Primary Sources Web Sites
Contrary to popular opinion, the study of history is not primarily about committing names, dates, and events to memory; instead, the true task of the historian is interpretation. Interpretation, in turn, requires getting involved with the building blocks of the practice of history: primary sources. Primary sources bring students into direct contact with people of the past and engage them in ways that secondary sources cannot. When students tackle a primary source they become active learners, rather than passive receptacles of information.
The World Wide Web not only has proven to be a new and ever-increasing source of primary sources, but it has also provided a forum for educators to share their ideas on using primary sources in the classroom. Rather than trying to provide a comprehensive list of all the places to find primary sources on the Web (an impossible task), this article will highlight sites that discuss different issues related to using primary sources to teach history, and (in some cases) offer sample lessons that will help students understand how to approach and interpret primary source documents.
American Memory: The Library of Congress
The Library of Congress' American Memory site not only has a tremendous inventory of primary sources, but also has three helpful pages relating to using primary sources in the classroom:
- Lesson Framework: Primary Sources
http://learning.loc.gov/learn/lessons/fw.html
This page has a lesson framework that discusses how to incorporate primary sources into many different phases of the instructional process. The framework includes a rationale for using primary sources, tips on selecting primary sources for classroom use, factors to take into consideration when implementing primary resources in the classroom, and ideas for focus, inquiry, application, and assessment activities.
- The Historian's Sources
http://learning.loc.gov/learn/lessons/psources/pshome.html
This five-part online lesson introduces students to the study of primary sources, then has them analyze documents about slavery in the United States. A corresponding teacher section gives an overview of the lesson, lists materials needed and preparation procedures, gives in-class and homework options for implementing the lesson, presents discussion questions, suggests extension activities, and offers tips on evaluation.
- Using Oral History to Explore the Lives of Everyday Americans
http://learning.loc.gov/learn/lessons/oralhist/ohhome.html
Developed by the Social Science Education Consortium, this lesson draws on primary sources from the late 1930s to teach students how oral interviews can provide valuable insights into social history. The lesson begins with an introduction to social history in general, then discusses the Federal Writers' Project before teaching students how to approach and analyze oral histories. The final sections of the lesson have students work in groups as they do background research for oral history interviews, and then present guidelines for conducting the interviews. A teacher section has an overview, tips for organizing group work, procedural guidelines, suggested extension activities, and evaluation criteria.
Primary Sources and Activities: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
http://www.nara.gov/education/teaching/teaching.html
NARA's Digital Classroom section has a number of outstanding teaching activities (correlated to the National History Standards and National Standards for Civics and Government), each of which is centered around primary source documents from the National Archives. Most activities list time required, objectives, specific standards correlation, materials needed, cross-curricular connections, and procedure. In addition to lessons on topics ranging from the Amistad case to the Zimmerman telegram to Watergate, the site also has a brief introductory lesson that teaches students about historical documents in their daily lives. Other features: an article titled "History in the Raw" that discusses issues related to teaching with primary source documents; Document Analysis Worksheets that help students assess different types of primary sources (written documents, photographs, cartoons, posters, maps, artifacts, sound recordings, motion pictures); information on how to establish a school archives; an Online Exhibit Hall whose contents include "Charters of Freedom" (images of and commentary on the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the Magna Carta), "Powers of Persuasion" (poster art from World War II), "When Nixon Met Elvis," and more; and information about and links to Web sites for Presidential libraries.
