Tanisha Boyd

Citation

Highsmith, Carol M. Old Courthouse Museum, Monroeville, Alabama. 2010. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2010639935/.

Source Type

Photograph and Prints

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 12

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

In this lesson, students will analyze a historical photo of the Old Courthouse in Monroeville, Alabama, using a See–Think–Wonder routine to spark observation and inquiry. After discussing its role in local history and its connection to To Kill a Mockingbird, students will explore how the building represents both justice and injustice. They will annotate the photo, compare it to the courtroom from the film adaptation, and reflect on the prompt: “What stories does this building hold?” Through discussion and a creative writing or museum placard activity, students will connect the photo to broader themes of history, literature, and civic life.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

The Old Courthouse in Monroeville, Alabama, built in 1903, served as the center of legal and civic life in a small, rural Southern town. It reflects the architectural and social importance of courthouses in the Jim Crow South, where legal proceedings often upheld racial segregation and injustice. The courthouse is also nationally significant as the inspiration for the courtroom setting in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee and fellow writer Truman Capote grew up in Monroeville, and the building now serves as a museum that honors their legacy and explores themes of justice, race, and Southern history.

Source: https://www.monroecountymuseum.org/

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

What details in the photograph help you understand what daily life might have been like in Monroeville at the time it was taken?
How does the setting in the photograph reflect characteristics of a small or rural town?
What clues in the image suggest how the community used this space or building?
If you could step into the photograph, what sounds, smells, and activities do you think you might experience? Why?

Standards Connections

ELA Standard

9-10.3: Analyze how an author’s cultural perspective influences style, language, and themes.

Social Studies Standard

US Government 13.c: Explain how the Fourteenth Amendment extended rights to minority groups through the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses.

Compare and contrast, Quickwrite, Primary source analysis, Small group, Visual literacy

Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.

Instructional Design

To begin the lesson, students will closely examine the Library of Congress photograph of the Old Courthouse Museum in Monroeville, Alabama, inferring the building’s role in civic life. Students will share responses to the prompt: What does this courthouse suggest about how rural communities represent power, tradition, and identity?
Next, the teacher will provide a short historical overview of Monroeville as a rural town known for its timber and agriculture economy and its transformation into a symbolic “literary capital” due to its connection to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Students will consider how the courthouse functions not only as a former site of justice but also as a literary landmark and historical museum, shaping how the town defines itself.
Students will engage in small-group discussion on the following questions:
- What does Old Courthouse in Monroeville, Alabama, reveal about justice, community, and history in the American South?
  - What can buildings and public spaces tell us about the values of a community?
  - Why do certain places become symbols in history and literature?
  - How can a single building help us understand larger stories about race, fairness, and power?
  - What does it mean to remember and preserve history through places like museums?
  - Why were courthouses important in rural Southern towns during the early 1900s?
  - What stories—good and bad—do you think the walls of this courthouse could tell?
Guide students to annotate the photo using thoughtful questions about design, symbolism, and purpose. Facilitate a class discussion about who the courthouse served, whose voices were heard there, and what the building might represent.

Tags:

Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

Highsmith, Carol M. Historic mural depicting the Harper Lee novel, To Kill a Mockingbird located in Monroeville, Alabama. 2010. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2010639937/.

Subject/Topic:

Geography, history, social studies, Government, law, politics, Language, literature, folklore

Moundville Archaeological Park, Moundville, Alabama

Lesson By

Tanisha Boyd

Citation

Highsmith, Carol M. Moundville Archaeological Park, Moundville, Alabama. 2010. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2010637712/.

Source Type

Photographs and Prints

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

Students will engage with a historic photograph of Moundville Archaeological Park, focusing on the mounds and surrounding landscape. The lesson will begin with a “mystery image” activity in which the primary source is projected without context. Students and teachers will then build context together by learning about the Mississippian people and how they lived, focusing on the purposes of the mounds, the structure of their communities, and their use of natural resources. Students will revisit the image with new understanding and annotate it with what they’ve learned. The teacher will expect students to ask questions, make connections, and explain how the mounds reflect the beliefs and leadership of the people who built them.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

The photograph of Moundville Archaeological Park captures the remains of a once thriving Mississippian civilization that existed over 800 years ago in present-day Alabama. As one of the largest Indigenous settlements in North America, Moundville served as a political, religious, and trade center for a complex society long before European contact.

Source: https://www.ruralswalabama.org/attraction/moundville-al-archaeological-park/

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

What do you notice in the photo? What stands out to you?
How is the rural environment at Moundville different from where you live now? How is it the same?
Who might have lived in this place, and what might their daily life have been like?
What materials do you think they used to build the mounds?
What clues in the photo tell you this was an important place?

Standards Connection (State)

Standards Connections

ELA Standards

AL.4.42. Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes, and speaking clearly with adequate volume, appropriate pacing, and clear pronunciation.

Social Studies Standard

D2.H.2.3-5. Compare life in specific historical time periods to life today.

Close reading, Compare and contrast, Primary source analysis, Quickwrites, Small-groups, Visual literacy

Instructional Design

This lesson invites students to explore a photograph of Moundville Archaeological Park as a primary source to investigate the complexity of Indigenous civilizations in what is now Alabama. Students will begin by closely observing the image without prior context, paying careful attention to detail, visual literacy, and curiosity. This introduction allows learners to draw inferences and develop initial questions about the people who built and used the mounds. Have them consider the following questions during their observation:
- What are some ways that daily life in Moundville might have been different from life in a city today?
- How do you think people in a rural community like Moundville got their food, clothing, or tools?
- What do the mounds and surrounding spaces tell us about how the community was organized in a rural setting?
- Where is it possible for bias to creep in?
- What would a future archaeologist think about us and the artifacts we are leaving behind?
- What public buildings, signs, or spaces in your town or neighborhood represent your community’s identity? Who decided they were important?
  - If someone 100 years from now looked only at your local landmarks or media, what might they assume about the people who live there? Would it be accurate? Why or why not?
  - What voices, stories, or experiences in your community are most visible—and which ones are often left out? How might this shape how your town is remembered in the future?
  - What are some ways your community preserves or honors its own history? What stories do those choices tell—and what do they leave untold?
After the initial analysis, the teacher will provide historical context, explaining that Moundville was once a thriving center of Mississippian culture—home to a large, organized Native American community that existed more than 800 years ago. Students will learn about the Mississippian people’s use of the mounds for leadership, ceremonies, and burials, as well as their agricultural practices and trade networks. They will use maps, illustrations, and timelines to situate the site geographically and historically.
In small groups, students will revisit the photo with guiding questions, such as: Who built this? What might it have been used for? What does it tell us about the society that lived here? They will then synthesize their findings by writing a short reflection, a journal entry from the perspective of a Mississippian child, or creating a class museum placard interpreting the photo.
The lesson closes with an extension discussion: What places in your world today remind you of this one? Why is it important to remember and protect places like Moundville?

Tags:

Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

Evans, Walker. Mrs. Frank Tengle and Laura Minnie Lee Tengle, sharecroppers, near Moundville, Hale County, Alabama. 1936. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017758163/.

