USING PRIMARY SOURCES IN THE CLASSROOM Which primary

USING PRIMARY SOURCES IN THE CLASSROOM Which primary sources do I use? How do I find good primary sources? How can I effectively use primary sources with all students?

OBJECTIVES Know the required primary sources Be familiar with ways to analyze a primary source Establish expectations for students Collaborate to develop an activity Share and discuss

WHICH PRIMARY SOURCES SHOULD I USE AND WHERE CAN THEY BE FOUND? Become familiar with the required primary sources listed in the Tennessee State Standards These can be found in numerous locations: On the Tennessee state web site On the Knox County Social Studies web site Excerpts of the required Primary Sources can be found: Library of Congress Archives National Archives Textbook and Ancillary Materials KCS Data-bases Tennessee Geographic Alliance

WHY SHOULD I USE PRIMARY SOURCES? Primary sources are required by the Tennessee State Standards and students will be tested using them. Primary sources add validity to the information being presented. Students are more interested, motivated, and learn more when they use primary sources.

EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS USING PRIMARY SOURCES Cite textual evidence to support arguments Consider author’s perspectives Corroborate among two or more accounts Develop written arguments

HELPING STUDENTS MASTER DIFFICULT SKILLS THEY NEED WHEN USING PRIMARY SOURCES Have students analyze the primary sources (this will promote higher-order thinking skills). Scaffold reading the document for content Write a short summary of the document in their own words. Read the document again for context.

READING PRIMARY SOURCES Reading a source like a historian is a fundamental skill when analyzing it. First, have students read the document for content. What is the document saying? What is the document talking about? Check the source for the essential information about the individuals, events, ideas, and arguments. After discussing the content, have students write a short summary of the document in their own words. Next re-read the document for context.

AUTHORSHIP What is known about the author’s background? Why was the document written, its purpose? What was the author’s motive? What could have influenced the author (social class, ethnic background, religion, gender, cultural beliefs and assumptions).

GENRE Does the source fit into a genre? How would the genre shape the author’s writing? Examples of genre include novels, biographies, travel narratives, poems, petitions, newspapers, popular songs, speeches, laws, government records, and pamphlets.

AUDIENCE Who did the author expect to read this source? How did the author want to influence the audience. Did the intended audience influence the document’s content or style? How was the document received?

LANGUAGE What can you tell about a historical period from the language, vocabulary, and rhetoric used? What does the author’s choice of words tell the reader? Have any of the meanings of the words changed since the document was written? What language was the document originally written? Was it translated into English? What role did the translator have in shaping the document’s tone or content?

RELIABILITY AND AUTHENTICITY How trustworthy is the source? Does it ignore or exclude evidence of issues? What is the author’s position concerning the subject of the document? Is there a reason to doubt the authorship of the document? Is it a forgery? Has the document been altered in some way? What role did the scribe or translator play in shaping the document’s tone or content?

INFLUENCE Was the source intended for personal use (a diary) or was it widely distributed (pamphlet)? Did the document have anticipated or unanticipated consequences? How significant was the document to events of the time or of the future (The Magna Carta)

IT IS NECESSARY TO SCAFFOLD PRIMARY SOURCES FOR STUDENTS Steps that can be taken include: 1 st – preteach vocabulary 2 nd - read silently 3 rd – teacher reads aloud 4 th – students and teacher discuss document 5 th – do a close reading with questions regarding vocabulary and content 6 th – work in groups with a placemat or other activity 7 th – individually analyze by writing an analysis or answering questions

RESOURCES FOR YOU! www. knoxcountyss. weebly. com Do you have resources for us? Please write them on a post-it and leave it in our parking lot so we can share!

POSSIBLE ACTIVITY Consensus Placemat Standard ____ Analyze the ideas that significantly impacted the development of _______________ by citing textual evidence and examining multiple perspectives using excerpt

FOR WRITING TASKS What key insights should students take from this text? Text-dependent questions Writing Prompt Don’t Summarize. Analyze! – Do not restate the document instead dissect the text’s meaning. Consider analytical questions that you can pose of any source.

CONTACT INFORMATION Peggy Keck Gresham Middle School 6 th Grade Social Studies Peggy. Keck@knoxschools. org Heather Auxier Karns Middle School 6 th Grade Social Studies Heather. Auxier@knoxschools. org