Teaching with Objects and Photographs Supporting and Enhancing Your Curriculum

MATHERS MUSEUM of World Cultures

... who?
This guide is for all teachers who wish to enhance their curriculum by incorporating objects and photographs into their lesson plans. Kindergarten, elementary, middle school, and high schoolclassrooms can all benefit from expanded use of these rich materials.

... what?
Objects. Everyday or exotic; from our culture and time period or others; large or small. Photographs. Formal or informal; historic or modern;6 commercial or personal.

... when?
You don’t need to set aside special time for using objects and photographs in your classroom, or insert yet another curriculum unit into your schedule for the year. Incorporating these tools into existing units and lesson plans adds a new dimension to the curriculum you already use.

... where?
Everywhere—particularly in the classroom. Working with objects and photos doesn’t need to be restricted to field trips, and in fact the more focused environment of the classroom allows students to explore these materials in rigorous and rewarding ways.

... why?
Teaching with objects and photographs enhances your curriculum in a variety of ways. These materials can engage students who don’t always respond to written materials; they can be used to reinforce material covered in other media; they can connect students with their own environment and culture, as well as with other cultures. Teaching with objects and photographs creates a direct, sensory connection between learners and their subjects that results in new levels of interest and attention.

... how?
This guide is devoted to how you can incorporated objects and photographs into your teaching.

Download
Download Teaching with Objects and Photographs in pdf format here. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader v4.0 or higher to access these files. If you don't already have this on your computer, click here for information and free download file:

Front material Cover, contents list, and suggestions for busy teachers on where to look first	62 kb
Teaching with Objects and Photographs Introduction, approaches, steps to take, plus glossary, notes, suggested sources	242 kb
Teacher Resources: Introduction Diagram, lesson summaries, teaching collection list	305 kb
Teacher Resources: Lessons 1 through 4 Describing, classifying, interpreting, and exploring objects	27 kb
Teacher Resources: Lesson 5 Family photos	7 kb
Teacher Resources: Lesson 6 Jackson Market photo	179 kb
Teacher Resources: Lesson 7 Native American photos	641 kb
Teacher Resources: Lesson 8 Ku Klux Klan photo	441 kb
Teacher Resources: Forms Object and photograph information forms for older & younger students.	11 kb

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