Subject/Topic:

Arts and culture, Geography, history, social studies

Remnants of old potato digging equipment

Lesson By

Tanisha Boyd

Citation

Highsmith, Carol M. Remnants of old potato digging equipment outside an old cotton gin that became the Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center in tiny Glendora, Mississippi. 2016. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017879614/.

Source Type

Photographs and Prints

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

Students will begin by analyzing the photograph of the old potato-digging equipment. The teacher will present the image without context, encouraging students to consider its purpose and what it reveals about rural labor and life. After the initial discussion, the teacher will introduce Glendora’s historical background and explain its present-day significance as the site of the Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center. Students will be expected to ask analytical questions, draw inferences about life in rural Mississippi, and connect the image to broader social and historical themes.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

Glendora, Mississippi, was a deeply segregated, rural Delta community where agriculture—particularly cotton and potato farming—dominated the local economy. Today, the Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center sits near this site, linking the region’s agricultural past to the traumatic history of racial injustice through the brutal murder of Emmett Till in 1955.

Source: https://civilrightstrail.com/destination/glendora/

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

In what ways does the photograph capture the meeting of place, memory, and history?
What do you notice about the equipment, and what might that tell us about farm work at the time?
How does the condition of the equipment (rust, wear, placement) add to the feeling or mood of the photo?

Standards Connection (State)

Standards Connections

ELA Standard

AL.9.10. Present research findings to a peer audience, either formally or informally, conveying credible, accurate information from multiple sources, including diverse media.

Social Studies Standard

19a. Explain how Jim Crow laws, Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), and violence shaped the economic, political, and social structure of the New South after Reconstruction. Examples: disenfranchisement, lynching, segregation

Draw conclusions, Make inferences, Primary source analysis, Descriptive/reflective writing, Small group, Symbols/Symbolism, Visual literacy, Written responses

Instructional Design

Students will begin by analyzing the photo without context, using structured observation routines to examine the machinery’s form, condition, and implied use. This activity will spark questions about who worked in these fields, under what conditions, and for whose benefit.
The class will then explore the historical context of Glendora. Students will learn that this quiet piece of land is now home to the Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center, a site commemorating one of the most pivotal and painful moments in the Civil Rights Movement.
Students will work in small groups to connect the image of the equipment to larger themes—such as labor exploitation, rural poverty, and memory—using both historical background materials and guided inquiry questions. They will then synthesize their findings in short written reflections, presentations, or gallery walks, interpreting the image as more than just a farming tool but as a symbol embedded in a legacy of racial injustice and community resilience.
The lesson concludes with a discussion on how objects and places help us understand painful histories, and why it’s important to preserve them. This lesson builds critical thinking, visual analysis, and empathy while grounding students in local and national historical narratives.

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Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Records: Subject File, 1929–1968; Racial tension; Mississippi; Emmett Till case, 1955–1956. 1955–1956. Manuscript. Library of Congress Manuscript Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/mss6557001513/.

Subject/Topic:

Geography, history, social studies, Photography

This business in Fredericksburg, in the Texas Hill Country

Lesson By

Tanisha Boyd

Citation

Highsmith, Carol M. This business in Fredericksburg, in the Texas Hill Country, calls itself the “Talk of the Town.” Perhaps it’s because of the elephant and lacy rail over the door. It’s the former White Elephant Saloon. April 9, 2014. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2014633173/.

Source Type

Photographs and Prints

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

The teacher will begin by displaying the image and prompting students with observation and inquiry questions: What do you notice? What do you wonder? Students will use a graphic organizer to analyze setting, architecture, and signage, then connect visual clues to what life might have been like in a rural Texas town. The teacher and students will discuss the significance of names like “White Elephant Saloon” and how local history is preserved or repurposed.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

The White Elephant Saloon was built in Fredericksburg, Texas, in 1888. The town of Fredericksburg was founded by German immigrants. It served as the central social hub of the town and has been preserved for its German architecture, making it the most notable landmark in Fredericksburg.

Source: https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/TX-01-NB41?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

What architectural details in the photo stand out, and what might they tell us about the town’s culture and influences?
How does the building’s design and decoration compare to what you might expect in a rural Texas town of its time?
What can you infer about the saloon’s role in the community from the way it appears in the photograph?

Standards Connection (State)

Standards Connections

ELA Standard

AL.9.10: Present research findings to a peer audience, either formally or informally, conveying credible, accurate information from multiple sources, including diverse media.

Social Studies Standard

D3.3.9-12: Identify evidence that draws information directly and substantively from multiple sources to detect inconsistencies in evidence in order to revise or strengthen claims.

Draw conclusions, Make inferences, Primary source analysis, Small group, Symbols/Symbolism, Visual literacy, Written responses

Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

Instructional Design

The lesson will begin with a Think-Pair-Share activity. Students will first observe the image independently, using a visual analysis organizer to record details they see (architecture, signage, materials, etc.), questions they have, and any historical clues they notice. Then, they will pair with a partner to compare observations and discuss what the building might have been used for and how it fits into the context of Fredericksburg.
As a class, read a short background paragraph that provides historical context about the White Elephant Saloon’s origins in the late 1800s and its current role in Fredericksburg’s business landscape. Students will connect this to broader themes of how rural communities evolve over time, repurposing spaces to maintain cultural identity and attract visitors. Then, students will answer the following questions:
- What does the design and appearance of the building tell us about the culture and values of Fredericksburg during the time it was built?
- Why might a business choose to preserve or repurpose a building like the former White Elephant Saloon instead of tearing it down?
- How does this image help us understand life in a rural Texas town in the late 19th or early 20th century?
Students will work in small groups to respond to the instructional focus questions, using evidence from the image and context text. Each group will present one of their responses on chart paper or digitally. The class will discuss the symbolism of the elephant and the purpose of preserving buildings like this.
The teacher will show students an updated picture of the saloon with renovations. Students will compare the two pictures, identify the differences on a Venn Diagram, and discuss their observations.
To conclude the lesson, students will apply their learning by researching a historic building or business in their own town or region then create a brief presentation or visual poster that shows how that structure contributes to local history and identity.

Tags:

Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

Highsmith, Carol M. Old buildings in Fredericksburg, Texas. 1980 to 2006. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2011633496/.

Subject/Topic:

Geography, history, social studies, Photographs, prints, posters

Fort Davis, Texas Route 17, Fort Davis

Lesson By

Tanisha Boyd

Citation

Historic American Buildings Survey, David Twiggs, Frederick Lindstrom, Justine Christianson, Bartlett Cocke, Marvin Eickenroht, and Pamela Burdick. Fort Davis, Texas Route 17, Fort Davis, Jeff Davis County, TX. 1933. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/tx0429/.

Source Type

Art/Architecture

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

The teacher will begin by displaying the images of the officers’ quarters, barracks, and chapel alongside the manuscript describing the ruins. Students will participate in a gallery walk, rotating in small groups to analyze each visual and written source using a guided inquiry chart focused on purpose, perspective, and historical significance. The teacher will provide a brief background on Fort Davis as a military post in West Texas during the 19^th century, emphasizing its role in protecting settlers and trade routes. Students will be expected to draw conclusions about daily life at the fort, compare structures by function, and interpret what the ruins reveal about the passage of time and preservation.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

Fort Davis, located in far West Texas, was one of the most important frontier military posts from the mid-1800s through the late 19^th century. Black troops known as Buffalo Soldiers—members of the 9^th and 10^th Cavalry and 24^th and 25^th Infantry—were stationed at the fort and helped protect settlers and travelers in this remote rural area.

