1. How to take notes, read, and think like a historian!
Mrs. Miller Presents…
How to take notes, read, and think like a historian!

2. Notes During Presentations and Discussions
Listen Actively! Don’t just listen for facts or dates; listen for important ideas, supporting details, cross-connections, and themes
Participate and Be Engaged! You are ultimately responsible for becoming your own critical thinker, so you need to do your own questioning, analyzing, or even - my favorite - disagreeing:)

3. Notes During Presentations and Discussions
Do NOT write down word for word what I have on the screen - Synthesize and Summarize the information!
Develop your own system, you’ll be writing notes for many years to come
Be neat, be organized, and leave room for additional questions

4. Notes During Presentations and Discussions
Short hand
Emigration to the United States in the 19th century from Ireland was largely sparked by the Potato Famine, which changed the way people in Ireland lived, worked, and ate. How could you summarize this in short hand?
Ppl came to the US frm Ireland in 1900s b/c of the Potato Famine. It changed how ppl lived, wrkd & ate

5. After A Presentation… Ask questions!
Review your notes after you take them, you might have missed something that you still remember from the lecture
Add in your own details from other sources

6. Primary Sources
Primary sources are materials directly related to a topic by time or participation
- These materials include letters, speeches, diaries, newspaper articles from the time, oral history interviews, documents, photographs, artifacts, or anything else that provides firsthand accounts about a person or event

7. Secondary Sources
Secondary sources are materials one step removed from the time or participation
- Many sources can be either primary or secondary depending on the topic or context
- These materials include articles, editorials, textbooks, newspaper articles from after the time period,
secondhand interviews, etc.

8. Reading and Taking Notes from a Text
Ask yourself what type of source it is - primary or secondary
Preview to get an idea of the structure and features of the text - identify titles, headings, vocab, captions, pictures, etc.
Read through once before you try to take notes - - focus on understanding the main ideas and/or themes

9. Reading/Taking Notes from Text
Summarize and Synthesize
Jot down questions that you may have and ask me
Know the vocabulary - do not think you can just skip the word and move on!!! There are these ancient books called dictionaries...now also available on the internet for your convenience
Use highlighters/underline/circle/draw a box around important ideas

10. Analyzing an Artifact Why was this object created?
When/Where/How would it have been used?
What does it say about the technology of the time period?
What can it tell me about the life and culture of the people and make sense of the time period?
* See $ Artifact for practice

11. Analyzing a Historical Map
When and where was the map produced?
What details has the map maker chosen to include or exclude in this map?
Why was the map drawn?
How can I determine if the map is accurate?

12. Middle Earth and Westeros

13. Analyzing a Photograph
What is the subject of the photograph?
What does the image reveal about the subject?
What is the setting?
What other details can I observe?
When and where in the past was it created?
What is the photographer’s Point of View?

15. Analyzing a Political Cartoon
List the important parts and details of the cartoon and describe why they are relevant?
Describe the focus or significance of the cartoon?
How do the captions and words in the cartoon add to the message and meaning?
Does the cartoon help the reader to understand the period of history better?

16. Your teacher does not agree with the message of this cartoon...

17. HOMEWORK - skip for 7th grade
First find a Photograph OR Artifact from your own history
Then answer the 2-3 of the questions from the, “Analyzing a...” slide on a sheet of paper about the item you chose
Bring in and share both the item and your question/responses - a copy of the photo or an image of the artifact is fine if you do not want to bring in the original - classroom appropriate!