What does it tell you? Activity 2

You can gain a lot of information from pictures. These images are from a Victorian book called "London, a pilgrimage" dated 1872. They were illustrated by a man named Gustaf Dore and show an exaggerated view of London life. Click on each picture to see a larger version.

Click to enlarge (46kb)

Click to enlarge (55kb)

These images are used in an activity that helps to refine research skills. The students will be expected to extract information about Victorian Britain through looking closely at the pictures and using three questions to help focus their thoughts and opinions.

Teachers' notes and activity

This activity is a prelude to formal research. It will help the children focus on what they want to find out, discover what they already know and make their research personal to themselves. It will discourage children from feeling overwhelmed by so much information about Victorian Britain.

Activity

1. Click here to download the page frame in Microsoft Word format. Print the page, then enlarge it by 200% on the photocopier so that there is enough space for the students to write in their answers.
2. Print the large copies of the pictures provided above (click on each image for the large version).
3. Glue the pictures in the middle boxes.
4. Demonstrate how to fill in the frame, then give a sheet to the students for them to fill in.

(This activity is ideal for any of the images provided in this topic on Words Alive!)

Give the children the page frame with the two pictures and ask them to answer the following questions in the appropriate spaces.

>> Question 1 (Squares)
What does the picture tell me? (Do not put any assumptions)
For example: What are the living conditions? What they are doing? What they are wearing?

>> Question 2 (Circles)
What do I think it tells me? (Write down assumptions)
For example: Why are they there? Where are they exactly? Why are they homeless?

>> Question 3 (Write a list at the bottom of the page)
What doesn't the picture tell me?
For example: Who are they? Why are the children alone? Why are they sitting on the floor? Why don't they have shoes?

It is advisable to demonstrate how to fill in the form before the pupils do this in groups.

Here are some of the things that answer the questions and can be written into the circles and squares as an example of some of the things to look for.

Q1 Squares
They have no shoes.
They are homeless.
They live and sleep in places that are overcrowded.
The place looks dirty.
They look unhappy.

Q2 Circles
I think they are hungry.
I think they need help.
I think they don't like living in this place.
I think they are people who haven't got jobs.

Q3
It doesn't tell me why they are not inside the houses.
It doesn't tell me how many people live in one house.
It doesn't tell me why the clothes are hanging on the line.
It doesn't tell me where the parents of the children are.

Question three is to help the children focus their research. It will help them formulate two or three questions that they would like to have answered, these will be the basis of their research. Encourage them to use books, newspapers and other resources to find the answers to their questions.

For example, they may wish to examine
1. Why the people are sitting on the streets?
2. Where was this happening?

An extension activity could be to focus on citizenship and discuss whether this could happen in Britain in the twenty-first century and if it could happen in any other country. Discuss ways in which society can try to stop this.