DAY 4
AEA-9 Teaching American History Grant Project
Tuesday, June 28 or August 2, 2005
AGENDA
8:30-3:30
 
  (10:15-11:45—Project Evaluation )
COMMUNITY BUILDING

Discussion question:  What is your biggest teaching challenge related to the goals of this project?  What can you/I/we do to meet this challenge? 
REFLECTIONS ON TEACHING HISTORY

THE POWER OF PRIMARY SOURCES
..And now come the scenes of the last partings--of the final separations of those who were akin, or who had been such dear friends from youth that no ties of kindred could bind them closer--of those who were all in all to each other, and for whose bleeding hearts there shall be no earthly comfort--the parting of parents and children, of brother from brother, and the rending of sister from a sister's bosom; and O! hardest, cruellest of all, the tearing asunder of loving hearts, wedded in all save the one ceremony of the Church-these scenes pass all description; it is not meet for pen to meddle with tears so holy.

As the last family stepped down the block, the rain ceased, for the first time in four days the clouds broke away, and the soft sunlight fell on the scene. The unhappy slaves had many of them been already removed, and others were now departing with their new masters. ...

Excerpt from:  "What Became of the Slaves on a Georgia Plantation?"  (1859)
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/psources/plant.html

American Memory Learning Page ACTIVITY 1: With a partner, read/skim through these pages.  What elements from these pages could you use with your students in introducing them to primary sources documents?

ACTIVITY 2:  Go the American Memory Collection homepage.  Click on "today in history."  Click on "archives".  That should take you to the search page  where you can search by date or theme.  Type the name of your theme (or related key terms) in search box on this page.  See what you find in the collection!

ACTIVITY 3:  Go the American Memory Collection homepage.  In the search box at the right top corner of the page type in the word "panoramic" and the name of a town or city related to your topic study.  See what you find! 

ACTIVITY 4:  Go the American Memory Collection homepage.  Skim the collections listed for resources related to your topic.  Browse these collections for primary sources that might support your topic study. 

ACTIVITY 5: Go the American Memory Collection homepage.   Click on the term "Teachers".  That should take you to the learning page  where you will find a host of activities applicable to the classroom.  Explore this area for resources related to your topic. 
RESOURCE PRESENTATION

CampSilos Excursions is the newest addition to the CampSilos online learning materials. This project provides support sites for

CampSilos Excursions offers learning materials through virtual field trips to Iowa’s historic and cultural resources in the Silos &Smokestacks National Heritage Area.  Students become museum curators and explore historic photographs, letters, and artifacts depicting themes in Iowa history.  Web-based research activities and pre- and post-field trip lesson plans are linked to national standards in the areas of language arts, social studies and history.

The materials found on these sites can be used in two ways. 
  • First, they provide pre- and post-field trip activities for use with visits to these field trip destinations. 
  • Second, they function as independent classroom investigations using primary source materials such as letters, photographs, maps, poems, advertisements, and journals.

The teacher section for each site provides background information on using primary source materials in the classroom

Explore the Grout Museum Excursion.

OTHER COLLECTIONS OF ONLINE PRIMARY SOURCE MATERIALS:
  • Primary Sources on the Web:  A selected list of websites containing primary source materials.
  • Analysis of Primary Sources:  A lesson for student providing guidance on how to use primary sources as learning tools. 
  • Using Primary Sources in the Classroom:  Suggestions for using primary sources were compiled from the National Digital Library's Educators' Forum held in July, 1995 and from the Library staff. Educators at the Forum, like many throughout the country, know that history comes alive for students who are plugged into primary sources. These suggestions for student activities can help you enhance your social studies curriculum using authentic artifacts, documents, photographs, and manuscripts from the Library of Congress Historical Collections and other sources.
  • Online Primary Sources in History: Archives, libraries, and museums are increasingly sharing primary source material via the world wide web. This site provides outstanding examples of quality collections of online primary source documents.
  • Getting the Most from Primary Source Materials:  Provides guidance for teachers related to the use of primary sources as instructional tools. 
  • Primary Sources on the Web: The sites found here are sorted into two categories: sites relating to United States history and sites relating to world history.
  • American Memory: Available to us from the Library of Congress, this enormous archive is one of the best resources for primary sources on U.S. history and culture.   
  • Archiving Early America :This site includes images of people, places, events, documents, and more in its Early American Digital Library. There are also various special features that bring to life 18th century American history.
  • Digital Collections of Historical Resources for Children and Teens: This extensive list of online primary resources was developed by Laura Katz Smith, Archives & Special Collections, University of CT Libraries.
  • Teaching History Online: A newsletter for history teachers in England  presenting a British perspective on historical topics. 
MY TEACHING HISTORY PORTFOLIO
Work time in topic groups to develop the following:
  • Other Professional Standards
  • KEY WORDS:  (Vocabulary words students will use in constructing a narrative for pre and post assessments)
  • LESSON PLANS: Including but not limited to: 
ASSESSMENT PLAN: (Linked to learning goals and aligned with lesson plans)
COMMUNITY BUILDING
  • What have we accomplished? 
  • Where are we headed?
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