Source: https://www.nps.gov/foda/index.htm

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

What features in the photograph help you understand the fort’s purpose and how it functioned in this rural location?
How does the surrounding landscape in the photo help you understand the challenges of living and working here?
What evidence in the photograph shows how people adapted the space for both military and community life?

Standards Connection (State)

Standards Connections

ELA Standard

AL.5.28. Use audio and/or visual sources of information to obtain the answer to a question.

Social Studies Standard

D2.His.9.3-5. Summarize how different kinds of historical sources are used to explain events in the past.

Close reading, Evidence-based responses, Inquiry-based learning, Journal entry, Making inferences, Primary source analysis, Reflective writing, Text-to-text connections, Text-to-world connections, Visual literacy

Instructional Design

The teacher will begin by showing photographs of the officers’ quarters, the chapel, and the fort’s remains. Students will discuss with a partner their observations of the photographs.
The teacher will then introduce Fort Davis as an important frontier fort in the rugged mountains of West Texas. Students will hear a simplified story about the Buffalo Soldiers, who were African American soldiers sent to defend mail routes, settlers, and wagon trains. Students will learn that even though the Buffalo Soldiers worked hard and served bravely, they often lived in tough conditions and faced discrimination.
Students will discuss as a class the following questions:
- What role did forts play in both protecting and disrupting rural communities in the 19^th century?
- How do rural military communities compare to civilian rural towns in terms of daily life and structure?
- How do preserved rural sites like Fort Davis help us think critically about whose stories are remembered and whose are left out?
After the story, students will compare life in the fort with life in a rural town or small community today using a T-chart. They’ll ask: What did people need in a remote place like Fort Davis? How did soldiers and townspeople work together?
To close, students will reflect on how rural places—like Fort Davis—hold important stories that help us understand courage, community, and history. This will be done as a reflective writing.

Tags:

Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

United States National Park Service. Fort Davis National Historic Site, Texas. 2008. Map. Library of Congress Geography and Map Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2010592138/.

Subject/Topic:

Geography, history, social studies, Photography

Old-timey cook up the road

Lesson By

Tanisha Boyd

Citation

Highsmith, Carol M. Old-timey cook up the road from the “Cowboy Mardi Gras” in little Bandera, Texas, west of San Antonio. 2014. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2014631540/.

Source Type

Photographs and Prints

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

Begin by displaying the image and asking students to do a quickwrite responding to the prompt: What do you notice, and what story do you think this photo tells? Students will then work in pairs to complete a primary source analysis organizer, focusing on clothing, setting, tools, and expressions to infer historical or cultural context. As a class, discuss the significance of traditions like Cowboy Mardi Gras and how rural communities preserve heritage through food, festivals, and visual storytelling. Students will be expected to support their interpretations with visual evidence and connect the photograph to broader themes like regional identity, tradition, and rural life.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

Bandera was founded in the 1850s when sixteen Polish Roman Catholic families from Silesia settled in the area to work at a newly established mill, shaping the town’s strong Polish‑American heritage. It later became known as the “Cowboy Capital of the World,” serving as a key staging area for cattle drives on the Great Western Cattle Trail during the late 19th century.

Source: http://www.banderatex.com/bandera-history

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

What kind of cooking equipment or tools do you see? How are they different from what we use today?
How does the person and/or vehicle in the photo help tell the story of daily life in this rural Texas town?
What clues in the image help you understand a cook’s role?

Standards Connections

ELA Standard

AL.6.7.a: Write narratives incorporating key literary elements, including characters, plot, setting, point of view, resolution of a conflict, dialogue, and sensory details.

Social Studies Standard

D2.His.3.6-8: Use questions generated about individuals and groups to analyze why they, and the developments they shaped, are seen as historically significant.

Geography, history, social studies

Instructional Design

To engage students with the photograph “Old-timey cook up the road from the ‘Cowboy Mardi Gras’ in little Banderas, Texas,” the lesson will begin with a visual analysis activity. Students will view the image and answer the instructional focus questions for the primary source.
The teacher will then provide a brief reading of Bandera’s history, highlighting its Polish roots, its role in cattle drives, and its modern identity as the “Cowboy Capital of the World.” Students will annotate the reading, looking for historical and cultural details that might connect to the photograph.
The teacher will incorporate a short video clip on Bandera’s cowboy culture. Next, students will use a primary source analysis organizer to examine the cook’s clothing, tools, and setting in relation to Bandera’s cowboy traditions and rural identity.
In small groups, they will discuss: What does this video suggest about the role of food, tradition, and celebration in this community? Groups will compare their findings with historical facts and identify elements of continuity (e.g., use of traditional dress or open-fire cooking).
Students will then write a first-person journal entry from the perspective of the “old-timey cook,” using sensory details and historically grounded imagination to tell a story about preparing food for Cowboy Mardi Gras. This creative writing task encourages students to synthesize visual and textual evidence into a narrative that reflects both individual experience and cultural context.
The lesson will conclude with a quickwrite using one of the following sentence stems:
- Today I learned that rural communities like Bandera . . .
  - Something interesting about rural life in the past is . . .

Tags:

Journal entry, Making inferences, Narrative writing, Point of view, Primary source analysis, Quickwrite, Small groups, Visual literacy, Whole-class discussion

Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

Highsmith, Carol M. Even windmills get a touch of Texas in little Bandera, the "Cowboy Capital of Texas," west of San Antonio. 2014. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2014631454/.

Subject/Topic:

Old saloon, Judge Roy Bean

Lesson By

Tanisha Boyd

Citation

Highsmith, Carol M. Old saloon in which the famous Texas "hanging judge," Roy Bean, dispensed "law west of the Pecos" along the Rio Grande in a desolate stretch of the Chihauhuan Desert in the "Trans-Pecos" region of Texas. 2014. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2014630695/.

Source Type

Photographs and Prints

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

Students will begin by observing the photograph of Roy Bean’s saloon and participate in a See-Think-Wonder activity. In pairs, they’ll use a graphic organizer noting visual evidence to make inferences about function and setting and raising questions about law enforcement in frontier towns. Students will discuss how and why Bean combined his saloon with his courtroom—and how that shaped local justice. They’ll be expected to support interpretations with image details and connect those to historical facts.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

The town of Langtry was named after the actress, Lillie Langtry, by Roy Bean. He opened the saloon, which also served as a court. He acted as justice of the peace as well as a judge within the saloon.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Roy-Bean

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

What details in this photograph give clues about the saloon’s dual purpose as both a business and a place of justice?
How do the building materials and design reflect the rural setting and available resources of the time?
What might the objects or signs in the photograph reveal about daily life in Langtry during this period?

Standards Connection (State)

Standards Connections

Geography, history, social studies, Journalism/news, advertising

ELA Standard

AL.12.3. Evaluate how an author explicitly exhibits his/her cultural perspective in developing style and meaning.

Social Studies Standard

D4.2.9-12. Construct explanations using sound reasoning, correct sequence (linear or non-linear), examples, and details with significant and pertinent information and data, while acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of the explanation given its purpose (e.g., cause and effect, chronological, procedural, technical)

NCTE Standard 3

Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).

