Using+Documents

Activity #1: media type="custom" key="9976431"


 * 1) Which document(s) do you think are **reliable**? Why? I think Document 1 by the news reporter is reliable because that is the official report of what happened. I also think that Document 7 by the referee is reliable because he is the referee and doesn't have a biased opinion.
 * 2) Which document(s) do you think are **unreliable**? Why? Document 2 by Wilson, Document 4 by McNeil, and Document 5 by Johnson are all unreliable because they are by three athletes that are either routing for Malden or Medford so will obviously say things that support there team.
 * 3) What are somethings that all documents agree on? All documents agree on the outcome of the game.
 * 4) What are somethings that the documents disagree about? The documents disagree about whether the play was fair or not.
 * 5) Are there any other people that could have given a better account of what happened? Anyone on the sideline could probably give a better account of what happened.

Activity #2:

1. What do you think the difference is between a primary and a secondary source? A primary source is more reliable than a secondary source. ﻿A secondary source is created after the person looks at the primary source. The primary source is evidence and the secondary source is trying to figure out this evidence.

2. How is an historian like a detective? A historian is like a detective because he/she or not only has to figure out what happened, but why it happened. He has to figure out the background information on things.

Activity #3: Let's investigate

**Below are some basic questions you should ask about sources:**


 * 1) **Who wrote or made it?**
 * 2) **When was it written or made?**
 * 3) **Where was it written or made?**
 * 4) **Why was it written or made?**
 * 5) **What point is the author or creator trying to make?**
 * 6) **What evidence does this source contribute to your research?**

These questions are important to a historian's work because they can help him decide whether the information is reliable or not. It also helps him decide why what he is reading is important. I think that the question that is the most important to a historian's work is what evidence does this source contribute to your research because it tells the historian how this information ties in with the research. That way he can make the connections he needs to. Activity #4: Types of Primary and Secondary Sources Types of Primary Sources: -Published Documents -Unpublished Documents -Oral Traditions/Oral Histories -Visual Documents and Artifacts

Types of Secondary Sources: -Books -Journals -Magazines

Activity #5: Summarizing Activity
 * List **// 3 //**things you learned today: 1. I learned that you should find out if a source is reliable before you use it. 2. I learned that secondary sources are what come out of primary sources. 3. I learned that a historian has to ask questions about a source before he uses it to know how it will help him.
 * List //**2**// questions you still have about what you learned today: 1. How do you know whether a source is primary or secondary? 2. Are there certain times in which you would want to use a primary source and certain times in which you would want to use a secondary source?
 * Explain //**1**// thing you'd like to learn more about. 1. I would like to learn more about how to tell if a document is reliable or not.

Activity #6: Test what you know about primary and secondary sources

Example: An artifact found in the ruins of a historical site is a primary source, but a picture of that artifact and an explanation of what it is would be a secondary source.

Activity #7: Design your own quiz on primary and secondary sources

Decide whether these eight sources are primary or secondary. Topic: The Civil War

1.The United States vs. William H. Carter: Indictment (Actual document)

2. Exhibit B: copy of Memorandum for Mr. Herbert Weschler from Edward J. Ennis, Director, Department of Justice, Alien Enemy Control Unit, September 30, 1944; Re- US vs. Korematsu (Docket filing 39)

3. Copy of the Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

4. Actual Gettysburg Address (1863)

5. Picture of the Kansas - Nebraska Act (1854) in a history textbook

6. A picture of Gettysburg at the time of the battle

7. A contemporary illustration of the first shots at Fort Sumter

8. A contemporary sketch of the signing of the surrender of Appomattox

Activity #8: Reflection Both primary sources and secondary sources are essential to the work of a historian. Primary sources and secondary sources are both historical sources from the past. The difference is that primary sources come directly from the past, while secondary sources have been made recently. The purpose of the two types of sources is to allow the historian to find out information about the past. He has to ask questions about a source and then answer them so that he can find out how that source will help him. Without any sources, he will be unable to learn about his topic of history.

Observe, Reflect, Question

The observe, reflect, question technique allows us to analyze primary sources. First students observe, and take in the details. Next they reflect, and think about what these details me. When they reflect they will also create a hypothesis. Last students ask questions. media type="custom" key="10001101"