Project Clio PD November 16, 2011

 Introducing historical thinking History is a discipline centered on questions and interpretations Historical thinking requires us to question sources History is alive, debatable, and connected to the present  Ways to introduce initial historical thinking Legacy of Nat Turner Legacy of Malcolm X

“They were all different sources saying different things. Some were letters from Roosevelt which meant they were lies. Others were newspaper articles and political cartoons that were biased. It was hard to know which one to believe.” -Student comments during discussion of the lesson, p.53

Text * What is visible/readable, i.e. what information is provided by the source? Context * What was going on during the time period? What background information do you have that helps explain the information found in the source? Subtext * What is between the lines? Ask questions about the following: * Author: Who created the source, and what do we know about that person? * Audience: For whom was the source created? * Reason: Why was this source produced when it was?

 Do not use more than 6 sources  Read the sources ahead of time  Include visual sources, text, material objects, and pop culture  Aid students by editing for length, defining difficult terms, and contextualizing  Ensure sources are comparable length

 Theodore Roosevelt and the Panama Canal  Begin with Roosevelt’s autobiography  What is Roosevelt doing in his autobiography and what role did the United States play in the acquisition of the territory used to construct the Canal?  Present sources with contrasting viewpoints  Jigsaw  Quick-writes

 Step One: Read the excerpt from Truman’s autobiography  Step Two: Focus on his argument and any vocabulary that might represent subtext. What is Truman doing in his autobiography: (lying, telling half-truths, exaggerating, rationalizing)

 Step Three: Analyze additional sources What does the source have to say about the circumstances surrounding the Atomic bombs? Is there any evidence that challenges President Truman’s claims? Jigsaw at tables and share answers to the above questions

 Step Four: Complete the following sentence stems: “The various types of sources used to determine the purpose of Truman’s autobiography created problems because….” “The subtext of the various documents was important to consider because….” “Overall, when trying to interpret events from the past, you need to…”