Preparing Yourself to Teach with a Primary Source(s)thinking with primary sources The “Teacher’s Guides” from the Teachers Page have example question prompts to help analyze

Preparing Yourself to Teach with a Primary Source(s):

Step 1Learn what you can about the primary source

Read & save bibliographic/item page of primary source. (For more information about bibliographic/item pages refer to the

“Copyright and Citation” section of this manual.)

Learn about the time and place of the primary source. o What events or issues are taking place at the time

the source was created? o Consider the moods, opinions / beliefs, attitudes

and conditions of the time period and place

Read the collection or exhibit home page. o “About the collection” or “About the Exhibit” o “Special Features or Special Presentations”

Step 2Consider tools that will help students understand the source

Consider a using a vocabulary or historical language guide for your students to use with the primary source(s).

Consider a creating timeline to help students make connections with events and people over time.

Consider providing a map to help students make special connections to themselves, other people and events.

Compiled by Teaching with Primary Sources Program at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Last update January, 2013

Disclaimer: Content created in partnership with the TPS Program does not indicate an endorsement by the Library of Congress or Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

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Step 3Make Students’ Thinking Visible with an Analysis Tool

Create a “focus question” to help focus your students’ analysis

of a primary source. A focus question is open-ended and

relates directly to the primary source being studied.

Example Focus Questions:

o How does this picture show symbols of our country? o How did the narrator share his / her memory of Abraham Lincoln’s

assassination? o To what extent did the photographer represent the Japanese-American

internment experience?

Choose or create an analysis tool

Consider using the Analysis Tool from the “Teachers Page”

to get students observing, thinking, and questioning

Create a set of question prompts to scaffold

thinking with primary sources

The “Teacher’s Guides” from the Teachers Page

have example question prompts to help analyze

particular formats (map, photograph, film,

audio recording, etc.)

Step 4Locate Other Primary Sources

Investigating Multiple Primary Sources

One primary source only shares a “piece of the puzzle”. Consider other sources that can help students investigate cause and effect,

differing perspectives, point of view, etc.

Consider sharing or creating an organizer to assist students: then and now organizer cause and effect organizer multiple perspectives organizer



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Preparing Your Students for Analysis

Introduce Primary Sources & Analysis

Do a pre-activity to define what is a “primary source”

Model your analysis of a primary source out loud using an Analysis Tool

Highlight how observing, reflecting, and questioning go back and forth and relate to one another. (See page 24 of this guide.)

With each Primary Source Analysis Draw on students’ prior knowledge of the topic.

Ask what they already know about the topic. (KWHL, concept map, brainstorm)

Share needed information or background about primary sources prior to analysis (create a short background, read historical literature, show a map, share a timeline etc.)

Share bibliographic information Share or have students identify the following, if known: When was the primary source created? Who created the primary source? What type of primary source is it, and what is its purpose? Who is the intended audience?

Small-Group Learning with Primary Sources

Small-group discussions work well for primary source analysis, and promote teamwork and collaboration with others. Consider first teaching students how to work in groups productively, actively and responsibly. When students learn the specific skills, strategies and roles necessary to work in small groups, inquiries soar. (Adapted from Harvey, S., and H. Daniels. Comprehension & collaboration, inquiry circles in action. Heinemann Educational Books, 2009.)

Columbus taking possession of the

new country, Boston, 1893,

Library of Congress

Graphic Organizers, Houghton Mifflin,



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Analyzing a Primary Source with Your Students

Have students observe, reflect, and question

a primary source(s).

Using a “focus question” throughout analysis helps provide direction, promote reflections, more observations, and questions. (Example focus questions on page 6)

Observe

Ask students to closely observe each primary source. (Words, images, symbols, etc.) Record all observations.

Help students see key details. • Where does your eye go first? • What do you see that you didn’t expect? • What powerful words and ideas are expressed? Refer to example questions from Teacher Guides found at http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/guides.html. Reflect

Encourage students to think about their personal

response to the source and to the observations and

details they see or read. Record all reflections.

What does this detail make you think or feel?

Why do you think that?

How do you know?

What do you think that [detail] means?

Why do you think the author chose to use ___ in the primary source?

