Sources & New Tools

My practicum yesterday was probably my best day yet. I'm feeling way more comfortable in my classroom and I'm starting to get to know the students better as a result of that. I'm happy that we are all getting used to each other!
 

With the curriculum, it was the first day where students dug deep into concepts while I was in the classroom. They were finishing a mission where they had to choose which sources were primary and which were secondary. Below I copied the essential question, tasks, and objectives that students knew they had to complete and understand before their mission was complete. Students have access to this through their Schoology account and they are required to view it prior to beginning any of the assignments or making any submissions:

Essential Question: How can I tell the difference between a primary and a secondary source?

Objective	Tasks
Be introduced to the concepts of primary and secondary sources	Describe both primary and secondary sources
Brainstorm examples of primary and secondary sources	List examples of primary and secondary sources
Analyze scenarios and records to demonstrate ability to differentiate between primary and secondary sources	View examples of different sources Determine if they are primary or secondary
Students will define, in their own words, the terms "primary" and "secondary" sources	Define the terms in your own words via an exit ticket

I really like that Mr. Scott has incorporated this into their missions and put it on Schoology for students to see that way if they ever question what they are supposed to understand as a result of the mission, they can simply look at the briefing again. The ability to revisit this page and see what tasks they are expected to complete and what they are supposed to understand as a result of it will make it more accessible to students, in my mind.
 

The next task students had was to analyze this map:

Students went to this address:  http://www.loc.gov/teachers/primary-source-analysis-tool/

Using the analysis tool, they learned how to not only begin analysis of a primary source (the map), but how to use the website for analysis of primary sources in the future. They chose map as their source and were able to use questions from the website to guide their observations, reflections, and questions.
 

Initially, many students didn't realize that the site generated helpful questions if they clicked the bubble with the question mark in it. Once it was pointed out to them, they were excited about the task. Many students made observations on the land forms and questioned why they look that way. Others realized that the orange lines along the coast were actually words written in Latin. When they came together and discussed, they realized that they knew a lot more about this map than they initially had thought they did. The use of the analysis tool from the Library of Congress helped guide them to new understandings about the map.
 

One question that a student asked really stuck in my mind for the day. Stephen asked "does being an active participant in an event make you a better primary source than somebody who just watched it happen?"

 

This question brought the class to a great discussion on how your opinions and perspective on what's happening could skew how you see the events taking place. The fact that one question brought us to a discussion on bias and perspective was great. It reflects that the students were already making connections with this relatively new knowledge to aspects of their life outside of Mr. Scott's classroom.