OUR HISTORICAL MOMENT INQUIRY
Examining Historical Setting
DAY 1 ACTIVITY
15-20 Minutes

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Look at images for details about their setting
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Identify your own setting

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Paper or notebook
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Writing tool
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“My Setting” handout (optional)
THIS WEEK

We’re thinking about
the question:
"How can I capture where I am in time and place?"
Your challenge this week is to create a “Here and Now Snapshot” to represent your setting in words and images.
Let's Get Started!

Have you ever thought about what someone 20, 30, or even 100 years from now would think about young people?
Guess what… someday in the future, someone might look at the things you’ve created and wonder about you.

Let’s think like historians by looking at historical setting.
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historical setting:
describes where and when something took place
What can we learn about life in the past by looking at the historical setting of each picture below?

CLICK TO EXPAND
What can we guess about this picture’s historical setting (where and when the picture took place)? Look for details that give you clues about where and when the photo was taken.
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Who: Who is in this picture? What are they wearing? How do you think they are connected to each other?
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What: What objects do you see? What activities do you see?
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Where: What’s in the background? Is this inside or outside?
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When: What time of day do you think it is? What season could it be? Do you think this is today or long ago?

CLICK TO EXPAND
What can we guess about this picture’s historical setting (where and when the picture took place)? Look for details that give you clues about where and when the photo was taken.
-
Who: Who is in this picture? What are they wearing? How do you think they are connected to each other?
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What: What objects do you see? What activities do you see?
-
Where: What’s in the background? Is this inside or outside?
-
When: What time of day do you think it is? What season could it be? Do you think this is today or long ago?

CLICK TO EXPAND
What can we guess about this picture’s historical setting (where and when the picture took place)? Look for details that give you clues about where and when the photo was taken.
-
Who: Who is in this picture? What are they wearing? How do you think they are connected to each other?
-
What: What objects do you see? What activities do you see?
-
Where: What’s in the background? Is this inside or outside?
-
When: What time of day do you think it is? What season could it be? Do you think this is today or long ago?

Your challenge this week: Create a “Here and Now Snapshot” to represent your setting at this time.
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Today, you will complete the first step of the challenge!

Record the who, what, where, and when of your historical setting on paper (or use the “My Setting” handout if you like).
You don’t have to write about this exact moment – you can think back to a moment from your day that really captures your life right now.
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WHO is with you?
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WHAT is going on?
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WHERE are you?
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WHEN is it?