Instructional Design

Students will begin by examining the photograph of Roy Bean’s saloon and courthouse, located in the tiny desert town of Langtry, Texas, along the Rio Grande. Using a graphic organizer or notes sheet, they will record details about the building’s structure, setting, and signage to infer how geography and isolation influenced the space’s dual function as both a bar and a courtroom.
The teacher will introduce a brief historical context about the Trans-Pecos region—a rugged, sparsely populated area with limited access to formal legal systems during the late 19^th century. Next, the teacher will present a brief historical context—calling Roy Bean “the Law West of the Pecos,” describing how he built the Jersey Lilly saloon in Langtry in the 1880s, and explaining his unconventional justice (e.g., fining a dead man)—drawing from reputable sources. A concise reading on Bean’s life and role in Langtry will be provided.
In small groups, students will evaluate how rural communities like Langtry adapted to a lack of formal governance by elevating local figures and how stories about those figures contributed to regional identity. They will then respond to the guiding question: How did rural isolation shape justice and leadership in frontier communities—and what legacy did it leave behind?
As a culminating task, students will create a reflective “lens” piece—either a short essay, podcast script, or visual infographic—that analyzes the question: How do modern rural communities continue to balance tradition, leadership, and limited resources—and how do outsiders shape or misunderstand those stories?

Tags:

Close reading, Infographic, Podcast, Primary source analysis, Reflective writing, Small group, Visual literacy

Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

Highsmith, Carol M. Judge Roy Bean's Saloon, Langtry, Texas. Between 1980 and 2006. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2011630895/.

Subject/Topic:

A small, centrally located community building

Lesson By

Tanisha Boyd

Citation

Highsmith, Carol M. A small, centrally located community building in the old German-immigrant settlement of Gruene, now part of New Braunfels, Texas. 2014. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2014632392/.

Source Type

Photographs and Prints

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

Students will begin by looking closely at the photo of the community building in Gruene, Texas. The teacher will guide a short discussion asking students what they see, where they think the building is, and what it might have been used for. The teacher will share a short story about Gruene’s beginnings as a town started by German families. Students will be expected to talk about why a building like this might have been important in a small farming town.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

Gruene, Texas, was started in the 1800s by German families who moved to the area to farm cotton and build a small town near the Guadalupe River. They built stores, a dance hall, and community buildings like the one in the photo so people could work, meet, and celebrate together.

Source: https://texashighways.com/issue-archives/the-scene-in-gruene/

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

What does this building tell us about how people in small, rural towns worked and lived together?
Why would people in Gruene need a building like this?
What buildings are important in your own town or neighborhood? What do they tell us about the people who live there?

Standards Connection (State)

Standards Connections

Compare and contrast, Drawing assignment, Primary source analysis, Small group activity , Summary, Visual literacy

ELA Standard

AL.5.31. Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to enhance the development of main ideas or themes when appropriate. (Examples: graphics, sounds)

Social Studies Standard

D2.His.2.3-5. Compare life in specific historical time periods to life today.

NCTE Standard 12

Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Instructional Design

Students view the photo of the Gruene community building. The teacher leads a short discussion using guiding questions such as: What do you notice? What do you think this building was for? Students then complete a Look–Think–Wonder graphic organizer with a partner, encouraging curiosity and evidence-based thinking.
The teacher shares a short story (oral or read aloud) about the German families who started Gruene. The story highlights that they were farmers who built small businesses, shared spaces, and celebrated together in places like the building in the photo. Students will discuss how the building might have been used—for meetings, dances, or town gatherings.
Next, students will compare Gruene to their own community by drawing a picture or making a simple poster of an important building in their town (like a school, community center, library, or store). They will answer three questions on their poster: What is this place? Why is it important? What does it say about our town?
To close the lesson, the class will create a “Community Connections” wall with Gruene and their own town side by side, showing that rural towns—then and now—are built by people who work together and create spaces to meet, help, and celebrate.

Tags:

Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

Highsmith, Carol M. Built by Christian Herry in 1878, Gruene Hall in New Braunfels is one of the oldest dance halls in Texas. Gruene was a communal farming community. The one-story structure features a false-front entryway with asymmetrical window and door arrangements. 2014. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2014632381/.

Subject/Topic:

Art and architecture , Arts and culture, Geography, history, social studies

California Shipbuilding

Lesson By

Carol Jago

Citation

California Shipbuilding Corporation, Wilmington, California. Change of shift. California Los Angeles County United States Wilmington, 1942. Apr. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017830157/.

Source Type

Photographs and Prints

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

Students will closely observe the details in this photograph taken in 1942 as workers shifts are changing at a shipyard on the Pacific coast in the months following the attack on Pearl Harbor, where much of the US naval fleet was destroyed. The image offers insight into the country’s response to the attack and the preparation for war.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

On December 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack on the United States Pacific fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Eighteen ships were sunk or run aground, including five battleships. One hundred and eighty-eight aircraft were also destroyed.

Source for historical context https://www.britannica.com/event/Pearl-Harbor-attack

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

What does this 1942 photograph suggest about the US response to the Japanese attack on the American naval fleet?
What do you notice about the workers in this photograph?
What can you deduce regarding the work being done based on the machinery and equipment pictured?
What do you imagine these workers might have been thinking and feeling about the role they were playing in the war effort? Can you think of a time in recent history when Americans were similarly motivated to work together for common defense?

Standards Connection (State)

Standards Connections

Diary entry, Interior monologue, Narrative writing, Primary source analysis, Visual literacy

ELA Standard

Writing standards 6–12: 3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

Social studies standard

HSS Standard 11.7: Students analyze America’s participation in World War II.

NCTE Standard 12

Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Instructional Design

Invite students to look closely at the primary source photograph and make a list of ten things they observe in the picture.
In pairs or small groups, students compare their lists and then discuss the significance of this shipbuilding work given the historical moment in time, just months following the attack on the United States naval fleet at Pearl Harbor.
Conduct an internet search to learn more about this aspect of the US build-up to war.
Have students imagine they are one of these workers who has just come off a work shift. Write a diary entry in which this person describes the work day they have just completed. Be sure to include how the worker feels about the contribution they are making to the war effort.

Tags:

Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

United States Office Of War Information, Rosener, Ann, photographer. California shipyard workers. Attired in a welder's outfit this worker is one of California's many women shipyard workers employed at the Richmond Shipbuilding Company. Richmond United States California Contra Costa County, 1943. Feb. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017697446/.

Subject/Topic:

Geography, history, social studies, Photographs, prints, posters

Mission Building

Lesson By

Carol Jago

Citation

Highsmith, Carol M., photographer. “Mission Building,” one of four “great eras of California history” murals by Dean Cornwell at the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles, California. California, United States, Los Angeles, 2013. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013631651/.

Source Type

Audio Recording

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

Students will scrutinize this reproduction of Dean Cornwall’s 1932 mural depicting the building of the California missions. The image portrays the various groups of people involved in the creation of a chain of Catholic missions along the California coast between 1769 and 1823. The large painting (40 feet by 40 feet) provides insight into the roles different groups of people played in the building of these historic structures.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

The Spanish missions were established by Franciscan priests as colonial settlements to convert the indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples were forced into the settlements, disrupting their way of life and resulting in abuse, malnourishment, and overwork.

