Brief Description

Primary Sources are an amazing way to help you bring history alive for your students. The website used in this lesson has intriguing photographs, music, sounds and documents that your students will find especially appealing!

Standards and Frameworks

Technology Standards

• 5T-E1. Locate information from electronic resources

• 1SS-E1. Understand and apply the basic tools of historical research, including chronology and how to collect, interpret, and employ information from historical materials.

Academic

• After completing this lesson, students will be able to tell what a Primary Source is, and give at least one example of a Primary Source.
• After completing this lesson, students will be able to explain why Primary Sources are important.

• In the classroom and/or computer lab, students will use a given website to access examples of Primary Sources.
• Students will begin to understand how the Internet can play a role in accessing and using Primary Sources to assist research.

• Students should know basic use of the Internet, such as using the correct URL
• Students should know how to save their work to a server or disk.

• Computers with Internet access
• Children of Yesteryear Question Guide

• Students will be working in pairs for this activity. Those who have learning disabilities, or are second-language learners will benefit from working with stronger students.
• Students with writing disabilities can type their answers, or record their answers on a tape recorder.
• Gifted students could be challenged to look at and analyze additional photos, or move on to analyze the Motion Pictures at the same website. The same questions may be used to guide their work.

Before going the computer lab:

1. Assign partners.
2. Discuss Primary and Secondary Sources. Discuss the following definitions:

Primary Source - original works in various media formats such as photographs, drawings, letters, diaries, documents, books, films, posters, play scripts, speeches, songs, sheet music, and first-person accounts that are recorded at the time of an event.
 
Secondary Source - source created by someone either not present when the event took place, or removed by time from the event. Examples of secondary sources include textbooks, journal articles, histories, and encyclopedias.

3. Distribute the “Children of Yesteryear Primary Sources Question Guide.” Discuss the directions, and go over each question. Tell students that once in the lab, all questions must be discussed before answers may be written.
4. If you have an Averkey (or some other computer projection device) in your classroom, you may want to preview the given website with your students.
 

1. Have students go to www.cyberbee.com/yesteryear/photo.html.
2. If you have not already shown this website in class, discuss the six picture choices for this assignment. (Note: This lesson focuses only on the photographs. This website does have different types of primary sources, including music and motion pictures. You may want to give directions that these can be examined another time.)
3. Each partnership should select ONE photograph. To enlarge the photo, click on the thumbnail picture. (Should you run out of time, these can be printed and taken back to the classroom.)
4. Each partnership should discuss ALL given questions before recording answers. (In order to see the date each photo was taken, students may click on the link directly under each thumbnail.)
5. Once all questions have been discussed, students may begin recording their answers to the questions.
6. OPTIONAL: Once students have completed their written answers, you may wish to group all the students who examined the same picture to discuss their answers.
7. Once students have completed writing their answers, hold a class discussion and review the activity. Use the questions as a guide. Be sure to highlight why primary sources are beneficial.

• Teacher observation on how well students utilize the computer to access URL addresses.

      RUBRIC*:
      1 – Student needs help with all technology access
      2 – Student needs some help with technology
      3 – Student needs a little help with technology
      4 – Student needs no help with technology
*Developed by Suzi Cook, Amphitheater Public Schools
 
• To assess the students’ written work (“Children of Yesteryear Primary Sources Question Guide”), use the Primary Source Rubric.