as students conclude the first segment of hss125, they will be analyzing a series of artifacts from the period 1750-1850. today in class, we worked together using an oil lamp and created a presentation to help them see that visual media can actually WORK WITH the topic to help underscore central themes and issues. by developing a three point outline, students reinforced salient concepts using this example...and will thus turn their attention to their own specific projects.
here's what we dreamed up:
clear glass material
cold/hot to the touch
parlor…idea of darkness
compare/contrast to other oil lamps
whale oil industry
sperm whales killed in great quantity
pacific ocean focused
pass out of fashion/sustainability
and from there, we drew up slides and worked up some visuals...i've put together a demonstration slide that looks like this...
and here's the whiteboard in the room with some of our scribbles on it...
not bad for less than an hour's brainstorm.