Chapter 3: Teaching Text, Subtext, and

Context Project Clio PD

November 16, 2011

Chapter 2 Big Ideas: Introducing historical thinking

• History is a discipline centered on questions and interpretations

• Historical thinking requires us to question sources• History is alive, debatable, and connected to the

present Ways to introduce initial historical

thinking• Legacy of Nat Turner• Legacy of Malcolm X

“They were all different sources saying different things. Some were letters from Roosevelt which meant they were lies. Others were newspaper articles and political cartoons that were biased. It was hard to know which one to believe.”

-Student comments during discussion of the lesson, p.53

A Common Language for Investigating the Past

Text* What is visible/readable, i.e. what information is provided by the source?Context

* What was going on during the time period? What background information do you have that helps explain the information found in the source?Subtext

* What is between the lines? Ask questions about the following: * Author: Who created the source, and what do we know about that person? * Audience: For whom was the source created? * Reason: Why was this source produced when it was?

Tips on Selecting Sources for an Investigation

Do not use more than 6 sources Read the sources ahead of time Include visual sources, text, material

objects, and pop culture Aid students by editing for length,

defining difficult terms, and contextualizing

Ensure sources are comparable length

Text, Subtext and Context Theodore Roosevelt and the Panama

Canal Begin with Roosevelt’s autobiography

What is Roosevelt doing in his autobiography and what role did the United States play in the acquisition of the territory used to construct the Canal?

Present sources with contrasting viewpoints

Jigsaw Quick-writes

Dropping the Atomic Bombs

At your tables….Harry Truman and the Atomic Bombs

Step One: Read the excerpt from Truman’s autobiography

Step Two: Focus on his argument and any vocabulary that might represent subtext. What is Truman doing in his autobiography: (lying, telling half-truths, exaggerating, rationalizing)

Step Three: Analyze additional sources• What does the source have to say about the

circumstances surrounding the Atomic bombs?

• Is there any evidence that challenges President Truman’s claims?

• Jigsaw at tables and share answers to the above questions

Step Four: Complete the following sentence stems:• “The various types of sources used to

determine the purpose of Truman’s autobiography created problems because….”

• “The subtext of the various documents was important to consider because….”

• “Overall, when trying to interpret events from the past, you need to…”

Step Five: Weighing the Evidence