Primary Sources for Elementary
Course
Selecting Primary Sources [5:29]
Selecting a primary source for your elementary students to use in their learning is a critical step in planning. But, what should be considered when selecting a primary source for elementary students?
When initially searching for primary sources, there are three national institutions to look at first: the Library of Congress, National Archives, and the Smithsonian Museums. All are massive and their searching can be intimidating.
If struggling to find primary sources on your topic in time of study, I recommend taking advantage of help features on their website, as well as pages designated to educators. Often, there you can find groups of primary sources around a topic, or more friendly search features.
There are also nationally known libraries that have large holdings in specialty areas. But in addition to these national institutions, there are often local libraries, history museums, or historical societies that you can visit and speak to someone face to face. When I've done this, I've found librarians and archivists who are eager to help me use their materials with my students. Do not ignore the possibility of local connections, even when studying a national or worldwide topic. You may be surprised what you find.
After I've searched for a primary source connected to my topic and time period, hopefully, I will have several options to consider. As I view my initial search results, I am looking for a primary source that is compelling. When I think of a primary source as being compelling, I'm thinking about how my students will react to it and interact with it.
Does the source allow my students to connect with something they will recognize or find familiar? If it's too foreign to them, is there some background information from the bibliographic data such as the title, date created, or description that may help? At the same time, are there elements that students may wonder about?
Some primary sources appear simple at first. If aspects of the primary source seem obvious and unengaging, is there a question that I can pose that would help students view the source in a different way that may engage them? Does it contain information that may encourage students to ask questions that lead to meaningful inquiry? Or does that information connect to prior learning, encouraging them to extend, and challenge, or clarify their understanding?
Consider when you will be using the primary source in the lesson. A primary source that may not interest students at one point in the lesson, may elicit a very different reaction at another point. If planning to use a primary source at the beginning of the lesson, consider choosing a photograph or a short piece of text that students can engage with quickly.
Often, primary sources that are successfully used at the beginning of a lesson generate a lot of interest or intrigue and require little background information to engage with. Look for a source that encourages students to ask questions. You may also use a source that will activate or gauge background knowledge.
When using a primary source later in the lesson, there are other considerations. As students work to create understanding and clarified thinking, they may be working individually or in groups and have some common learning to draw from.
You may have goals of students addressing learning content from new perspectives to deepen thinking through questioning and investigating, or for students to individualize their learning based on personal interests. At this point, you may consider a more complex primary source that requires some background information to understand.
Pairing multiple primary sources together that inform each other may also achieve learning goals. For moments when students are solidifying their thinking, share formats of primary sources they are familiar with. When initial understanding of concepts are more clear, challenge them with a new format of primary source that they haven't worked with yet.
When wanting to differentiate, choose several primary sources connected to your topic of study and allow students to choose one to analyze that intrigues them. Primary sources can also be used as a form of assessment. Using a primary source in an assessment can give a teacher insight into not only what students know, but how they think.
The primary source should lend itself to independent analysis of who created the document, what was happening, and when it was created or why it was created.
After students have some background information on a topic, or if they already come to the lesson with background, I may select a primary source that represents a different perspective, purpose, or intended audience than students may anticipate. I may also consider using a source that students analyzed earlier in the lesson, or in a previous lesson, but I will ask students to interact with it in a different way.
Notice that as you consider when a primary source will be used, you're also starting to think about the purpose of using the primary source, how students will interact with the source, and how you will frame its use. All of this is anchored in the learning that you want to take place. As we begin to look at methods for students interacting with primary sources, keep these ideas in mind.
Today's digital library, museum, and archives collections have rich stores of primary sources available online. But as Tom Bober acknowledges, "all are massive and their searching can be intimidating." To guide you through this process, Bober offers a step-by-step guide to one collection—the Library of Congress.
Read Bober's article "Discover Great Primary Sources with LOC.gov." Follow the links to browse some highlights of this collection, then follow the searching tips to select an image (photo, painting, map, etc.) that aligns with a topic and grade level that you teach. You'll use this resource in the exercises to follow.
Library of Congress website
http://www.loc.gov
MLA Citation
Morris, Rebecca J. "Primary Sources for Elementary: Browse Primary Source Collections." School Library Connection, October 2024, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2045335?learningModuleId=2045332&topicCenterId=2247905.
Entry ID: 2122739
Additional Resources
About the Author
MLA Citation
Bober, Tom. "Primary Sources for Elementary. Selecting Primary Sources [5:29]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, November 2016, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2045335?learningModuleId=2045332&topicCenterId=2247905.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2045335?learningModuleId=2045332&topicCenterId=2247905
Entry ID: 2045335