This particular journal article is centered on the idea of integrating primary sources into middle grades social studies classes, in particular digital primary sources. The authors begins with explaining how many students find history to be boring, and how it has been surveyed as one of the least liked subjects being taught. The article explains that one way to add meaning to social studies classes is to incorporate studying famous historical figures. Studying historical people helps students understand that history lessons that are implemented are actually relevant and pertinent to their real lives. The author makes the case that text books are not working, and are actually harming to social studies classrooms. The author states his main …show more content…
Firstly the teacher will introduce student’s to one primary source selected by the teacher that is fundamentally important to the learning of the topic being taught. Second students organize their thoughts and questions about the primary source. Thirdly the teacher needs to check for student’s comprehension of the context and the source that the class is analyzing. Fourthly the teacher most model and scaffold how to infer and read between the lines of this source to consider multiple perspectives regarding this source. Fifth the teacher finds an additional source that will corroborate or refute what is being presented by the first primary source. Sixth and lastly students will construct plausible narratives from the information and data that has been collected and analyzed from the primary source documents. The acronym SOURCE stands for: scrutinize the fundamental source, organize thoughts, understand the context, read between the lines, corroborate and refute, establish a plausible narrative, and summarize final …show more content…
The author really presents a strong case for why social studies teachers in middle grades must begin incorporating primary sources into their classrooms and lessons. The author provides references from multiple different experts and studies to support his claim. The article also makes a really strong argument for why digital historical resources are much more efficient and easy to use in the classroom, and also why these digital sources are more appealing to students. I really liked how the article presented the basics on the SOURCE technique, and then went into a very in depth analysis on each step. The article makes implementing a primary source into a social studies class much more accessible for teachers, and even provides examples of where to access these digital resources and sources the author refers to in the article. This article presents a extremely convincing case on the benefits of incorporating these digital primary sources into middle grades social studies classrooms as much as
The students will be given iPads and asked to find and list three Primary Historic sources and three secondary sources and write them into their learning journal. They will also be asked to justify their choices.
She carries the audience through her argument in a logical sequence. First, she makes her claim that student do not know history and explains her reasons (250). She then elaborates on what history students are taught and what exactly is wrong with the methods by which they learn (251). After this, she explains the job of a historian to the reader – how historians confront primary sources to “make some sense of what once happened” (252). To end the article, Simon describes how students can better learn history through exploring primary sources (253). This structuring and organization helps the reader to understand and to believe Simon’s
Mrs. McPhee is not meeting any state standards that will prepare her students for the test nor next year’s material. She is simply relating history to what her students would possibly like to learn about, instead of teaching them what they need to learn about. If Dr. Gutierrez was to agree on Mrs. McPhee’s proposal, Dr. Gutierrez would face several issues as well. She would hear that her 8th grade history department was “watered down” in several different areas. This new history curriculum would not touch on the areas of elected officials, foreign affairs, and several other important pieces of history.
High school history textbooks are seen, by students, as presenting the last word on American History. Rarely, if ever, do they question what their text tells them about our collective past. According to James W. Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me, they should be. Loewen has spent considerable time and effort reviewing history texts that were written for high school students. In Lies, he has reviewed twenty texts and has compared them to the actual history. Sadly, not one text measures up to the author's expectation of teaching students to think. What is worse, though, is that students come away from their classes without "having developed the ability to think coherently about social
It is important to remember to children do not stop learning history when they finish their time at primary school. Maintained secondary schools follow the NC which maintains that all children will continue to learn history by means of the KS3 History Programmes of Study (2013). Therefore it is important to prepare children for more challenging and precise history learning. New topics shall be introduced so it is important children have the skills to ‘identify significant events, make connections, draw contrasts, and analyse trends’ (p.72). It is, furthermore, defined that pupils will ‘pursue historically valid enquiries including some they have framed themselves’ (p.72). This indicates towards children becoming independent critical thinkers, a valuable quality to have in adult
In your own words, thoroughly describe the source. If this is a visual source, describe what you see; if this is a written source, explain what it says. You should refrain from analyzing the source here, but instead strive to describe it faithfully on its own terms.
(1) Content: Determine what information the source can give you. Is it relevant to your subject? Will it help you complete your study?
