Behind the Lens: Sourcing Historical Photographs with KidCitizen

(1940). Photograph of photographer Lewis W. Hine. [Photograph] Retrieved from the National Archives Catalog, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7580918.

In an article published in Social Studies and the Young Learner, KidCitizen contributor Bretton A. Varga joins Ilene R. Berson, Michael J. Berson, and Bert Snow to look at the skill of sourcing, how it is important for images and photographs as well as texts, and how KidCitizen helps young children develop these skills.  

The article looks in depth at the KidCitizen Episode “Snap a Photo: Agent of Change.”  In this episode, children explore who photographers are, different aspects of a primary source photograph, and how they reveal the photographer’s point of view, or purpose in taking the image.

Sourcing is a cornerstone of historical thinking, and also a foundational skill for the development of digital literacy.

“Sourcing involves exploring who produced a document to better understand that person’s motivations for choosing an event to focus on and how to represent it.  Sourcing also considers the intended audience. Historians establish the circumstances of a source’s origins before moving on to subsequent questions in their historical inquiry.”

- From the article

Or, explore the episode “Snap a Photo: Agent of Change”, and access teacher guides for the episode.