The Power of Primary Sources By Deborah Owen, Library Teacher Hudson High School (MA) Summer, 2008

What is a primary source?

“Original documentary evidence from a given historical period that can take many forms: photographs, drawings, letters, diaries, documents, books, films, posters, play scripts, speeches, songs, sheet music, and first-person accounts.” “ Primary Source” from Glossary, PBS.

Reasons to use primary sources*: Engage students – help them relate to past events personally Develop deeper understanding of history as a series of human events Develop critical thinking skills Construct new knowledge – use prior knowledge, analyze, then seek additional evidence through research *From “Why use primary sources?” Library of Congress, American Memory. and

More reasons to use primary sources* Acquire empathy for the human condition Consider different points of view State and national social studies standards support teaching with primary sources

Types of primary sources Statistics Audio Images Objects Text The Community

Statistics Includes: maps; blueprints; census data Primary sources “

Audio Includes: personal interviews; music; recordings Primary Sources President J.F. Kennedy, “Ich bin ein berliner” speech

Images Includes: photographs; film Primary sources “Chinese New Year: Dragon Parade.” The Chinese in California; Library of Congress, American Memory.

Objects Includes: artifacts, clothing, tools, weapons, tombstones Primary Sources

Text Primary sources “The New Rambler”, Emergence of Advertising in America, Library of Congress, American Memory Includes: letters; diaries; cookbooks; advertisements; copies of speeches; government documents

The Community Includes: family photos, genealogical info; local newspapers and historical societies; souvenirs Primary Sources

Some key primary source websites American Memory from the Library of CongressAmerican Memory NARA – National Archives and Records Administration – Northeast Reg. OfficeNortheast Reg. Office –Archival Research Catalog and other toolsArchival Research Catalog Awesome Stories – free for educational uses – all time periods of historyAwesome Stories Avalon Project at Yale Law School – American History: a Documentary RecordAvalon Project The online Collection at the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American HistoryCollection

Lessons available online (No need to reinvent the wheel!) The Learning Page, American Memory – “Teacher’s eye view…lessons, features, activities, and tips and tricks for using the collections in your classroom.” Awesome Stories – “interactive learning experience as you see thousands of hand- selected and relevant links to pictures, artifacts, manuscripts, documents and other primary sources, IN CONTEXT, within each story.”

More online lessons and assistance NARA, Northeast Region (in Waltham) –Visit in person! Take courses for PDPs! Bring in your class! Host a classroom visit by a NARA staff member! –National History Day assistance –Understanding the US census – genealogical research Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History –Letters from America’s wars – online exhibit –Summer courses for PDPs –Online resources and classroom tools –Online teaching modules on many American History topics

Sample lesson idea – maps, photos, write a “log” Students search for map in American Memory showing railroad line during the 1800s Cross-curricular connection – compare to geographical map; examine why the railroad company chose the route it did Research railroad-building in mid-1800s: why? where? how? Who?: Show photograph of Chinese workers (“John Chinaman on the rail road : Union Pacific Rail Road: From Miscellaneous Selections : Chinese and Westward Expansion”) Students research who worked on the railroads Write log as if a recent immigrant, working on the railroads Correlates to Mass. History Framework: USI.27

Local history lesson idea Access Digital Treasures through Hudson Public Library Students search Hudson Collection for “Hudson” – discuss photos of various industries in town through the years Research industry of late 1800s/early 1900s related to photos in the collection Visit by member of Hudson Historical Society to talk about changing industries in town Students work in pairs to develop recorded “interviews” of someone from early 1900s whose industry is beginning to leave town Correlates to Mass. History Framework: USI.28

The Nation’s Report Card Major Finding : “Students whose teachers reported using primary historical documents (such as letters, diaries, or essays written by historical figures) on a weekly basis had higher average scores than those whose teachers did so less frequently.” SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2001 U.S. History Assessment.