Basic 1 · History · Why and How We Study History
Photographs Tell Us About the Past
In this topic you will learn that photographs help us to find out about the past.
By the end of these notes you should be able to:
- Explain what historical evidence is
- Use photographs to learn about the past
- Arrange photographs from oldest to newest
What you already know
- Past events in my life
Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.
- Strand
- History as a Subject
- Sub-strand
- Why and How We Study History
- Indicator
- B1.1.1.1.2 – Describe how sources of historical evidence help us find out about past human activities
Introduction
Ama's mother has a photo album. It has pictures of Ama as a baby and at her birthdays. The photos show Ama's past.
1. Evidence
Evidence: Things that show us what happened in the past.
Photographs are one kind of evidence.
2. What Photographs Show
- how people looked
- what people wore
- events like birthdays and festivals
- how places looked long ago
3. Oldest to Newest
In an album, the oldest photo comes first.
Example
Put these photos in order: Ama at age 6, Ama as a baby, Ama at age 3.
- The baby photo is the oldest.
- Next is age 3.
- Last is age 6.
Answer: Baby, age 3, age 6.
New words
- evidence
- Things that show what happened in the past.
- photograph
- A picture taken with a camera.
- album
- A book for keeping photographs.
- oldest
- Made or taken the longest time ago.
Summary
- Evidence shows us what happened in the past.
- Photographs are evidence of past events.
- We arrange photos from oldest to newest.
Class activity: Class Album
- Look at the old family photographs your teacher brought.
- Say what each photo shows about the past.
- Arrange them from oldest to newest.
You need: Old family photographs, Clay pot or calabash, Exercise books
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Which tells us about the past?
- A. A photograph
- B. A cloud
- C. A song on the radio today
- D. The wind
Show answer
Answer: A photographPhotos show past events.2. A book for keeping photographs is an…
- A. Album
- B. Exercise book
- C. Atlas
- D. Bible
Show answer
Answer: AlbumWe keep photos in albums.3. Photographs are evidence.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueThey show what happened.4. In an album, the newest photo comes first.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: FalseThe oldest comes first.5. Things that show what happened in the past are ______.
Show answer
Answer: evidenceThat is the meaning of evidence.6. Write one thing a photograph can show about the past.
Show answer
Answer: E.g. what people wore.Photos record how things looked.
Homework
- Look at an old family photograph with an adult. Ask who and what is in it.