A focused question to begin the lesson offers students a target so that they can offer and capitalize on their original hunches as tentative answers. As the teacher and class work through the lesson, narrowly focused questions get students to build specific skills and a process of thinking. The process of asking these questions follows a series of steps. Introduction of the Photograph Tell students the context of the photograph in the state or local history course. Ask Students Questions That Will Lead Them to Draw Inferences Students should use their observations as clues to go beyond the data and to put what they see together and make educated guesses.
Students gather more information to support or modify their conclusions.
The teacher leads students in a review of the process, and they focus upon questions and thinking skills. Step one involves orienting students to the context in which the photograph was taken and its use at the specific period of time that they are studying in the state or local history course. At step two, the teacher poses key questions. In step three, the teacher asks students to identify or label each person, group, or object in the photograph. During step four, the students describe the relationships between people and objects, comparing and contrasting what they see.