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Posted by: Anne Savage
Teaching difficult topics using carefully selected primary sources can help students connect the past to the present. Looking at events through the lens of history can often make approaching a difficult topic easier.
Posted in: African American History, Contemporary United States (1945-present), Teaching Strategies
Posted by: Cheryl Lederle
Primary sources can also be selected to stimulate and support student investigations; look for primary sources that provoke intrigue and offer clues to give students starting points for further investigation.
Posted in: Teaching Strategies
Posted by: Danna Bell
The strategy of reading portraiture encourages the visual analysis of a piece of art, similar to closely reading a document. The visual clues found in portraiture may be decoded to learn about the individual featured in the artwork.
Posted in: Fine and Performing Arts, Teaching Strategies
Posted by: Cheryl Lederle
While a primary source may be only one resource within a larger lesson, deliberating during the selection process over where in the lesson the primary source will be used can lead to greater engagement, inquiry, and learning from the students.
Posted in: Teaching Strategies
Posted by: Cheryl Lederle
Scientific investigations with plants are a staple in elementary school classrooms. Young learners study plant structures and functions, what plants need to grow, how plants reproduce and pass on genetic information, and how matter and energy move in ecosystems. As they learn core scientific ideas, students should simultaneously engage in the practices of scientists. Historic photographs can serve as windows into planning and carrying out scientific investigations.
Posted in: Science Technology and Math, Teaching Strategies
Posted by: Cheryl Lederle
Primary sources have tremendous power to complicate seemingly straightforward stories, and are an essential part of every National History Day project.
Posted in: Teaching Strategies
Posted by: Anne Savage
Five 2015 Summer Teacher Institute participants reflect on what happened when they brought primary sources and analysis strategies into their own classrooms.
Posted in: Teaching Strategies
Posted by: Danna Bell
Science and health teachers can tackle brain science using current and historical primary sources about football.
Posted in: Science Technology and Math, Teaching Strategies
Posted by: Danna Bell
Viewing a film in class is a commitment of time and technology. Teachers want students to be active viewers, but most are more familiar with passively viewing film and video. How can teachers present film in a way that students are more likely to analyze its content? What aspects of viewing film may be beneficial to consider before analysis?
Posted in: Development of the Industrial United States (1877-1914), Teaching Strategies