This useful ‘aide memoire’ put together by Ann Moore, allows teachers to engage their pupils in observing a picture or artefact more closely than if they were asked general questions.
Over time, children will begin to ask and answer these questions themselves
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Historical Questions to ask about Pictures and Photographs
- What can you can see in this picture / photograph?
- Can you describe what the people are wearing?
- Do people wear clothes like this nowadays?
- What do you think the people in the picture / photograph are doing?
- Do people do this sort of thing nowadays?
- If not, what do they do instead?
- Some of the objects you can see in the picture are still around today. What are they?
- What objects are there in the picture / photograph that we don’t see nowadays?
- Do you think this picture is old, very old, modern?
- What makes you think this?
- How can we find out when this picture was painted / taken?
- How can we find out who took this picture?
- Why do you think it is important to find these things out?
- Why do you think this picture / photograph was taken/ painted?
- Do you think this picture was posed? Can we trust it?
- What do you think the people were feeling when the picture was painted / taken?
- Would you have wanted to be in this picture?
- Does this picture give us enough evidence and how people lived in those days?
- What other types of evidence do you think we need?
- Where can we find this evidence?
Historical Questions to ask about Pictures and Photographs
- What can you can see in this picture / photograph?
- Can you describe what the people are wearing?
- Do people wear clothes like this nowadays?
- What do you think the people in the picture / photograph are doing?
- Do people do this sort of thing nowadays?
- If not, what do they do instead?
- Some of the objects you can see in the picture are still around today. What are they?
- What objects are there in the picture / photograph that we don’t see nowadays?
- Do you think this picture is old, very old, modern?
- What makes you think this?
- How can we find out when this picture was painted / taken?
- How can we find out who took this picture?
- Why do you think it is important to find these things out?
- Why do you think this picture / photograph was taken/ painted?
- Do you think this picture was posed? Can we trust it?
- What do you think the people were feeling when the picture was painted / taken?
- Would you have wanted to be in this picture?
- Does this picture give us enough evidence and how people lived in those days?
- What other types of evidence do you think we need?
- Where can we find this evidence?
Historical Questions to ask about Artefacts
Physical Features
- What colour is it?
- What does it smell like?
- What does it sound like?
- What does it look like?
- What does it feel like?
- What material is it made of?
- Is it natural or ‘man’ made?
- Has it been altered, adapted or mended?
- What makes you think it is old / modern / very old?
- Do you like it?
Construction
- Is it hand-made or machine made?
- How has it been put together
- What type of person might have made this?
Function
- How has the object been used and what clues tell you about its use?
- Has its use changed over time?
- Was the object used for practical or decorative functions?
- What sort of person might have used it?
- Would the owners have been rich, poor, middle class, workers etc?
Value
- How much do you think it is worth?
Category
What sort of category could you put these objects in?
- same material
- same colour
- same place to find it
- similar purpose
- same type of owner
- same value
