This album compares classrooms and schools from the USSR and the United States during the 1940s to show the similarities and differences of education. These images provide students with a perspective on the daily life of students in the Soviet Union during World War II.
The resources in this album are meant as a compare and contrast introduction activity. Students in the United States are very familiar with the design of classrooms and schools, as they spend the majority of their adolescences in these spaces. Can students identify similarities and differences of schools from separate countries?
Guiding Questions: How similar and different are classrooms and schools across the world? Are students in schools around the globe learning the same lessons? What do think the students at these schools were learning?
This activity is for 7th Grade Middle School students in US History II 1865 to Present Day. The goal for this activity is for students to make observations and to understand differing perspectives.
New York, New York students pledging allegiance to the flag in public school eight in an Italian-American section
Teaching Notes
This is an image of students pledging allegiance to the American flag in 1943. The pledge of allegiance to the American flag is a tradition that began on October 2, 1892 and continues to this day. This is a highly regarded and familiar act performed each morning but students around the United States.
Teaching Note: This image would be compared to an image of a classroom in the Soviet Union to discuss similarities and differences between the two.
Guiding Questions:
What aspects of this picture are familiar to you? What aspects are uniquely American? What aspects to you see in the both the image of the American classroom and the Soviet Union Classroom? What is the date of the picture? What in history is happening during this time period?
Suggestions for Procedure:
This may be done as a whole class activity or the teacher may place students in groups.
The teacher may choose to show all the pictures at once or split them, even splitting the images up among the groups.
Sixth grade school room in the Latvian USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)
Teaching Notes
This picture is almost an universally know image for many students. Students from many different countries could identify with completing assignments at a desk while the teacher walks around the classroom. This picture was taken of students in the Soviet Union.
Teaching Note: This image would be compared to an image of a classroom in the United States to discuss similarities and differences between the two.
Guiding Questions: What aspects of this picture are familiar to you? What aspects to you see in the both the image of the American classroom and the Soviet Union Classroom? Do you notice any differences? What is the date of the picture? What in history is happening during this time period?
Suggestions for Procedure:
This may be done as a whole class activity or the teacher may place students in groups.
The teacher may choose to show all the pictures at once or split them, even splitting the images up among the groups.
Date Created/Published: between 1930 and 1940? Call Number: LC-USW33- 024253-C [P&P] Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print Notes: Image source: National Council of American-Soviet Friendship, New York. Title and other information from caption card. Transfer; United States. Office of War Information. Overseas Picture Division. Washington Division; 1944. More information about the FSA/OWI Collection is available at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.fsaowi Temp. note: owibatch6 Film copy on SIS roll 0, frame 0. Subjects: Soviet Union--Russia--Moscow.
San Augustine, Texas. New primary school building
Teaching Notes
This is an image of a primary school in the United States, specifically, the state of Texas during the 1940s.
Teaching Note: This image is meant to be compared with the school in the Soviet Union.
Guiding Questions: What is this a picture of? Who are the people? Is this a place you have been? What do you think the people do there?
Suggestions for Procedure:
This may be done as a whole class activity or the teacher may place students in groups.
The teacher may choose to show all the pictures at once or split them, even splitting the images up among the groups.
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