Source for Historical content: https://www.britannica.com/place/California-Missions

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

What does this painting suggest about the different roles played by priests, Franciscan brothers, and indigenous peoples as the missions were being built?
What do you notice about the faces and clothing of the indigenous peoples compared with the faces and clothing of the Spanish clergy?
Who is depicted as doing the hard work in the settlement?
What do you imagine the indigenous peoples are thinking and feeling? Does this remind you of other examples in history where individuals have been forced to work for the benefit of others?

Standards Connection (State)

Standards Connections

ELA Standard

Writing Standards 3–5, 10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Social Studies Standard

HSS Standard 4.2: Students describe the social, political, cultural, and economic life and interactions among people of California from the pre-Columbian societies to the Spanish mission and Mexican rancho periods.

Analysis of details, Drawing inferences, Informational text, Primary source analysis, Visual literacy

Instructional Design

Have students scrutinize the mural noting the actions of individuals depicted in this portrayal of the California missions. What do a person’s actions reveal about his or her role in a society?
In small groups invite students to share their observations and make inferences regarding the roles different people played in the establishment and maintenance of the missions. Drawing inferences graphic organizer: https://www.readwritethink.org/sites/default/files/resources/30752_graphic.pdf
Conduct an Internet search to learn more about a specific California mission (location, architecture, inhabitants, agriculture, etc.). Map of California missions: https://californiamissionsfoundation.org/the-california-missions/
Have students write an informational paragraph describing what they learned, including specific details about the mission and its people from the mural and from their research.

Tags:

Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

Highsmith, Carol M., photographer. "Americanization," one of four "great eras of California history" murals by Dean Cornwell at the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles, California. United States Los Angeles California, 2013. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013631652/.

Subject/Topic:

Geography, history, social studies, Art and architecture

Mission San Miguel Arcángel, San Luis Obispo

Lesson By

Dr. Michelle Fanara

Citation

Highsmith, Carol M. Mission San Miguel Arcangel is a Spanish mission in San Miguel, San Luis Obispo County, California. 2012. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013633483/.

Source Type

Art/Architecture

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

Students will begin by closely analyzing the photograph of Mission San Miguel Arcángel as a visual artifact of religious and imperial influence in California. They will engage in small-group discussions about how faith-based institutions historically shaped education for Indigenous populations. Then, students will read excerpts from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and reflect on the ways in which Junior's experience parallels the cultural loss, resilience, and identity negotiation experienced by Native communities in mission contexts. Students will write a comparative response connecting the visual and literary texts.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

Mission San Miguel Arcángel was founded in 1797 by Franciscan missionaries with the goal of converting and educating the Salinan people. Like other California missions, it functioned as a center of religious instruction and colonial control, shaping the lives of Indigenous communities under Spanish rule.

Source: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/mission-san-miguel-arc%C3%A1ngel-ca.htm

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

How does the visual legacy of California’s missions continue to tell stories about faith, power, and education?
What purpose did missions like San Miguel Arcángel serve in colonial California?
How did missionary education affect Indigenous identities and cultures?
Extension questions: Where do students today still experience tension between cultural identity and institutional education?
How does The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Alexie) echo or challenge similar themes in a modern context?

Standards Connection (State)

Standards Connections

Assimilation, California history, Cultural identity, Indigenous, Missions, Native American literature, Primary source analysis, Visual literacy

ELA Standard

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.2. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it is shaped by specific details.

Social Studies Standard

HSS Standard 10.2.3. Explain how the ideology of the Enlightenment and religious/cultural traditions contributed to the development of empires and revolutions.

NCTE Standard 2

Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions of human experience.

Instructional Design

This lesson invites students to examine the enduring impact of missionary education and cultural assimilation through visual and literary analysis. Students will begin by studying a photograph of Mission San Miguel Arcángel from the Library of Congress to identify how architecture communicates power, faith, and colonization. After reviewing a brief historical overview of the mission's purpose and the role of the Franciscans, students will explore the Salinan people's experiences under Spanish rule, especially the use of faith as a form of education and assimilation.
Next, students will read selected chapters from Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, focusing on the protagonist's journey through a school system that often undermines his cultural heritage. Through Socratic seminars and reflective journaling, students will draw parallels between Junior’s educational experience and that of Native Californians during the mission era. The culminating task will be a comparative analysis in which students use the image and the novel to discuss how education can serve both as a tool of empowerment and as one of oppression. This approach strengthens visual literacy, deepens historical understanding, and encourages empathy through narrative.

Tags:

Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

Highsmith, Carol M. Mission San Carlos Borroméo del río Carmelo, Carmel Mission, Carmel, California. 2012. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013630541/.

Historic American Landscapes Survey. Mission La Purísima Concepción, 2295 Purisima Road, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA. 2000. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/ca3954/.

Subject/Topic:

Language, literature, folklore, Geography, history, social studies

La Purísima Mission, Lompoc, California

Lesson By

Dr. Michelle Fanara

Citation

Highsmith, Carol M. La Purísima Mission, Lompoc, California. 2012. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013632530/.

Source Type

Photographs and Prints

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

Students begin by examining the photograph of Mission La Purísima Concepción, noting architectural features such as the white stucco walls, chapel entry, and surrounding landscape. Small-group discussions will explore how the mission’s secluded and pristine setting reflects Spanish colonial intentions of isolation, control, and religious outreach. Then, students read excerpts from There There by Tommy Orange—a contemporary novel exploring Indigenous identity in California. They reflect on how the mission’s legacy of displacement and cultural erasure parallels the novel’s depictions of intergenerational trauma and modern Indigenous resilience. Students respond through a written reflection connecting image and text.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

La Purísima Concepción was founded on December 8, 1787, as the eleventh Spanish mission in California and rebuilt in a rural Lompoc location after the 1812 earthquake destroyed the original complex. The mission became the center of the 1824 Chumash Revolt—one of the most significant Indigenous uprisings during the mission era—when Chumash fighters temporarily took control of the mission, illustrating resistance to colonial religious and educational structures.

Source: https://www.nps.gov/places/la-purisima-mission.htm

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

How do physical spaces and their histories shape cultural memory and identity?
What impact did La Purísima’s rural location have on Indigenous communities?
In what ways did mission operations disrupt traditional Chumash lifeways?
Extension Questions: Can you think of modern spaces—churches, schools, monuments—whose design influences’ histories are remembered or forgotten?
How does There There reflect ongoing cultural displacement in California?

Standards Connection (State)

Standards Connections

Chumash history, Colonialism, Comparative studies, Cultural resilience, Intergenerational trauma, Missions, Native American literature, Place-based learning, Primary source analysis, Visual analysis

ELA Standard

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.2. Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis.

Social Studies Standard

HSS Standard 11.10.7. Describe the role of religious institutions in US social and political history.

NCTE Standard 2

Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions of human experience.

