Primary Sources? What is that?

A map of Philadelphia and parts adjacent from the Library of Congress

At the start of this month, I attended the Tech Integration Group at Essdack where we covered Primary Sources in Social Studies.  Several teachers asked me to share out what I learned and any resources.

Before I delve into what I learned, I want to get everyone on the same page with a definition of primary sources.  A primary source is an original document or physical object written or created during the time period being studied.  Primary sources include speeches, journals/diaries, news film footage, letters, interviews, official records, clothing, pottery, art, music, novels, etc.  More specific examples of primary sources include:

• The Constitution of the United States
• Diary of Anne Frank
• Photos of 9/11 - the day of and immediately following
• News footage of the Kennedy Assassination
• Audio of the "I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King

Historians also refer to secondary sources, which provide an interpretation and/or analysis of a primary source.  This includes textbooks, criticisms, encyclopedias and commentaries.  Magazine articles can become a confusing source, but the best way to decide if it is a primary or secondary source is to ask if it is an interpretation or review of the event (secondary source) or a first-hand account from a participant or observer of the event as it unfolded (primary source).

Primary Source Sites:

• Primary Sources for United States and World History - Listing of primary source websites for United States History and World History
• Primary Sources for Kids - Primary sources from the Houghton Mifflin Social Studies textbook
• Teaching Primary Sources - PDF lesson plan for teaching the difference between primary and secondary sources
• Sweet Search Engine - Use this student-friendly search engine to discover primary sources
• UCLA Library - Listing of primary source sites grouped by newspapers, full-text literature & poetry, spoken word, images and more

At the TIG session, Glenn Weibe presented several activities for using primary sources in social studies.  One activity involved two maps taken from Google Earth of the same area, but different time periods.  We didn't know anything else about the maps and were asked why the difference between the two photos.  However, we first had to determine which photo came first and how did we know that.  After several decoding attempts related to the two photos, we were told what happened which then tied into the actual historical event and a novel study.  Another activity had us in groups and each group was given a quote.  Based on the quote we had to move to one side of the room if we thought the person was racist and the other side if we didn't think they were racist.  Of course we did't learn until later in the activity that the groups had different quotes and the quotes were all said by the same person.  The activities themselves really made us think and process the source we were examining.  With the new common core, the ability to analyze and synthesize information becomes more important than names and dates.  While a general knowledge of what happened when is essential, the ability to evaluate and analyze why events happened is crucial.  Primary sources become a key tool in making students work to determine their response.  Glenn shared the links to his presentation and resources, although I noticed today that his presentation has changed some since our meeting.

Here is the original presentation:

Common Core in the SS Classroom 6-12 from Glenn Wiebe 

Here is the new presentation:

Primary Sources For the 21st Century from Glenn Wiebe

Additional resources from Glenn Weibe:
Using Primary Sources in the Social Studies Classroom
Social Studies Central
History Tech Blog
Weekly Tip

If you haven't looked at the primary sources on the Library of Congress website, you are missing out on a plethora of teacher guides and tools for teaching with primary sources.  They also have specific primary source sets centered on topics like:

Oakland, Calif., Feb. 1942 from the Library of Congress

• Constitution
• Dust Bowl Migrations
• Children's Lives at the Turn of the Twentieth Century
• Japanese American Internment During World War II
• Maps From the World Digital Library
• Thanksgiving

The site also has Teacher's Guides and Analysis Tools providing a template and suggested questions for having students analyze various types of primary sources.

As a former English teacher, I used primary sources to help the students understand the time period prior to reading a novel, short story or poem.  It helped the students visualize and analyze the piece we were studying.

Choosing the Right Tool

photo credit: fixedgear via photo pin cc

When preparing to fix something around your house or on your car, you always check to see if you have the right tools for the job.  I recall the first home remodeling project I started in my house.  The computer room was covered in wallpaper that had been drawn on with pen and marker by the children of the previous owners.  So, it was decided to remove the wallpaper and paint the walls.  Of course, I got on the internet to look for easy ways to remove to wallpaper.  Several home recipes later, I found myself slowly winning in the wallpaper removal battle.  Before tackling my second wallpaper removal job, I purchased a small wallpaper steamer.  That little steamer and I got the job done in a few short days.  The tool made all the difference!

The same is true when working with technology.  There so many cool hardware and software tools to try out that when it is time to choose one for a class project with your students it is hard to make the best choice.  Here are a few questions to ask yourself when deciding on a tool:

1.  What are the objectives of the lesson? - Will the tool enhance or improve instruction?

2.  What are the objectives or purpose of the project you are having your students complete? - What knowledge should students gain through the project?  Will the tool you choose help students apply the content and learn new material?

3.  How the end product will be shared? -  Is it a stand-alone piece?  Is it a visual add for a speaking presentation?  Will it be published online?  Is it on an iPad and you want to move it to the computer or publish it online?

4.  What type of learner are your students? -  Are they good in front of a camera?  What level of technology skills do they have?  This doesn't mean students shouldn't step out of their comfort zone and try new tools, but maybe you can give them a few options so they can choose one that seems less threatening to them.

5.  Is the tool accessible? - Does the tool need to be purchased?  Does the tool require you to create an account?  Does the tool work on the student filter?

Here are a few final points not to forget when working with technology tools:

1.  Provide students with getting started instructions for the tech tool(s) you are asking them to use.  You don't have to show them all the advanced features because they will figure those out as they go or from their peers.

2.  Allow students time to learn to use the tool.  Before they use the tool on a major project, create a small project for them to use that tool.  One teacher introduced her students to Glogster and had them create a fact/opinion Glog for their first project on Glogster.  Later they used Glogster to create a book report (see samples).  The first assignment helped the student learn the tool and it helped the teacher work out issues with the tool relating to the filtering system.  It made the book report project run smoother and the students produced better projects.

3.  Allow for peer editing.  Sometimes we forget that a technology project is no different than a written Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything.
essay.  We take time in class for peer editing on essays, but we don't think about that option with a tech project.  Allow one day in class for students to present the content of their project and obtain feedback on how to improve the product.  There are some great rubric templates for technology projects at