Teaching with Primary Sources

Teaching with Primary Sources

What are primary sources?What are primary sources?

What’s a secondary source?What’s a secondary source?

Why should I use primary sources?

Why should I use primary sources?

Engage studentsEngage students

• Help students relate in a personal way

• Promote deeper understanding of history as series of human events

• Encourage students to seek additional evidence

• First-person accounts bring history to life

• Help students relate in a personal way

• Promote deeper understanding of history as series of human events

• Encourage students to seek additional evidence

• First-person accounts bring history to life

Develop critical thinking skillsDevelop critical thinking skills• Require critical and analytical reading• Lack of context and incomplete nature

requires prior knowledge or pattern finding

• move from concrete observations and facts to questioning and inferences

• Questions bias, purpose, point of view• Challenges assumptions

• Require critical and analytical reading• Lack of context and incomplete nature

requires prior knowledge or pattern finding

• move from concrete observations and facts to questioning and inferences

• Questions bias, purpose, point of view• Challenges assumptions

Construct knowledgeConstruct knowledge

• Encourage students to confront contradictions

• Comparing multiple sources: different points of view, shows complexity of past

• Form conclusions based on evidence• Synthesize information from multiple

sources• Integrate existing and new information

to deepen understanding

• Encourage students to confront contradictions

• Comparing multiple sources: different points of view, shows complexity of past

• Form conclusions based on evidence• Synthesize information from multiple

sources• Integrate existing and new information

to deepen understanding

How do I use primary sources?

How do I use primary sources?

Engage studentsEngage students

• Draw on prior knowledge• Encourage close observation• Help point out key details• Encourage them to think about

personal response

• Draw on prior knowledge• Encourage close observation• Help point out key details• Encourage them to think about

personal response

Promote student inquiryPromote student inquiry

• Encourage speculation about source, creator and context

• Does source agree with other sources?

• Does it agree with prior knowledge?

• Have them find other sources that support or contradict

• Encourage speculation about source, creator and context

• Does source agree with other sources?

• Does it agree with prior knowledge?

• Have them find other sources that support or contradict

Assess critical thinking & analysisAssess critical thinking & analysis• Summarize what they’ve learned• Ask for reasons and evidence to

support conclusions• Identify questions for further

investigation• Develop strategies for finding

answers

• Summarize what they’ve learned• Ask for reasons and evidence to

support conclusions• Identify questions for further

investigation• Develop strategies for finding

answers

Where can I use primary sources?Where can I use primary sources?• Social studies• Language arts• Math• Science• Arts: music, art,

drama

• Social studies• Language arts• Math• Science• Arts: music, art,

drama

• Manuscripts• Maps• Motion pictures• Music• Newspapers/

cartoons/advertisements

• Photos• Printed ephemera• Sound recordings

• Manuscripts• Maps• Motion pictures• Music• Newspapers/

cartoons/advertisements

• Photos• Printed ephemera• Sound recordings

Language ArtsLanguage Arts

Social Studies: GeographySocial Studies: Geography

Social StudiesSocial Studies

MathMath

ScienceScience

ScienceScience

Arts: MusicArts: Music

Arts: ArtArts: Art

Where do I find primary sources?Where do I find primary sources?• Archives• Museums• Libraries• Online

• Archives• Museums• Libraries• Online

Evaluating primary source websitesEvaluating primary source websites• What domain is it?• Who’s the author?• Why is the site there?• Where did the documents come

from?• Is the information well organized

and easy to use?

• What domain is it?• Who’s the author?• Why is the site there?• Where did the documents come

from?• Is the information well organized

and easy to use?

Volunteer VoicesVolunteer Voices

• http://www.volunteervoices.org• Tennessee's first statewide digital

collection• A statewide network of primary

resources accessible to all.• Includes materials from the state's

archives, libraries, repositories, historic homes and museums.

• http://www.volunteervoices.org• Tennessee's first statewide digital

collection• A statewide network of primary

resources accessible to all.• Includes materials from the state's

archives, libraries, repositories, historic homes and museums.

Volunteer VoicesVolunteer Voices

• Materials are organized by Tennessee’s K-12 Socials Studies Eras in American History, by subject, and are keyword searchable

• Lesson plans, hints for teaching with primary sources and student handouts are also available in the Educators section (http://www.volunteervoices.org/educators/index.html)

• Materials are organized by Tennessee’s K-12 Socials Studies Eras in American History, by subject, and are keyword searchable

• Lesson plans, hints for teaching with primary sources and student handouts are also available in the Educators section (http://www.volunteervoices.org/educators/index.html)

American MemoryAmerican Memory

• http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

• Provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music

• http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

• Provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music

American MemoryAmerican Memory

• A Teachers Page provides classroom materials, including lesson plans, themed resources, primary source sets, presentations & activities and professional development materials

• Collection can be browsed by topic, time period, format (map, photo, etc) and place

• A Teachers Page provides classroom materials, including lesson plans, themed resources, primary source sets, presentations & activities and professional development materials

• Collection can be browsed by topic, time period, format (map, photo, etc) and place

World Digital LibraryWorld Digital Library

• http://www.wdl.org/en/• cooperative project of the Library of

Congress, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and partner libraries, archives, and educational and cultural institutions from the United States and around the world

• http://www.wdl.org/en/• cooperative project of the Library of

Congress, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and partner libraries, archives, and educational and cultural institutions from the United States and around the world

World Digital LibraryWorld Digital Library

• Include rare and unique documents – books, journals, manuscripts, maps, prints and photographs, films, and sound recordings – that tell the story of the world’s cultures

• Can be browsed by the map, by time, topic, or institution

• Smaller, more limited collection

• Include rare and unique documents – books, journals, manuscripts, maps, prints and photographs, films, and sound recordings – that tell the story of the world’s cultures

• Can be browsed by the map, by time, topic, or institution

• Smaller, more limited collection

Smithsonian’s History ExplorerSmithsonian’s History Explorer• http://

historyexplorer.americanhistory.si.edu/

• Very interactive site, provides presentations on various topics

• Can be browsed by era, grade level or resource type

• Provides lesson plans and other materials for teachers

• http://historyexplorer.americanhistory.si.edu/

• Very interactive site, provides presentations on various topics

• Can be browsed by era, grade level or resource type

• Provides lesson plans and other materials for teachers

National ArchivesNational Archives

• http://www.archives.gov/education/• contains reproducible copies of primary

documents from the holdings of the National Archives of the United States, teaching activities correlated to the National History Standards and National Standards for Civics and Government, and cross-curricular connections.

• http://www.archives.gov/education/• contains reproducible copies of primary

documents from the holdings of the National Archives of the United States, teaching activities correlated to the National History Standards and National Standards for Civics and Government, and cross-curricular connections.

Further ResourcesFurther Resources

• Presentation: http://slideshare.net/library_chic

• Links: http://delicious.com/library_chic/primarysources+inservice

• Presentation: http://slideshare.net/library_chic

• Links: http://delicious.com/library_chic/primarysources+inservice