Goal:
The goal is for educators and students to look beyond the confines of a traditional source to find answers to inquiry questions.
Objectives:
- Students will understand what are primary sources and secondary sources.
- Students will receive guidance on how to interpret primary sources.
- Students will learn how to conduct at interview.
- Students will learn the significance using a primary source to further understand a topic.
Suggested Readings:
· Callison, Daniel. “Key Words in Instruction: Interview,” School Library Media Activities Monthly, Volume XV, Number 7 (March 1999): 40-41, 44.
· McDowell, Dan. “Process Guide #4: Primary Source Documents.” [Online] Available <http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/staffdev/tpss99/processguides/HowToPrimaryS.html>.(Last accessed July 27, 2001).
Teacher will:
- Review with students the procedure for an Interview.
Library Media Specialist will:
- Review with students what a primary source is and how to interpret it using Overhead—Primary Sources.
Teacher and Library Media Specialist together will:
- Create a handout, “Primary Resources in the Community,” a list of specific and general primary resources in the community appropriate to the topic to suggest to students. If it is a person, place, or thing that you specifically have in mind, be sure to name them. Include as many specifics as appropriate: address, phone, available hours, requirements & cost for admission/use, contact name, Internet address, email address, etc.
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What is a Primary Source? A primary source is a firsthand or direct source. If it’s a historical document of some type, it is without interpretation or explanation. It is a person who was actually there as a participant or observer. It is a historic home, site, or artifact. It is significant document. It is the mass media: a film, video, audio, or photograph taken at that time or documenting what happened. It is a book or magazine or newspaper article published/written at a particular time in history about a particular event occurring at that time. It is a correspondence or interview of somebody who is an expert on the topic or who was there for the event. It is results from a student created survey, questionnaire, etc. |
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| ACTIVITIES TO MEET OBJECTIVES |
All resources are available in Adobe PDF
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| ELEMENTARY RESOURCES | SECONDARY RESOURCES | Big6™ COMPATIBLE RESOURCES | |
| Handout: Primary Resources in the Community |
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| Provide instruction on how select and create questions that are appropriate for an interview, selecting an appropriate candidate to interview, and conduct an appropriate interview. (Click here to go to complete Source Notes for Interview) | Interview Reflection |
Interview Guidelines Option A Option B |
Interview Guidelines Elementary |
| Provide instruction on having students develop their own data collection procedures to gather original data that, by nature, could not be located in other sources. | Sample Survey created by 6th grade students | ||
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What are some examples of a Primary Source? Agencies -- for example Census Bureaus Artifacts Autobiography or Memoir Distance Learning Historical site -- for example Corydon, Indiana & Fort Sumter, South Carolina Interview Journal or Diary Letter List-serv Location of significance -- for example James Whitcomb Riley Home Monuments -- for example Indianapolis Soldiers and Sailors Monument Museum -- for example Eiteljorg Museum, Museum of Art Museum Exhibit Organizations & Libraries -- for example Indiana Historical Society & Indiana State Museum Person who is an expert Person who was there Photographs Questionnaire Reports Speech Survey |
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*Examples of primary documents on the Internet:
The American Colonist’s
Library |
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References:
· Brooks, John I. “John I. Brooks III—Primary Source.” [Online] Available <http://register.uncfsu.edu/f_broos/Frms/WkbkP.htm> July 27, 2001.
· Whitson, Bill. Revised by M. Phillips. “Library Research Using Primary Sources.” [Online] Available <http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/PrimarySources.html> July 27, 2001.
