National Museum of the U.S. Navy

Objectives

Students will:

• Use photographs as primary sources.
• Understand events at Pearl Harbor using the selected photographs as primary sources.
• Understand that photographs are only one of many tools for historical research.

Materials

• "Sailors at Ford Island watch as USS Shaw explodes, 7 December, 1941"; – Photograph # 80-G-19948
• "USS West Virginia sunk and burning at Pearl Harbor, 7 December, 1941" – Photograph # NH 97398
• "Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack, 7 December, 1941" – Photograph #80-G-40056

Small Group Exercise / Activities

Divide students into groups of 3-4 and distribute copies of the three photographs to each group. Have students compare and contrast the photographs and discuss the following questions.

Can you describe what is happening in the photographs? What do these photographs illustrate?

• If you were at home reading the newspaper the day after Pearl Harbor was attacked, upon seeing these photographs, what would your reaction be? Would you be angry? Sad? Joyful? Who would you be thinking of?
• Can you put the photos in the order of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor?

Students should jot down their ideas on the same piece of paper as the photograph.

Ask students to imagine themselves as newspaper editors responsible for writing captions for each photograph to be published the following day.