Dorothea Lange Photo Investigation

In this lesson students investigate Dorothea Lange's famous, "Migrant Mother" and migrant family photographs.

After analyzing several photos and one primary source text, they have to determine if the photographs serve as reliable documents to understand the effects of the Dust Bowl or if they are misleading.

I ask students if these photos are examples of yellow journalism, muckraking, or just the unaltered truth. It helps frame the investigation while reminding them some ways information can have a bais and an agenda. 

Note: Much of this lesson was modified from this free SHEG (now DIG) lesson. I simplified some of it while focusing on students' creating an argumentative mini-essay after investigating the photographs and one text document.