Incorporating Primary Sources in the Classroom

1. Why Use Primary Sources?
• "History in the Raw" (Offsite link)

Summary::An article by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) that provides a persuasive rationale for teaching with primary sources, including recordings, documents, maps, artifacts, among other materials. NARA writes: "Primary sources fascinate students because they are real and they are personal; history is humanized through them. Using original sources, students touch the lives of the people about whom history is written."
2. Making primary sources work in the classroom
• Ideas for Using Primary Sources/ ShowMe Standards in the classroom
• Example of using Primary Sources in classroom projects:

(Developed by Project WhistleStop Classrooms)
• 6 months in the life of a President (September 1948 - February 1949)

Summary:Student-generated summaries of the President Truman's day-by-day doings, covering a 6-month period in his presidency. Among other materials, the materials reference speeches and photographs.
3. Supporting materials for using primary sources in the classroom
• Introductory Exercise
(Offsite Link)
Summary:This NARA exercise introduces students to historical documents found in their daily lives
• Document Analysis Worksheets (Offsite Links) These NARA worksheets guide students to analyze the following types of documents:
  
• Written Document


• Photograph


• Cartoon


• Poster


• Map


• Artifact


• Sound Recording


• Motion Picture


• Establishing a School Archives: by Larry J. Hackman
4. Examples of online lessons and activities that incorporate primary sources

• Truman and the White House Learning Activities(Dianne Schrik)
• Berlin Airlift Classroom Unit(Jean Chirnside)
• Information on President's Plane "Independence"
• The U.S. Recognition of the State of Israel: NARA commemorates the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Israel with teaching activities.(See Project WhistleStop's Recognition of Israel collection for documents pertaining to this theme)
• Political Cartoons in the Classroom
• Seven Cartoons for Senior High Classroom Research
• Developing Questioning Skills by Investigating Political Cartoons
• Summarizing Political Cartoons by Using Standard Parts of Speech
• Political Cartoons: Introduction to Symbols

• Inaugural Quiz:

5. Materials and ideas for creating lessons that incorporate primary sources
6. People at War: Activities and Documents pertaining to personal perspectives of WWII
7. Powers of Persuasion: Poster Art from World War II (NARA)