PRIMARY SOURCES STEM Lets talk Science technology engineering

PRIMARY SOURCES & STEM Lets talk Science, technology, engineering, and math!

WHAT IS A PRIMARY SOURCE? What is your definition?

Primary Sources ◦ “Primary sources are the raw materials of history — original documents and objects which were created at the time under study. ” ◦ “Examining primary sources gives students a powerful sense of history and the complexity of the past. ” ◦ “Helping students analyze primary sources can also guide them toward higher-order thinking and better critical thinking and analysis skills. ” - Library of Congress ◦ Examples?

WHAT IS A SECONDARY SOURCE?

Secondary Sources ◦ “…accounts or interpretations of events created by someone without firsthand experience. ” -Library of Congress ◦ These contain information that has been: ◦ ◦ Interpreted Commented upon Analyzed Processed -Indiana University Libraries ◦ Examples?

NOW FOR A GAME…

STEM I’m biased towards the Sciences here. Did you know that a google search for “STEM education” results in 41. 2 million hits?

Sources in the Sciences ◦ In the Sciences, primary sources are documents that provide full description of the original research. ◦ A peer-reviewed journal article where scientists describe their research on the human immune system. ◦ A secondary source would be an article commenting or analyzing the scientists' research. ◦ A review article describing research on the human immune system. Information from: The University at Albany

The Library of Congress and Science! ◦ The most common sentiment made by those in STEM about primary sources: ◦ What primary sources exist for the sciences? Mathematics? Technology? ◦ The answer? ◦ SO MANY SOURCES! And ways to incorporate them into the classroom (especially with the new Common Core) ◦ Examples! ◦ Everyday Mysteries (loc. gov) ◦ Tpsteach. com (and other TPS programs) ◦ Library of Congress LP’s

What about T, E, and M? ◦ Technology, Engineering, & Math ◦ Lots of lesson plans can include original letters, blue prints, documents, etc. ◦ Example lesson plans can be found online… everywhere. ◦ Teaching with Primary Sources – MTSU ◦ Library of Congress Lesson Plans ◦ PBS Teachers

What does the Common Core say? ◦ Consider the following quote from a recent (posted a few days ago) article… ◦ STEM needs to be updated to STREAM - Rob Furman