Primary sources are useful because they are the reports and interpretations of the historians that are closer to the event. Therefore, some of the primary sources that will be most helpful when researching to what extent did the military play a role in the decision to drop the atomic bomb on August 6, 1945. First, I would use the interviews and memos that lead up to the event; I will read some of the interviews that were conducted from sources like Robert Oppenheimer, Stanislaus Ulam, and Kathleen Maxwell, these people are important, because they are the individuals who actually worked on the bomb. I will pull the interviews from the Voices of the Manhattan Project. Then I would like to get into the actual decision and meetings in Potsdam, which will be pulled from a few memos,
Sources are an essential component in academic essays. Sources are important in research essays that are not based on personal experiences. Therefore, the writer will need to acknowledge the author of the research to avoid plagiarism. Additionally, sources enable one to get multiple perspectives on the topic, gain insights into the topic which gradually leads to the development of a thesis statement. As one continues to scrutinize the sources, they can integrate the ideas of different researchers and synthesize them in the research. Sources strengthen the level of ideas presented in the essay.
When a parent thinks about protecting their child, they may not consider protecting their child from the invalid information that is being taught in schools across the nation. There are many factors that go into publishing an academic textbook, but many of these factors rely solely in the political roots of the publisher. Textbooks today aim to impress children with vivid images and information that is easily understood and related to. Leaving out vital historical information from a curriculum could harm a student severely in the long run. The thoughts and beliefs that a person constructs are based on prior knowledge and personal experiences so leaving information about the past is robbing a student the right to understand our country. Adjustments are certainly needed to be made in the approach of teaching crucial historical information throughout the nations’ classrooms. These adjustments would ensure that generations to come are not doomed to repeat the mistakes made by past century political figures. This essay is sure to intrigue by deliberating the skewed information covered in academic textbooks, the way Columbus is taught in schools, and the deception of the severity of global climate change. Thinking about how people with power control the potential knowledge of children in classrooms today could really leave a person wondering what other skeletons the government has in their honorable closet.
“Letters to King Jao of Portugal,” was written by the king of Kongo, King Affonso, who’s real name was Nzinga Mbemba. King Affonso writes this letter directed to the king of Portugal, King Jao, to inform him about his concerns of his people. The letter is dated 1526 and takes place in the Kingdom of Kongo, which by during this time slave trade is going on (705). Throughout the letter of King Affonso seems to beg King Jao for help rather than being demanding, “again we beg of your Highness to agree with it”(707), remarks King Affonso.
Sources I am choosing to support my essay are three secondary sources. One secondary resource chosen is an article titled, “Learning styles: where’s the evidence?” by Doug and Harold. In this article, Doug and Harold explain in detail the multiplicities of learning styles. They also explain the differences and similarities between the learning styles. This will aid me in writing the compare and contrast essay because it will further my understanding on the different learning styles and how they differ. Another secondary resource that I will employ in my essay is a journal article, “Matching learning style to instructional method: Effects on comprehension” by Roqowsky, Calhoun, and Tallal. In this journal article, they explain that learning
A source is the place or resource in which knowledge has been obtained. When looking for sources to use in a research paper you need to be able to determine whether or not a source is reliable and credible. It is important to use reliable and credible sources so that the information you use in a document you are writing is accurate and will not affect you in a negative way, by either getting a bad grade in school or just looking unintelligent to a colleague.
Students respond differently towards the distribution of information, reacting and indulging differently if that information comes from an educational outlet than that of a social or even private source. This is especially the case with history with more students feeling overwhelmed and unattached to history information supplied to them through classrooms or teachers but respond well to history when it is received through media outlets, technology or just outside the educational system. Maybe it is due to the students’ perception that anything taught at school is going to have a bland and ‘boring’ element towards it, that the classes are not fun but only cutting into the time they could spend socializing or using technology. Maybe those students that find history interesting outside the academic level openly engage in those historical fiction and films, feeling more in control of their learning or the information supplied to them. Maybe in an academic sense, students cannot see the relevance of the historical information supplied, making it difficult for them to understand it and recognize why it is important element of their study. Usually information received outside of school the media outlets such as the internet and television highlight historical information in the relevance of today’s society, illustrating one of the reasons such topic has made headlines and is still actively incorporated into society. It can be argued that all students would like to learn, however to
Implementing new curriculum across the state can be a daunting task for any essentialist based school district. Throughout the years, states has been forced to implement new curriculums based on changes in educational laws, demographics, and the advances within technology. History is a content area, which rarely gets revamped regarding the material. However, through this outline it will demonstrate how the history curriculum would be implemented to assist students across the curriculum, and how the new application of standards, community involvement, and collaborative planning’s will aid in the overall success of the student, state, and district.