Instructional Design

This lesson uses visual and literary analysis to explore how place can both erase and affirm cultural identity. Begin by guiding students through a close study of the photograph of Mission La Purísima Concepción—the remote setting, serene architecture, and Colonial-era design. Ask students to consider: How do the environment and design communicate control, spirituality, or separation?
Next, provide a concise historical overview: the mission's role in converting Chumash peoples, the 1812 earthquake and 1813 relocation, and its legacy as a site of forced labor and cultural disruption. Encourage students to explore recent efforts at site restoration and public memory.
Students then read selected passages from Tommy Orange’s There There—specifically those that deal with intergenerational trauma, identity loss, and the struggle for cultural continuity among California Native communities. Through Pair-Share and journaling, students connect mission-era assimilation with modern urban Indigenous experiences, exploring how both stories involve “stolen spaces” and attempts at reclamation.
The culminating activity: Students craft a visual-literary synthesis. They choose a place—perhaps a local monument, school, or mission—and create a multimodal analysis, pairing an image of that place with a contemporary literary or poetic text. Each student presents how place, structure, and narrative interact to shape or challenge collective memory.
This approach fosters visual literacy, historical understanding, empathy, and critical thinking about how spaces reflect and shape identities—past and present.

Tags:

Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

Highsmith, Carol M. Mission San Miguel Arcángel is a Spanish mission in San Miguel, San Luis Obispo County, California. 2012. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013633483/.

Highsmith, Carol. Mission San Carlos Borromeo del rio Carmelo, Carmel Mission, Carmel, California. 2012. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013630541/.

Subject/Topic:

Mission San Antonio de Padua, Hunter Liggett Military Reservation

Lesson By

Dr. Michelle Fanara

Citation

Photochrom Co. Mission San Antonio. United States California, ca. 1898. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2008678178/.

Source Type

Photographs and Prints

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

Students begin with a silent visual analysis of the photograph, noting the arched façade, adobe walls, and isolated setting within what is now a military reservation. In pairs, they discuss how this location reflects both spiritual intent and settlement control. Next, they read Linda Hogan’s poem “History,” reflecting on themes of land, memory, and Indigenous erasure. Through discussion and journal writing, students explore how the mission’s imposing architecture and seclusion link to Hogan’s plea to “remember the land,” examining how spaces can simultaneously symbolize sanctity and colonization.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

Mission San Antonio de Padua was founded on July 14, 1771, by Father Junípero Serra as the third in California’s mission chain, built on Salinan lands in what is now Jolon, Monterey County. In 1773, the mission fathers and Salinan people relocated the site and constructed California’s first engineered aqueduct—bringing water from the San Antonio River for irrigation, bathing, and laundry—establishing one of the most complete mission-era water systems in California.

Source: https://californiamissionsfoundation.org/mission-san-antonio-de-padua/

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

How can a single image of Mission San Antonio de Padua reveal both its spiritual purpose and its role in colonial expansion?
What details in the photograph (e.g., architecture, setting, composition) communicate ideas of isolation, authority, or sanctity?
How might the mission’s placement within a military reservation influence our understanding of its historical significance?
Extension questions
1. How might pairing a photograph of a historic site with a poem reshape how we remember or question its legacy?
2. In what ways does the visual portrayal of the mission align with or contrast the land-centered imagery in Linda Hogan’s “History”?

Standards Connection (State)

Standards Connections

Cultural memory, Hogan, Linda, Indigenous literature, Literary analysis, Missions in literature, Place-based narratives , Poetry analysis, Primary source analysis, Symbolism in architecture , Thematic comparison, Visual literacy

ELA Standard

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful.

Social Studies Standard

HSS Standard 11.10.7. Describe the roles of religious institutions in U.S. social and political history.

NCTE Standard 3

Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts.

Instructional Design

This lesson explores how Mission San Antonio de Padua, though architecturally serene and secluded, represents both sacred intention and colonial assertion. Students begin with a guided visual analysis of the photo, observing the arched façade, adobe walls, and the mission’s isolated setting within a military reservation. As they analyze, students consider: How do physical places carry stories of spiritual intention and colonial conquest? What messages do the adobe walls and remote siting of the mission send about power and isolation?
Provide historical context, emphasizing that the mission was founded in 1771 on Salinan land and relocated in 1773 to construct California’s first engineered aqueduct. Discuss how its remote location reflects both missionary seclusion and strategic control over Indigenous lands.
Students then read Linda Hogan’s poem “History,” annotating for figurative language, especially natural imagery, to consider how Hogan’s poem uses land-based imagery to reclaim stolen landscapes. In small groups, students draw connections between Hogan’s land-centered voice and the mission’s visual presence, noting how each raises questions about memory, loss, and reclamation.
Bring the class together for a seminar-style discussion that asks: In what ways do poetry and photography work together to raise questions about cultural memory? Students share how built environments and poetic landscapes each communicate intertwined narratives of sanctity and erasure.
For assessment, students write a reflective essay pairing their observations of the photograph with analysis of Hogan’s poem, explaining how both texts illuminate the tensions between preservation and loss.
As an extension, students choose a local site—sacred, military, or commercial—photograph it, and compose an original poem or short narrative that uncovers hidden layers of story and memory, reflecting on how form and setting influence who is remembered.

Tags:

Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

Highsmith, Carol M. La Purisima Mission, Lompoc, California. 2012. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013632530/.

Subject/Topic:

Geography, history, social studies , Language, literature, folklore, Literature/informational text

Santa Inés Mission in Santa Ynez, California

Lesson By

Dr. Michelle Fanara

Citation

Highsmith, Carol M. Santa Inés Mission in Santa Ynez, California. 2013. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013631417/.

Source Type

Photographs and Prints

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

Students begin with silent visual analysis, focusing on the adobe façade, bell wall, and pastoral setting. In discussion pairs, they explore how the mission’s placement and design connote authority, sanctuary, and colonial presence. Next, they read Joy Harjo’s poem “Remember,” which evokes ancestral memory and deep connections to the land. Using guided marking, students analyze how Harjo’s imagery resonates with the mission’s setting. Finally, in reflective writing, students compare how the photograph and poem challenge or affirm each other’s portrayal of place, memory, and cultural erasure.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

Mission Santa Inés was founded on September 17, 1804, by Father Estévan Tápis to serve Chumash populations in the Santa Ynez Valley. After the 1812 earthquake, it became a seminary in 1844, underwent secularization in 1836, and was restored in the 20^th century by Capuchin Franciscans.

Source: https://missionsantaines.org/mission-history/

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

What is the first item you notice on the front of the mission?
How do the curved archways affect your view of this building?
What do you notice about the grounds around the building?
Extension questions:
1. How does the photograph of Mission Santa Inés convey the mission’s historical role, cultural impact, and relationship to the surrounding landscape
2. What visual details in the photograph suggest the mission’s purpose or authority?
3. How does the composition of the image—its framing, perspective, and background—shape our interpretation of the site’s significance?
4. What elements in the photograph might reflect both sacred intention and colonial influence?
5. How might photographing a space in your own community reveal similar or contrasting layers of history, identity, and cultural memory?

Standards Connection (State)

Standards Connections

Geography, history, social studies, Language, literature, folklore

ELA Standard
W.11–12.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Social Studies Standard
HSS Standard 11.3.2. Examine key issues in the development of the western United States, including the displacement of American Indians.

NCTE Standard 6
Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions, media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.

