In the guided museum program Who was John F. Kennedy?, elementary students explore the museum galleries as biographers. The following activity is adapted from the “biographer’s notebook” used in this program.
Rationale:
Biographers use photographs to learn more about their subjects and to convey important information to their readers. Investigating a photograph allows students to sharpen their observational skills and have a first-hand experience in historical research.The questions below challenge students to consider historical context as they analyze the photograph. When students wonder about the circumstances underlying a photograph, they are laying the groundwork for further research.
For photographs from the Kennedy Presidential Library archives, go to www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Image+Galleries/
For additional materials on analyzing photographs and other primary source material, go to http://archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/photo_analysis_worksheet.pdf
For a biography of John F. Kennedy, including photographs, go to www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Biographies+and+Profiles/Biographies/John+F.+Kennedy+The+35th+President+of+the+United+States+Page+2.htm .
Materials:
Copies of the photograph:
John F. Kennedy (Jack) with fellow members of the Muckers Club at the Choate School. Left to right: Ralph Horton, Lem Billings, Butch Schriber, and John F. Kennedy. (c. 1934)
For a PDF version of this picture click here. (pdf)
Information for Teachers
Photograph:
This photograph was taken around 1934 during Jack’s high school years at the Choate School in Connecticut. He was about 17 years old at the time. With snow in the background, the photograph was probably taken on school grounds in the winter or early spring. In a relaxed pose, Jack and his three friends, Ralph “Rip” Horton, Lem Billings, and Butch Schriber (left to right), appear at ease with one another, as young friends might be for the camera. Jack and his companions are dressed in the fashion of the time for boys attending an elite boarding school. Notice how all the young men are wearing shirts and ties, and sporting hairstyles of the era. Jack’s face seems somewhat pale and thin, perhaps from a recent illness; his poor health plagued him throughout his life. Notice, too, how he holds a golf club in his hand. He was a member of the golf team and also played football and basketball at Choate.
Additional background information:
Joseph Kennedy sent both Jack and his older brother, Joe, Jr., to Choate, a private boarding school, during the Great Depression. These four friends, with several others, formed a club called the Muckers, a name they adopted after the headmaster used this term to rebuke boys he considered “troublemakers” in the school. In his senior year, Jack was nearly expelled from Choate for his antics as a Mucker, but after disbanding the group, he was allowed to stay. He graduated in the middle of his class, and was named “most likely to succeed” by his classmates.
Procedure:
This activity is comprised of three parts: observing, making inferences, and posing questions.
1. Observing: Have students observe the photograph closely for at least two minutes. You may want to have magnifying glasses available to examine the photograph. Show them a photograph folded into quadrants. Ask them to look at each quadrant of their own photograph. Discuss the following questions: What do you notice in each part of the photograph? Can you find John F. Kennedy? How old do you think he is? What other people do you see? What objects do you notice? What is the setting?
2. Making inferences: What do you think is happening in this photograph? What do you think happened right before it was taken? What do you think happened right afterwards? What does this picture tell you about John F. Kennedy?
3. What does this photograph make you wonder about? (You can model a question here – i.e, “I wonder who these other people are in the photograph?”) What questions do you have about the photograph and the people in it? How might you find the answers to these questions?
Evaluation:
How closely did the students observe the photograph? Did they identify John F. Kennedy? Did they notice details such as the golf club and the boy holding a pair of spectacles? Did they notice other details of clothing and appearance? Were their inferences based on their observations? If they have prior knowledge of Kennedy, did they use it to form their inferences?Were they curious about the photograph? Were they able to generate a variety of questions? Did their questions reflect critical thinking? How might their questions lead to further research?
Extension:
Have students research biographies of John F. Kennedy to see if they can locate the photograph and find out more about it. See JFK’s biography at http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical%20Resources/Biographies%20and%20Profiles/ for more information about his experience at Choate. Additional resources on John F. Kennedy’s high school years include Jack by Ilene Cooper, A Twilight Struggle by Barbara Harrison and Daniel Terris and John F. Kennedy: His Life and Legacy by Shelly Sommer.