Ask for Evidence

Challenge students to make a supported hypothesis: “I think ____because____” . Reflections should be backed up by a detail(s) from the primary source. Refer to example questions from Teacher Guides found at http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/guides.html.



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Question

Have students ask questions related to observations and reflections. Record all questions. Encourage students to begin their questions with who, what, when, where, why, and how. Encourage students to speculate about the source, its creator, and the source’s context.

What questions do observations or reflections raise?

How does the photo raise questions about the creator?

How does the source information raise questions about the purpose of the source or the message being conveyed?

Tip: Create a discussion time where students can be rewarded for taking risks in sharing their thinking.

To promote deeper thinking: Create a question from a student statement Student reflection: “I think the boys are working because they said, ‘______’.”

Teacher question: “What do you wonder about the boys or their work?”

Student: “Why are the boys working there? I think they are the same age.”

Teacher question: “What part of the narrative makes you think they are the same age?”

Student: “Because in the title it says…and the boy was talking about….”

Teacher encouragement & question: “What a great way of using the title to locate more information. Going back to your question of why they are working, does the narrative give us any hints about why?”



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To promote deeper thinking:

Ask a question in response to a student inquiry

Student: “I wonder what else was going on at that time.”

Teacher: “Looking at the timeline, what do you think was happening during that time?”

Student: “I wonder why this photograph was taken.”

Teacher question: “What part of the narrative makes you think they are the same age?”

Student: “I wonder why this photograph was taken.”

Teacher: “Looking at the bibliography or photograph, why do you think this photograph was taken?”

Modeling Your Thinking Out Loud with Students *Modify analysis tool or process to fit your classroom needs.

Teacher: “I notice the source was created in __ by ___.” “Hmm…there is a sign that reads, ___. “ [record observation] “That sign makes me think ____.” [record reflection- draw a line to link the reflection to the observation of a sign] “I wonder if ____.” [record question] Hmmm….I also notice ___ and ___. [record observation] “I wonder if _____.” [record question] “I know ____ and maybe those details mean ____.” [reflection] “Who would like to share an additional observation or reflection or question next?”



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Further Investigation

After Observe, Reflect, & Question

Help students to identify questions appropriate for further investigation, and to develop a research strategy for finding answers.

Ask if this source agrees with other primary sources, or with what the students already know.

o What other primary sources do they want to investigate? What sources are more reliable?

o What sources may support or contradict the primary source they just studied?

Analysis Can Lead to New Understandings….

Students share what they know after observing, reflecting, and questioning

After analyzing a primary source and engaging in discussion, students can answer the focus question through writing and other ways. Writing Activity Ideas:

Write a summary or a “Quickwrite” to share what they know about the primary source(s)

Journal using sentence stems like

Diary entry from the point of view of the source’s creator or of a person related to the source

Write a diary or journal entry sharing a point of view or perspective of a person from the time being studied

Write an “I see, I feel, I hear and I smell” description as if you are “in” the primary source.

Other ways students can share what they have learned:

Create a (digital) poster and allow others to add comments (I agree/disagree…, I agree/disagree, but…, I wonder….)

Debate using primary sources to support opposing views of an interpretation.

Give an oral narrative as a person from the time of the primary source(s).

Recreate the “scene” of a primary source, where each character steps out of the scene to tell their story or answer questions.



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Measuring Student Understanding

Possible measurements to assess student learning:

Are students sharing ideas supported by the source(s)?

Are students sharing an idea about the past as being separate from today? (then and now, difference in language, values, etc.)

Does the student share empathy of the past?

Are they assessing the source’s reliability? What else should be considered?

Taking a Step Further… Students transfer what they know and make a connection to what was learned in a new situation

Example Activity Ideas:

Create an illustration showing a connection between the past and the present, referring to recent analyses of primary sources

Create a newspaper article for a different time and place related to a recent analysis of primary sources

What else should be considered?

Share with one another! Resources: Library of Congress Digital Collections, http://www.loc.gov

Teachers Page, Library of Congress, http://www.loc.gov/teachers/ Teaching with Primary Sources Blog, Library of Congress, http://blogs.loc.gov/teachers/ Microsoft Clip Art



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Documents

Preparing Yourself to Teach with a Primary Source(s)thinking with primary sources The “Teacher’s Guides” from the Teachers Page have example question prompts to help analyze