Histories of Art, Race and Empire: 1492-1865

Teaching Strategies

Object Investigation and Mapping

Object investigation and mapping will be essential in uncovering historical context for a text. As Ulrich et al. notes, “just about any tangible thing can be pressed into service as primary historical evidence.”⁵² While showing off either actual objects or photographs of objects and artifacts, students will write down the object name and create a quick, rough sketch of the object. On to one side teachers can have them write down two to three emotions that the objects make them feel. They will draw a circle around these words. Then, teachers can start off with “a basic set of questions: What is it? Who made it? How did it get here? What is it worth?”⁵³ You can continue with asking about the material the object is made from, where it came from, and who would value the object and why. These questions will allow students to wonder which is something they need to do in the classroom– to feel free to be curious, no right or wrong, pure exploration. Students should bullet point in a list of quick answers to the questions you provide off to the other side of the rough sketch, drawing a box around their answers. Next, have students look at an object from many angles and then close their eyes and picture it or the environment with all their senses, imagining how the object would feel and smell like, and employ the sensations of taste and sound if applicable to the object on display. On the top of the rough sketch and inside a triangle, students should write down sensory ideas and words. Down below the image, students quickly write narrative surrounding the object, unlocking possibilities and new ways of looking at things. Encourage them to have as much fun with this; they can be humorous or dark or a matter of fact with their approach. This should be four to five sentences. Then have them draw a scalloped circle around this. This strategy will be a visual brainstorming and mapping exercise that can be done informally in small groups or individually, depending on your students’ needs. Because of its exploratory nature, object investigation and mapping is just that: an easy, visual way for students to open their minds to what these objects can represent about a time and place.

Visual Thinking Strategies: Three Simple Questions

For images and illustrations from the witchcraft pamphlets, I will use the strategy “Three Simple Questions.” Ask the following questions about an image: What's going on in this picture? What makes you say that? What else can we find?⁵⁴ These questions are low stakes and can be easily answered by anyone – even a student who may not be paying attention at the moment. It will allow them to focus on the narrative being created in the image and the stereotypes that are being reinforced in these illustrations. Three Simple Questions is a common technique used when dissecting a visual work, but, as said before, this strategy is not intimidating for students, allowing for maximum participation. Students will answer these three questions in their notes in small groups. For example, when showing an image from a witchcraft pamphlet, before walking them through a full analysis, students in their groups will already come up with their ideas of what the story is behind the image and what details make them think so. They should come up with one additional interesting element and their interpretation for it. Each group will share their findings, and then we can start analyzing as a whole class, teachers pointing out any information that was missed.

Fictional Museum Curation

With any piece of literature, you can ask students to curate a fictional museum. Have students focus on a particular character and find objects mentioned in the text to use for their curation. They can write a label for each object and a rationale for why that object was chosen to represent their character and what it reveals about them. Authors use objects in a text to aid in understanding what a character is doing, essentially a prop encased in a text's imagery. These objects can be tied to a character’s identity, they can be symbolic, or they can show us their status in society– the possibilities are endless. Since this unit focuses on objects and artifacts to understand historical context and characterization and resistant reading, a fiction museum curation will tie all this together and will allow for a true character study and exploration of the author's purpose. Teachers can use this opportunity to have students pull quotes from the text to pair with the chosen objects to help further understanding of characterization. Students should also think about where their exhibition will be displayed in the museum and what would be displayed next to it with a reason why. This strategy will be exemplified in the Classroom Activities section.