This module is for Teacher Resources

General Implementation Guide

Topics: Analyzing Primary Sources
Grades: 5-12
Subject Area(s): Social Studies, U.S.History
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes, ~2 class periods

This module may be completed independently online by students, or through a combination of guided and independent practice within a classroom setting.

Module Description

Students analyze historically significant primary sources from the life and times of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. By following a process for analyzing primary sources, students practice empathy, develop an understanding of multiple perspectives, increase content knowledge, and enhance their critical thinking skills. With an emphasis on building student agency in primary source analysis, students will take an active role in developing compelling questions that lead to further investigation, reflection, and insights.

First, students gain background knowledge on primary sources and processes for analyzing them. Next, students engage in a series of activities where they are guided through the analysis of primary source documents and photographs using the RISEEmpathy Framework and Analysis Tool. After guided practice, students use the primary source analysis tool to independently analyze different types of primary sources to gain a deeper understanding of, and make connections with, the life and times of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. Students also learn about historical thinking skills (sourcing, contextualization, corroboration, and close reading) and how to apply them to primary source analysis. Finally, students will have an opportunity to review their analysis and reflect on the impact it has had on their learning and engagement with the past.

Pedagogical Approach

This module uses the gradual release model of instruction. After activating prior knowledge through a brief introductory activity, instructional content is presented through direct instruction and modeling. Direct instruction and modeling comes in the form of feedback through interactivity, videos, and written content. As students gain understanding, they engage in guided practice where they answer questions and receive immediate feedback and explanations of the answer. Finally, students apply their learning through independent practice to demonstrate their mastery of the learning objectives.

Assessment

  • Students respond to formative assessment questions as they work through guided instruction in the module.
  • Students complete a primary source analysis tool for each type of primary source (documents and photographs). This analysis can be self-checked against a model for students who are working alone, or it can be evaluated by the classroom teacher for a grade.

Big Ideas

  1. Primary sources provide insights into the past that help us to make connections with the present.
  2. Examining history through primary sources can foster self-awareness, empathy, inquiry, and critical thinking.
  3. Analyzing different primary sources from the same historical context can lead to a deeper understanding and more reliable conclusions.

Essential Questions

  • What are primary sources?
  • How can primary sources be used to deepen your understanding of the past?
  • How do you generate questions about primary sources to increase understanding, critical thinking, and engagement with the past?
  • How do you use primary sources to answer your questions and support your ideas?
  • How do you analyze primary sources?
  • How does reflection, inquiry, self-awareness, and empathy impact your analysis of primary sources?

Module Objectives

  • Analyze primary sources through a process of reflection, inquiry, self-awareness, and empathy.
  • Generate questions about people, events, and artifacts for further investigation and insight.
  • Draw conclusions based on insights and evidence gained through primary source analysis.

Standards

C3 Framework

Dimension 1 Developing questions and planning Inquiries

Dimension 2 Applying disciplinary concepts and tools

  • Civics
  • History

Dimension 3 Evaluating sources and using evidence

  • Gathering and Evaluating Sources

Dimension 4 Communicating conclusions and taking informed action.

Social Studies Framework Grade 5-12

Standard 1.0 Civics: Students shall inquire about the historical development of the fundamental concepts and processes of authority, power, and influence with particular emphasis on civic reasoning in order to become informed, responsible citizens, engage in the political process, and contribute to society.

Standard 2.0 Peoples of the Nations and World: Students shall inquire about the people of the United States and the world using a historically grounded, multidisciplinary approach in order to recognize multiple narratives and acknowledge the diversity and commonality of the human experience.

Standard 5.0 History: Students shall inquire about significant events, ideas, beliefs, and themes to identify patterns and trends and to analyze how individuals and societies have changed over time to make connections to the present in their communities, Maryland, the United States, and the world.

Standard 6.0 Skills and Processes: Students shall inquire about civics, geography, economics, history, and people and nations of the world using disciplinary literacy skills and processes to critically evaluate content through a variety of source materials across disciplines and use reading, writing, and other forms of communication to develop, defend, and critique arguments in order to take informed action. [This standard reflect the Inquiry Arc of the C3 Framework]

Social Studies Indicator and Objective G5
Students will identify slavery as the central cause of the Civil War by: comparing forms of resistance used by Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and the abolitionist movement.

Social Studies Indicator and Objective G8
Students will analyze the impact of antebellum reform movements on American politics and society by: Identifying the methods, arguments, and impacts of the abolitionist movement.

MCCRS Content Standards

Reading G5

RI.5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

RI.5.3 Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.

RI.5.5 Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.

RI.5.6 Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.

RI.5.7 Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.

RI.5.9 Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

Reading Grades 6-8

RL1 CCR Anchor Standard: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it

RL6 CCR Anchor Standard: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

RL9 CCR Anchor Standard: Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

Reading 9-10

RI.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Reading 11-12

RI.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.

Writing G5

W.5.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

W.5.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

W.5.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.

W.5.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

W.5.7 Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

Writing 6-8

W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

W.6.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.

W.7.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.

W.8.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.

Writing 9-10

W.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

W.9-10.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

W.9-10.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

Writing 11-12

W.11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

W.11-12.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

W.11-12.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

Teacher notes for each section

Primary Sources

This section begins with an activity to activate prior knowledge about primary sources. Consider engaging students in a whole group activity as they answer the questions.

You may also facilitate a brief discussion about students’ prior experiences with using or interacting with primary sources.

Ask students to contribute additional benefits and limitations of using primary source documents.

During the What is Inquiry activity, encourage students to share the questions they have about the African American children playing in the cotton field.

Analysis

Encourage students to share what they see, think, and wonder about after examining the five primary source documents. You may also choose to have students submit their written responses to you for review, as there is a print option at the end of the interactive.

This section may also be a good time to revisit the K-W-H-L chart with students.

Tubman

Encourage students to share their RISE analysis with the group. Discuss different interpretations of the Harriet Tubman primary sources and ask students to explain their reasoning.

You may choose to conduct a whole group discussion of the conclusions drawn from insights from analyzing the primary sources. The Drawing Conclusion activity may serve as an anchor for this discussion.

Students are introduced to historical thinking skills at the end of this section. Review these skills with students. As an extension activity, consider having students apply historical thinking (sourcing, contextualization, corroboration, and close reading) to one of the Runaway Ads or other written documents from the module.

Douglass

Encourage students to share their RISE analysis with the group. Discuss different interpretations of the Frederick Douglass primary sources and ask students to explain their reasoning.

You may choose to conduct a whole group discussion of the conclusions drawn from insights from analyzing the primary sources. The Drawing Conclusion activity may serve as an anchor for this discussion.

Extension Activity

Students may engage in the Further Investigation activity where they extend their learning by exploring additional primary sources based on questions they raised through the analysis process. Here are a few resources from the Library of Congress to get them started in the right direction: