Professional Documents
Culture Documents
LEARNING GOALS
Central question: Central Question: How did different people react to
the building of the transcontinental railroad?
Students will be able to… K-4 Benchmark II-C: Students will be able to do
Describe how environments, this by analyzing images
both natural and man-made, that show two different
have influenced people and reactions to the building of
events over time, and the transcontinental
describe how places change. railroad
Students will be able to… K-4 Benchmark II-C: Students will be able to do
Be familiar with aspects of this by activating their
human behavior and man- prior knowledge, and
made and natural learning how the
environments in order to transcontinental railroad
recognize their impact on the changed the lives of all
past and present. people living in the United
States through the lesson I
teach and using the
enhancements of the
lesson and with media.
ASSESSMENTS
Type of assessment Connection to learning goals: 2-3 sentences explaining
how this assessment addresses the learning goal(s) you
identify above.
Making the content I will help all students engage productively in the lesson
accessible to all students: by activating prior knowledge by asking the students to
Describe how you will help tell me what they remember about the transcontinental
ALL students engage railroad. From what they remember I will expand their
productively in the lesson. knowledge about the transcontinental railroad. I don't
This includes identifying just assume that they have a lot of prior knowledge I will
assumptions made during the ask them what they remember and adjust my lesson. By
lesson about students’ prior modeling for the students I am not assuming that they
experiences, knowledge, and have the capabilities to analyze an image and be able to
capabilities; making the answer leveled questions I will show them how to do it. I
representations, explanations, will make the vocabulary accessible and meaningful to
and/or vocabulary accessible all students by defining words they don't understand. I
and meaningful to all will make connections to personal, cultural, and social
students; and making experiences by having them recognize there are multiple
connections to students’ sides of history and just because something being done is
personal, cultural, and social good for one group of people it is not necessarily good
experiences during the lesson, for all people.
if appropriate.
INSTRUCTIONAL SEQUENCE
Materials: List the materials ● Flip chart- contains images, information, and
you will need and the videos.
materials the students will ● Assessment worksheet
need. Include image citation ● Image Citations:
(title, artist, the date or time ○ “Indian Tribes in 1868”
period in which it was http://www.nairiok.org/files/images/Indian
created, and the source battles.jpg
where you found the image). ○ “Trains meeting at Promontory Summit,
Utah,” 1869.
https://amhistory.si.edu/onthemove/collect
ion/object_370.html
○ “Map of the Great Transcontinental
Railroad 1875”
https://i.pinimg.com/474x/f9/1f/23/f91f23
65451a38262ca41882f6ea6d14--the-
railroad-transcontinental-railroad-
activities.jpg
○ “Cheyenne Indians tearing up the tracks of
the Union Pacific R.R.” 1867. J. Gogolin
https://dp.la/exhibitions/exhibits/show/tran
scontinental-railroad/human-
impact/native-americans
Time Steps describing what the teacher and students will Notes and reminders: Include
frame: do/say management considerations as well
For each Include how you will launch the discussion; the as possible student responses and
step, observation, inference, and interpretation/evaluation follow-up discussion moves you
indicate questions you will ask; the discussion moves you may use; could use.
how and how you will wrap up and assess student learning.
many
minutes For each image, write 2- 3 questions for each kind of
you question (observation, inference,
think it interpretation/evaluation).
will take. OBSERVATION: questions that draw students’ attention to
literally noting descriptive details inside & outside the
image.
INFERENCE: Ask questions that enable students to
generate ideas or make inferences based on details noticed.
INTERPRETATION/EVALUATION: Ask questions that
prompt students to consider how the picture helps them
think about the central question, share hypotheses they
have, or evaluate the author’s perspective or bias. These
are the “so what” kinds of questions that prompt students
to draw conclusions about the central question, often by
comparing.
8 Image 1 Questions
minutes Trains meeting at Promontory Summit, Utah, 1869, on Key details for students to notice
the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. and for me to follow up on:
Observation Questions: ● Promontory Summit, Utah
● Where did this picture take place? ● Celebrating the completion
● .What are the men doing in this picture? of the transcontinental
● When was this picture taken? railroad
Inference Questions: ● 1869
● Who are the people in this picture? ● The people who worked on
● How do you think the people in this picture are the railroad and the
feeling? presidents of the Union
● Why would the men in the picture be shaking Pacific and the Central
hands? Pacific.
Interpretation/Evaluation Questions: ● Happy due to the fact their
● What do you think the people from this picture project is done and they
thought about the transcontinental railroad made a lot of money
● What does the completion of the railroad signify building it.
for these people? ● They are celebrating the
completion of the railroad
and is signifying the union
of their two railroad tracks.
● They were supportive of the
railroad.
● Signified easier westward
expansion.
8 Image 2 Questions
minutes “Cheyenne Indians tearing up the tracks of the Union Key details for students to notice
Pacific R.R.” 1867. J. Gogolin and for me to follow up on:
Observation Questions: ● Burning of the railroad
● Who are the people in this image? ● The bones of the buffalo.
● When was this image created? How skinny the men and the
● What are the people doing in this image? horses are.
Inference Questions: ● How they are taking apart
● How are the people in this image feeling? the railroad.
● Why are these people doing what they are doing in ● The stance of the Native
this image? Americans, defensive.
● What do the bones in this image represent?
Interpretation/Evaluation Questions:
● What do you think the people from this picture
thought about the transcontinental railroad
● What does the completion of the railroad signify
for the these people?
5 Compare Images 1 & 2 and revisit the Central
minutes Question
Interpretation/Evaluation Questions:
● How do these two images differ from one another?
● What viewpoints are these two images showing
you of the transcontinental railroad?
Reflection on Teaching. With regard to I think I was able to engage the whole
your facilitation of a whole-class discussion, class in a discussion and had them
what do you think went well? What do you collaborate while analyzing the images.
think could be improved? Connect to For example, when one student would ask
relevant course readings. a question about the image I would have
the other students work together to try and
answer that question. I think what needed
improving is my ways of getting the class
to focus on who is talking instead of
talking to each other at their table groups.
Next steps: Share one to two concrete I think if I were to teach this lesson again
examples of something you would do next to I would split the question sheet up so that
support your students’ learning or improve one group would work with one image
your facilitation of discussion. and answer one question with a lot of
detail and reasoning. Then when every
group had answered their question they
would present their answer to the class. So
they would be able to debate the answer
they think is the best making them support
their answer with evidence. This would
control the classroom a little better and
would also keep the students more
engaged. I would also include a
vocabulary list that would consist of: pro
and con, differ, observation questions,
inference questions, and interpretation
questions. This would help the students
understand my assessment questions more
and help them build their vocabulary.
** Attach all images and any handouts, worksheets, and assessments you plan to use with the
students to this instructional plan.
Name:
Visual Inquiry
Trains meeting at Promontory Summit, Utah, 1869, on the completion of the first
transcontinental railroad.
“Cheyenne Indians tearing up the tracks of the Union Pacific R.R.” 1867. J. Gogolin
s
Central Question: How did different people react to the building of the transcontinental
railroad?
What do you think is happening in the first picture?
What do you think the people from image 1's thoughts were about the transcontinental railroad
were based off of this image?
What do you think the people from image 2's thoughts were about the transcontinental railroad
based on this image?
Do these images help you answer the central question? Why or why not?
Central Question: How did different people react to the building of the transcontinental
railroad?
Student Work Samples: