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History in Decorah

History in Decorah

Spoiler alert! You have different information from your partner. Don’t share it until you are told to. Don’t look at your partner’s information – that’s cheating (and boring)!

Person A

  1. Describe what you can see in the first picture.
  2. Describe what you can see in the second picture.
  3. What is the connection between the first and the second picture?
  4. When do you think this building was used?
Photo of a book used during the late 1800s at a Norwegian immigrant school in Decorah, Iowa

© Ellen Glimstad

Photo of an old Norwegian immigrant school building (from the 1800s) in Decorah, Iowa

© Ellen Glimstad

History lives on in Decorah

Now share your ideas with your partner. Show her/him your pictures. When you have finished your discussion, look at The picture together.

Spoiler alert! You have different information from your partner. Don’t share it until you are told to. Don’t look at your partner’s information – that’s cheating (and boring)!

Person B

  1. Describe what you can see in the first picture.
  2. Describe what you can see in the second picture.
  3. What is the purpose of this room?
  4. When do you think this building was used?
Close-up photo of a blackboard used during the late 1800s at a Norwegian immigrant school in Decorah, Iowa

© Ellen Glimstad

Photo of a classroom used during the late 1800s at a Norwegian immigrant school in Decorah, Iowa

© Ellen Glimstad

History lives on in Decorah

Now share your ideas with your partner. Show her/him your pictures. When you have finished your discussion, look at The bigger picture together.

The bigger picture

These pictures are of a small schoolhouse built in the USA in 1879. It was used to teach religion to Norwegian immigrant children a few weeks a year. The school is now part of the Norwegian-American Museum and Heritage Center in Decorah. It is used to help local school children to understand what immigrant life is like in modern times, as well as in the past. You can read more about the school here.

Work in pairs. Write a conversation between a teacher and student in this school in 1905. Act out the conversation in class.

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