American History A Unit 1: The Earliest Americans
Lesson 6: Indians of the Northwest
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Document Analysis: Life on the Northwest Coast
You can learn a lot by studying, or analyzing, documents such as photographs. Document
analysis is a skill that historians use to learn about the past.
Step 1: Observation
You will analyze four photographs on page 26 of Chapter 5. For each, follow these steps:
1. Study the photograph. Don’t just glance at itreally look at it. Form an impression of the
whole picture in your mind.
2. Now examine individual objects in the photograph.
3. Divide the photograph into four equal sections, or quadrants. Study each section. Look
for details.
4. Complete this chart. List people, objects, and activities you notice in the photograph.
You may find there is no information for one or two of the categories.
Photograph
People
Objects
Activities
1. mask
2. Haida village
3. Nootka
smoking fish
4. Tlingit
salmon rattle
Name Date
American History A Unit 1: The Earliest Americans
Lesson 6: Indians of the Northwest
© 2011 K12 Inc. All rights reserved. Page 2 of 2
Copying or distributing without K12’s written consent is prohibited.
Step 2: Inference
Based on your observations, list at least two things you might infer from each photograph. To
infer is to draw a conclusion based on facts. For example, if you see smoke from a distance,
you could infer that there is a fire.
Photograph 1: mask
1. _________________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________________
Photograph 2: Haida village
1. _________________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________________
Photograph 3: Nootka smoking fish
1. _________________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________________
Photograph 4: carved object
1. _________________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________________
Step 3: Questions
What questions come to mind when you study this photograph? Where could you find the
answers to those questions? Select one photograph to ask these questions about.
Photograph: _______________________________
1. What questions come to mind when you study this photograph? _____________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Where could you find the answers to those questions? ____________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________