The Primary Sources Network
http://primarysources.msu.edu/
Funded by a Technology Innovation Challenge Grant from the U.S. Department of Education, this Michigan State University site has information for both teachers and students, as well as a wealth of actual primary sources to use as illustrative examples. A page entitled "An Introduction to Using Primary Source Artifacts" has three learning modules for students, each of which focuses on a certain type of primary source ("Four Kitchens" uses a virtual tour of the historical kitchens exhibits in the Henry Ford Museum to teach students about how historians approach the analysis of material culture; "2-D Artifacts" shows how to study written documents, visual images, and items that combine text and images; and "Oral Histories" describes how to conduct an oral history interview and gives examples of good and bad techniques) as well as two articles for teachers ("How can teaching and learning be changed through primary sources?" and "Using Advertisements as Primary Sources in Education: Just what do they actually tell us about us?") A "Gallery of Artifacts" offers extensive online exhibits on a range of topics (e.g., "Recreational Travel and the Automobile," "Images of the Home Front: The World War II Experience in America," "Telephone Design: 100 Years of Change"); each exhibit has a brief introduction and thumbnail images of primary sources which link to larger images accompanied by a short annotation that places each source in context. The site also has a collection of series of cross-disciplinary curriculum units on manufacturing (designed for 9th graders), three science curriculum units developed by Michigan high school teachers, links to online primary source repositories, a glossary of primary source terms, descriptions of distance learning units, and professional development information.
You Be The Historian
http://www.si.edu/nmah/notkid/ubh/00intro.htm
Part of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History site, this online activity (good to use with younger students, but of interest to a wide range of ages) introduces students to the Springers, a Delaware family who lived 200 years ago. Students examine eight different sets of primary sources (mostly physical objects, although some written documents are included) to try to find out what daily life was like for the Springers. Students view photos of each object, try and guess what it was used for, then can click on a link that briefly describes what the object tells us about the Springer family. In addition, corresponding "What About You" sidebars encourage students to think about what historians of the future would be able to learn about our lives now by examining everyday objects that we use. Finally, students wind up their investigation by comparing their conclusions about the Springers with those made by professional historians. The site also has "Questions for Future Historians" that teachers can print out and have students complete as they proceed through the activity, and suggestions on how to use this activity in the classroom.
Finding Primary Sources on the Internet
http://www2.austin.cc.tx.us/history/inres04prm.html
Part of an online article titled "Using the Internet as a Resource for Historical Research and Writing" by Professor Roger A. Griffin of Austin Community College, this selection discusses the wide range of primary sources available on the Web, and the best methods for locating them. The essay contains numerous links to other primary sources Web sites; these links function as illustrative examples for points that Griffin makes.
Using Primary Source Documents in the Classroom
http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/teachers/primary.html
This page from the Ohio Historical Society offers a lesson plan designed to introduce students to primary sources, and also has a searchable online database containing over 2000 pages of primary source documents.
Using Primary Sources
http://library.advanced.org/12111/primary.html
Part of a series of activities designed by Think Quest to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the release of the film version of To Kill a Mockingbird, this page contains a short essay that defines what primary sources are and discusses concerns about and goals for using primary sources in the classroom. Teachers can then link to a "Historical Archives" page that places the novel in historical context by presenting material from primary source documents which explore events of the Great Depression and the Civil Rights Movement, including the Scottsboro Trials, interviews with both black and white women from the South who grew up during this era, a publication timeline that shows the publication/release of the novel and film alongside a chronology of the Civil Rights Movement, and more. There are also preparation and instructional activities, extension projects, and an online Student Center geared to studying and comparing the novel and the film.
Medieval Sourcebook: Why Study History Through Primary Sources?
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/robinson-sources.html
Part of Fordham University's Internet Medieval Sourcebook (a very nice online repository of primary source materials), this article (adapted from a James Harvey Robinson piece from Readings in European History,) discusses the different sources of history, problems inherent in secondhand knowledge, questions to ask about a historical work, why primary sources are necessary to the study of history, the modern availability of primary sources, and issues to consider when evaluating primary sources. The selection concludes with 11 brief questions about the article's content.
How to Read a Primary Source
http://www.bowdoin.edu/~prael/writing_guides/primary.htm
This Bowdoin University site contains an article that uses a helpful acronym (MAPER) students can use to lead them through evaluation of primary source materials. MAPER stands for:
- Motives and goals of the author
- Argument and strategy she or he uses to achieve those goals
- Presuppositions and values (in the text, and our own)
- Epistemology (evaluating truth content)
- Relate to other texts (compare and contrast)
After introducing the acronym, the author goes on to describe each of its components in some detail, then concludes by discussing other concepts (reliability, credibility, neutrality, and objectivity) related to the assessment of primary sources.
Other Collections of Primary Sources on the Web
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