Kae, it is a wonderful idea to collect a group of Appalachian photos from the Carol Highsmith collection to help students investigate the built environment and natural environment of Appalachia. As you add to this, you may consider adding other categories of Appalachian life, such as Home-Grown Foodways in West Virginia and Exploring West Virginia Foodways. Have you thought about which inquiry strategy or analysis tool you can use with the ESL students? The Connecting With Primary Sources PD Activity we used in class last week could be adapted for ESL students and the primary sources you give them to choose from could be this album.
And because these are images of a region with a defined culture and image, I wonder if the Project Zero
See-Think-Me-We would be a good match. This strategy invites students to look at a primary source and connect to it personally, as well as think about the bigger picture of the community or country. Here is a student worksheet and teacher guide to use with this inquiry.