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In a hurry? Save or print these Collection Connections as a single file.
Go directly to the collection, Architecture and Interior Design for 20th Century America: Photographs by Samuel Gottscho and William Schleisner , 1935-1955, in American Memory, or view a Summary of Resources related to the collection.
1) Paragraphs, Postcards, and Plots
Surf
Club, Long Island, NY, Aug. 1, 1947 |
Because the content of this collection is so extensive, students can select an image on a
topic that interests them and do one or more of the following activities:
- Write a descriptive paragraph about the scene portrayed. The paragraph should
include sights, sounds, and other sensory details.
- Use the image as a postcard and write a message on the back to a friend or family
member back home.
- Use the image as a setting or plot starter for a short story.
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For example, students might search
on beach or amusement parks. Browse the
Subject Index to find
a variety of topics to investigate.
2) Tour Book
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Ask students to write a travel article about a sightseeing visit to one of the places
in New York City represented in the collection. Students can include the image in
their article. Volunteers can compile the articles to create a tour book of the city.
Suggested destinations might include buildings, parks, statues and monuments,
theaters, and gardens. The tour book can also include advertisements based on
photographs of retail stores or restaurants.
For example, students might
search on Empire State
Building, Rockefeller Center, midtown, 5th Avenue, and Schrafft's.
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Rockefeller
Center, Atlas Statue, Dec. 19, 1940 |
3) A "Many-Storied" Report
Images of skyscrapers can be used as the basis for preparing oral reports. Invite
students to work in small groups to report on the building of skyscrapers in New York
City. Suggest that the report have three parts and that members work together to
prepare the following:
- history of skyscraper building in New York City
- architectural designs for skyscrapers (images with descriptions of differences and similarities)
- skyscraper records (Which is tallest? Which one was the first skyscraper built?)
4) Literature Study
Have students read a book that reflects the culture of the years included in this
collection. Students can then report on what they learned from the book about the
characteristics of the times, using images from the collection to help convey the
information. Some suggested books include:
- World's Fair by E.L. Doctorow
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
- Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin
- The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit by Sloan Wilson
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
- Mrs. Bridge by Evan Connell
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