Lesson 7

I learned that the Cornell University Library apparently has a card signed by Sitting Bull in an envelope. I was also reminded of the highlights of Sitting Bull's life, and I noticed that there may be an alternative way to spell "Hunkpapa." If I were researching, I'd have gotten a lot of ideas for additional research topics including the Ghost Dance, Sitting Bull in Canada, and Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. I'd like to know how Cornell got the autograph card, but I think that would take a different kind of research.

Next I searched Sally Hemings. I got 19 hits, all of which looked entirely pertinent. The documents are primarily at University of Virginia, but also Howard University, Smith Library of Regional History, and UCLA. The descriptions are very objective, and one yearns to read the full texts. Maybe in a few years this will be possible. Meanwhile, a researcher could go far with what is given in the current format: additional topics to research; the ability to construct timelines of people's lives and whereabouts; their personal financial ups and downs, schools attended, friends and business associates, other family members, etc. This resource would be invaluable in planning research trips to be sure one ends up at the right library for the holdings one wishes to access. It eliminates a lot of "hit or miss" searching. I'm not sure if many documents will be available for copying or borrowing, but the site does give information on who to contact to find out about copying options.

I love CAMIO! What a resource! Many pictures of Revere's silver work came up. The National Endowment for the Humanities sent our school a set of posters that include the Paul Revere portrait and the Grant Woods painting, and a few pictures of his silverwork. Students really connect to his work and are excited to know he did something besides ride his horse on April 18, 1775. I've been asked for more examples of his silverwork, and now I'll be able to show them some.

I was struck in the Sioux search by the variety both of the works held and the museums holding them: shirts, pipes, drawings, dolls, and parfleches held by leading museums from Boston to Quebec to San Francisco. I will be making a point of showing this search to my students during Native American month next year. Native and non-Native students alike do not seem to realize how unique it is to live amid Sioux culture. What an ego-boost for young Native American students to see that their culture's artwork is prized and collected all across our continent.

I searched for the work of a girl from my Brownie troop, Cindy Sherman. I got 6 hits, and was relieved to see they were all "school-room appropriate." Still, I would pre-search artwork before showing the site to students as I work in a fairly conservative community with younger students.

This is a great resource to expand rural children's exposure to artwork, and to enrich curriculum with art. I could send links to Mondrian for teachers doing squares and rectangles; Rousseau for jungle studies, etc. The possibilities are endless.

For the last question, I searched Georgia O'Keeffe first, and was disappointed to get only one hit. That's not enough to trigger the slide show, so I searched Renoir instead. The slide show feature would allow teachers to open up the image on their Promethean boards, then open a clear screen over it, then use their stylus to draw and mark all over the painting to show features, highlight perspective, discuss use of line or color or brush technique, and on and on. Plus setting up the slideshow ahead of time makes lesson planning a snap. I can't wait to start using this in my lessons next year.