Instructional Design

Students begin with a silent visual analysis of the photograph of Mission Santa Inés, focusing on the adobe façade, bell wall, and pastoral surroundings. They should then consider: How do the architecture and landscape of Mission Santa Inés tell stories of sacredness and colonization? What does the bell wall reveal about the mission’s function and control?
After observations, provide historical context on the mission’s founding in 1804, its service to Chumash populations, its role as a seminary after the 1812 earthquake, and its eventual secularization and restoration. Discuss the Chumash experience and the mission’s place in broader patterns of Indigenous displacement in California.
Students then read Joy Harjo’s poem “Remember,” marking lines where land, memory, and identity intersect. In pairs, they compare Harjo’s land-centered vision with the mission’s physical presence in the Santa Ynez Valley, discussing: How does Joy Harjo’s poem link land, memory, and identity?
A Socratic seminar follows, centering on the question: In what ways do visual and literary texts shape our understanding of stolen sacred spaces? Students use both the photograph and Harjo’s poem as evidence, weighing how each represents memory, sacredness, and erasure.
For their culminating task, students create a multimodal reflection by pairing a photo they take of a local structure or landscape with a short poem or prose piece, revealing the layered cultural or historical meanings of that place. This synthesis helps students practice visual literacy, interpretive reading, and place-based storytelling while connecting the past to their own community spaces.

Tags:

Architectural analysis, Chumash history, Cultural memory, Harjo, Joy, Missions, Place-based storytelling, Poetry analysis, Primary source analysis, Rural California, Sacred spaces, Visual literacy

Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

Highsmith, Carol M. La Purisima Mission, Lompoc, California. 2012. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013632530/.

Subject/Topic:

Mission San Carlos Borroméo del Río Carmelo, Carmel, California

Lesson By

Dr. Michelle Fanara

Citation

Highsmith, Carol M. Mission San Carlos Borroméo del río Carmelo, Carmel, California. 2012. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013632109/.

Source Type

Photographs and Prints

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

Students examine the photograph, noting the mission’s iconic domed bell tower—the only original one remaining—and its Mediterranean-style architecture. In small groups, they discuss how the design conveys religious authority and civic presence. Next, students read Leslie Marmon Silko’s short story “Lullaby,” which portrays a Native American woman’s healing journey connected to the land. Students write a comparative reflection linking the mission’s physical legacy of colonial education with Silko’s narrative of cultural resilience and language as healing.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Río Carmelo was founded on June 3, 1770, by Father Junípero Serra and became the headquarters of Alta California’s Franciscan missions. Located in Carmel, it served as an educational and religious center with one of California’s earliest libraries, symbolizing the intersection of imperial authority, faith, and schooling for Indigenous communities.

Source: https://californiamissionsfoundation.org/mission-san-carlos-borromeo/

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

Overarching Question

How does the preserved architecture of Mission San Carlos Borromeo convey both religious authority and cultural impact, and what stories does it tell—or leave untold—about its history?

Supporting Questions

Which architectural elements in the photograph most strongly communicate the mission’s spiritual or institutional power?
How does the mission’s design and setting reflect its role in education and colonial expansion?
What emotional and cultural losses in Silko’s “Lullaby” parallel the histories connected to the mission?
How can visual and literary sources work together to challenge or complicate dominant historical narratives?

Extension Question

Choose a local landmark that represents authority, tradition, or community memory. How might you reinterpret it through a visual or written narrative to highlight the perspectives or histories that are often overlooked?

Standards Connection (State)

Standards Connections

Architectural analysis, Cultural memory, Indigenous resilience, Literature and place, Missions, Narrative reclamation, Native representation in literature, Primary source analysis, Short story analysis, Silko, Leslie Marmon, Visual literacy

ELA Standard
RI.11–12.7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.

Social Studies Standard
HSS Standard 11.1.3. Understand the roles of religion and ideology in the founding of the nation and in shaping its institutions and values.

NCTE Standard 2
Students read a wide range of literature from many periods and genres to build understanding of the many dimensions of human experience.

Instructional Design

Students begin with a close visual analysis of the photograph of Mission San Carlos Borromeo, focusing on architectural features such as the domed bell tower, arched entryways, and adobe construction. The teacher guides students to consider: How does this preserved architecture convey spiritual or institutional control? What stories are being told—or omitted—through its design and upkeep?
Historical context is provided, emphasizing the mission’s role as the headquarters of the Franciscan mission system and its dual function as a religious and educational center. Students discuss: How do places like Mission San Carlos reflect the intertwined power of faith and schooling in shaping cultural narratives?
Next, students read Leslie Marmon Silko’s short story “Lullaby,” annotating for natural imagery, tone, and intergenerational themes. In discussion, they connect the emotional and cultural loss portrayed in the story with the mission’s symbolic architecture. They examine how language, story, and memory serve as acts of cultural resistance and healing, contrasting with the mission’s visual assertion of authority.
Students then compose a comparative response—either as an analytical essay or a creative visual-narrative pairing—that links the themes of “Lullaby” to the mission’s structure. This may focus on how spiritual institutions contributed to erasure or how modern acts of remembrance reclaim these spaces.
For the creative extension, students photograph a local landmark and write an original narrative or poem that reimagines the site’s story, reclaiming or reframing its cultural significance.

Tags:

Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

Highsmith, Carol M. Old Mission San Juan Bautista in San Juan Bautista, a city in San Benito County, California. 2013. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013634732/.

Highsmith, Carol M. La Purísima Mission, Lompoc, California. 2012. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013632530/.

Subject/Topic:

Geography, history, social studies, Language, literature, folklore

Mission San Buenaventura, Ventura, California

Lesson By

Dr. Michelle Fanara

Citation

Highsmith, Carol M. Mission San Buenaventura, Ventura, California. 2012. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013631959/

Source Type

Photographs and Prints

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

Students begin by noting the mission’s central façade, bell tower, and lush landscaping. In pairs, they consider how these architectural features communicate spiritual influence, community identity, and colonial presence. Next, they read María Helena Viramontes’s short story “The Moths,” which explores themes of family, cultural heritage, and transformation. Students write a reflective response analyzing how physical spaces (the mission) and emotional spaces (Viramontes’s narrative) both serve as sites for education, memory, and personal growth.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

Mission San Buenaventura was founded on March 31, 1782, by Father Junípero Serra, the ninth and last mission established by him personally in Alta California. Situated within the traditional Chumash village of Mitsquanaqa’n, the mission became a center for religious instruction, agriculture, and craftsmanship. By the early 19^th century, an intricate aqueduct system built by Chumash laborers provided water to the mission’s orchards and gardens, sustaining its agricultural productivity.

Source: https://www.sanbuenaventuramission.org/history

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

Teacher’s Overarching Question:
What does the architecture of Mission San Buenaventura reveal about its historical purpose and cultural influence?

Supporting Questions:

How do the mission’s design elements—such as the façade, bell tower, and landscaping—communicate ideas of authority, faith, or community identity?
In what ways might the image idealize or omit aspects of the mission’s history?
How could the photo’s visual framing influence a viewer’s understanding of the mission’s role in the community?

Extension Question:
If you were tasked with photographing this mission today for a history textbook, what choices would you make to create a fuller and more inclusive narrative?

Standards Connection (State)

Standards Connections

Architectural rhetoric, Cultural heritage, Historical representation, Indigenous history, Narrative symbolism, Primary source analysis, Thematic analysis, Visual analysis, Visual-literary comparison

ELA Standard
RI.11–12.7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media to address a question or solve a problem.

