2. Real historians don't listen to lectures.
3. To create more authentic learning environments, we must involve students in activities that professionals participate in.
And so,
4. Read more primary sources.
Real historians use a combination of primary sources and other historians' books to triangulate new knowledge or a new view on old knowledge. This requires critical reading, thinking, writing, and talking skills. We should do this in our classrooms.
But primary sources are hard to read and are more likely to have bias than a textbook, so students must be taught how to read primary sources.
Day 1: Introduce the idea of primary sources
*To do this, you will need 3 short primary sources related to the same topic such as three accounts of the Kent State shooting or 2 opinions on and a selection from the Constitution--whatever you are learning about in history. Remember literature, like poems and short stories, is also a primary source.
*Ask students where they think historians get their information fromRefer to (or maybe even show short clips of movies) such as National Treasure (not my favorite, but it works) or others (I'm drawing a blank) where people/historians/investigators are shown in dark rooms shifting through piles of information. This is what historians do. They don't just go to a textbook and get the information; they must search it out.
*Ask students to list places or things historians could get information. Divide the list into 2 parts--primary and secondary sources and write them on the board. Include items like journals, diaries, newspapers, pictures, bank statements, government forms and documents, other books. Anything that a person leaves behind is a primary sources, so even a ticket stub from a movie.
*Explain/discuss why primary sources are good sources of information and why they are not completely credible--people only get one side of the story, etc.
*Explain that when reading primary sources we can get a lot of information but we need to be careful to watch for bias.
*Pass out a short newspaper clipping or journal article or other primary source. Read it out loud to the class. Think aloud as you answer the following questions about the primary source
1. Who wrote the document?
2. When was the document written?
3. What is the main idea or a short summary of the document?
4. What things does the author assume you know?
5. What things does the author leave out?
6. What sort of bias might the author have?
7. Why did the author write this document?
8. What did the author want you to learn from reading this?
*Now give the students a chance to try. Pass out a second primary source and read it as a class. Answer the following questions as a class and have students think aloud as they answer questions.
*I'm thinking that about here you'll be running out of time, but if not, read one more primary source, but this time have students read it in partners or in groups of 3 or 4 and answer the questions. Bring the whole class back together and review the answers to the questions.
*If you still have time, discuss what you've learned about the event that all 3 primary sources were about. Write down a few key facts. Discuss the similarities and differences between the 3 sources. Why were they different? What made them different? How did the similarities and differences help you to create a picture of what happened at Kent State (or the March on Washington or the Battle of Gettysburg)? How does reading and using primary sources differ from reading a textbook?
*And bell. This will only be the first of many days dealing with primary sources, because for the rest of the year, you'll supplement textbook readings with primary sources.
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