file:///home/chronos/u-2a2c7ad85d50fd1aa4c552165b7283f10af8e5a2/MyFiles/Downloads/Brown%20Scrapbook%20Museum%20of%20History%20Infographic.pdf
(Use the link that says the "infographic", if that does not work feel free to copy and paste the link below it into a browser to view the inforgraphic.)
Above is the link to my infographic that poses as a visual aid for the potential text my students may have to read about the 1920's time period in America and how that decade (and the events/movements that unfolded within it) had long lasting affects on the United States government and its' people. While creating this visual aid, I used the scrapbook app "Canvas" for assistance which allowed for process of matching pictures to the text very accessible. Ensuring I had pictures that matched the text accordingly was really important to me during this process. Students will often use picture clues when learning new information or when they come across a vocabulary word that they do not know. Presenting the pictures that accurately represent the content that I intend for my students to learn will create a greater accessibility to material for students on various reading levels. Having access to actual footage of a specific time period for a social studies teacher is additionally exciting because it allows for the teacher to introduce the picture as a primary source to the students.
Photos and visual aids in the classroom can be used as a front loading activity prior to reading the text. Presenting the photo without context will encourage students to search for details within the photo and ask questions about what different parts of the image means. Instructing students to ask questions about a photo without context prior will foster their curiosity for when the material is presented. A student's comprehension of the text is highly important for understanding the content and often picture clues can aid in that. A student's engagement in the text or the activity in the classroom is also of high importance. Presenting visual aids in "pictures first" society can create also accomplish the engagement piece. Viewing the pictures deepened my understanding of the text in a way I might not have understood it prior by helping me conceptualize what the time period looked like physically. When looking at a car from the 1920's, rather than just reading about how Americans could afford cars for the first time, created a compare and contrast thought process for me. I was able to think critically about how a 1920's car looks different from the cars we use today. Back then, when the average American began purchasing a car it was labeled as mass consumerism but today the purchase of a car for the average American is a commonplace activity. More than comprehension, students being able to critically think about a text is a significant skill that can be utilized in various content areas, as well as outside of the classroom.