Social Studies Standard
HSS Standard 11.1.3. Understand the roles of religion and ideology in shaping national institutions and values.

NCTE Standard 2
Read a wide range of literature across periods and genres to deepen understanding of human experience.

Instructional Design

Start by guiding students through a visual analysis of Mission San Buenaventura. Prompt them to identify architectural components—façade layout, courtyard, bell tower—and question how these elements frame missions as places of authority, faith, and community. Provide concise context about the mission’s establishment by Junípero Serra in 1782, its work with the Chumash people, and its role in education and agriculture (see The Library of Congress).
Introduce María Helena Viramontes’s “The Moths.” Before reading, preview key questions for discussion:
How do Viramontes’s symbols (e.g., the moths) reflect personal journeys of learning or transformation?
In what ways do the mission and the story converge on themes of empowerment or loss?
How might modern sites of learning or worship serve similar purposes of personal transformation or community identity?
Ask students to annotate the story for symbolic imagery—especially moths, familial guidance, and rites of passage. In small groups, students connect these literary symbols to visual clues in the mission photo that represent learning, spiritual growth, or cultural transmission.
For writing, students draft an analytical paragraph that synthesizes their observations: How do the visual and literary texts inform each other on themes of transformation? Have students support their ideas with both image details and text quotes.
To extend learning, students identify a modern institution (e.g., school, community center, library) and compare its structure and purpose with those of the mission. They write a brief reflection on how physical design and community function shape collective narratives.

Tags:

Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

Highsmith, Carol M. Mission San Miguel Arcángel is a Spanish mission in San Miguel, San Luis Obispo County, California. 2012. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013633483/.

Highsmith, Carol M. La Purísima Mission, Lompoc, California. 2012. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013632530/.

Subject/Topic:

Geography, history, social studies, Language, literature, folklore

Mission Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California

Lesson By

Dr. Michelle Fanara

Citation

Highsmith, Carol M. Mission Santa Cruz was a Spanish mission founded by the Franciscan order in present day Santa Cruz, California. 2012. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013632074/

Source Type

Photographs and Prints

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

Students begin by doing silent visual analysis of the photograph, noting architectural elements such as the adobe façade and Mission Hill setting. In pairs, they discuss how the mission’s positioning on a hill overlooking the river suggests both spiritual presence and displacement. Next, students read Joy Harjo’s poem “Remember,” which evokes ancestral memory and connection to place. In a reflective written response, students compare how the mission image and Harjo’s text each speak to themes of loss, spirituality, and reclaiming memory.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

Mission Santa Cruz was founded on August 28, 1791, by Father Fermín Francisco de Lasuén as the twelfth California mission, originally built on the San Lorenzo River floodplain before relocating uphill after repeated flooding; it served primarily the local Amah Mutsun (Ohlone) people and later fell into ruin after secularization, earthquake damage, and looting. An 1822–1824 adobe residence used by Indigenous families still survives at Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park.

Source: https://californiamissionsfoundation.org/mission-santa-cruz/

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

Teacher’s Overarching Question
What does the physical presentation of Mission Santa Cruz—its architecture, setting, and preservation—communicate about the history it represents?

Supporting Questions

What architectural and landscape features in the photograph suggest a specific narrative about the mission’s role in the community?
How does the image obscure or highlight the mission’s Indigenous history?
How might the photograph’s composition influence viewers’ perceptions of the mission’s significance?

Extension Question
If you were to create a new image of Mission Santa Cruz for a museum exhibit on Indigenous history, what visual elements would you include or change?

Standards Connection (State)

Standards Connections

Cultural memory, Displacement, Place narratives, Poetry analysis, Primary source analysis, Visual literacy

ELA Standard
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.

Social Studies Standard
HSS Standard 11.3.3: Analyze how the rise of big business and migration influenced the West, including the effects on Native American populations.

NCTE Standard 4
Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language to communicate effectively with different audiences and for different purposes.

Instructional Design

Begin the lesson by guiding students through a careful visual examination of the Mission Santa Cruz image. Prompt them to consider what messages are communicated through the mission’s placement on the hill and its architecture—how does its elevated position shape our reading of the space, and what might the style convey about spiritual authority or colonial presence? Provide a brief lecture that includes the founding date (1791), original riverside location, subsequent move due to flooding, and the significance to the Amah Mutsun people and the local pueblo of Branciforte that developed across the river.
Introduce Joy Harjo’s poem “Remember.” After reading, students annotate for poetic devices—imagery tied to land, repetition, and emotional tone—while considering how Harjo’s language reasserts Indigenous presence and memory. In pairs, they discuss how the poem creates an alternative memory space compared to the mission’s imposing architecture.
Bring the class together for a whole-group discussion that asks how visual and poetic representations invite us to remember or critique history. Encourage students to compare the photo’s architectural messaging with the poem’s lyrical reclamation of place and memory.
For assessment, students write a comparative reflection, citing at least two elements from the photo and two lines or devices in Harjo’s poem to support their analysis.
As an extension, students photograph a place in their own community—such as a neglected building or a local landmark—and write a short poem or narrative that restores memory to that space, connecting it back to the mission–poem interaction.

Tags:

Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

Highsmith, Carol M. Mission San Juan Bautista in San Juan Bautista, a city in San Benito County, California. 2013. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013634732/.

Highsmith, Carol M. Santa Inés Mission in Santa Ynez, California. 2013. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013631417/.

Subject/Topic:

Geography, history, social studies, Language, literature, folklore

Old Mission San Juan Bautista in San Juan Bautista

Lesson By

Dr. Michelle Fanara

Citation

Highsmith, Carol M. Old Mission San Juan Bautista in San Juan Bautista, a city in San Benito County, California. 2013. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013634732/.

Source Type

Photographs and Prints

Suggested Grade Band: Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12

Describe How Students Will Engage with the Source

Students begin with a silent visual analysis of the mission—its hillside perch, garden courtyard, and bell wall. In pairs, they discuss how these features suggest both religious presence and colonial visibility. Next, students listen to or read Kim Shuck’s “This River,” annotating imagery and tone that evoke interconnectedness with place and loss. In reflective writing, they link the poem’s river as metaphor for memory with the mission’s physical legacy to explore themes of erasure and reclamation.

Historical/Community Context for the Primary Source

Mission San Juan Bautista, founded on June 24, 1797 by Father Fermín Francisco de Lasuén, was one of the final missions built in Alta California. Nestled in the Pajaro Valley, it became a hub for regional agriculture and Chalon Ohlone community life. Its gardens and bell tower served both religious and civic functions before secularization.

Source: https://californiamissionsfoundation.org/mission-san-juan-bautista/

Instructional Focus Question(s) for Discussion

Teacher’s Overarching Question
What does the photograph of Mission San Juan Bautista reveal about the mission’s historical role and presence within the surrounding community?

Supporting Questions

How do the mission’s architectural elements—such as the bell wall, courtyard, and adobe structure—convey its intended purpose?
What does the mission’s placement within the landscape suggest about its visibility and influence?
Which visual details hint at the cultural, social, or economic interactions that may have occurred here?

Extension Question
How might you pair a local place—perhaps a river, path, or building—with a literary or artistic response that reclaims its memory?

Standards Connection (State)

Standards Connections